The Adventures of Hotsy Totsy

by Clive Cussler

Overview

Casey and Lacey Nicefolk seem like two regular, all-American kids. But these twins have a secret: a magical box that can turn any small object life-size! So they dream up a plan to turn a toy boat into the life-size Hotsy Totsy and enter a national boat race. With their dog, Floopy, along for the ride, the twins zip up to San Francisco, ready for excitement. But this is no ordinary boat, and this is no ordinary race. Casey and Lacey must work together in a nautical adventure that turns into a risky race to the finish line!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780142418734
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	08/18/2011
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	906,415
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Clive Cussler is the author of many New York Times bestsellers, most recently The Spy and Lost Empire. He lives in Arizona.

Hometown:

Phoenix, Arizona

Date of Birth:

July 15, 1931

Place of Birth:

Aurora, Illinois

Education:

Pasadena City College; Ph.D., Maritime College, State University of New York, 1997

Editorial Reviews

Gr 3–5—When their parents go out of town, 10-year-old fraternal twins Casey and Lacey Nicefolk decide to use their magical black box to turn a toy model boat into a functioning powerboat and enter the Gold Cup Grand National Race up the Sacramento River. What follows is a series of mini adventures for the siblings and their dog, including kidnapping by the bad guys from The Adventures of Vin Fiz (Philomel, 2006) and the actual race itself, which comprises nearly half the book. Written in a style reminiscent of an old-fashioned dime novel, the book has no character development and a lot of telling rather than showing. The writing is stilted, and the story lacks excitement or purpose.—Jessica Marie, Renton Public Library, WA

School Library Journal

Casey and Lacey Nicefolk are itching for another adventure. Good thing their parents are off on a visit to Aunt Polly's, leaving the fraternal-twin ten-year-olds alone on the herb farm in sunny California. Casey builds a model of the vintage championship speedboat Hotsy Totsy, and they use the Mystery Box left by itinerant farmhand/wizard Sucoh Sucop to turn it into a full-sized boat so they can enter the Gold Cup Grand National Powerboat Race. Unfortunately, "The Boss" has escaped from jail and plans revenge against the Nicefolk kids. Fortunately, he and his bumbling sidekicks are no match for the magic of Hotsy Totsy. Cussler's sequel to his abysmal Adventures of Vin Fiz (2006) suffers from all the same problems: stilted prose, gender stereotypes, unrealistic dialogue, deus-ex-magicus solutions to every problem. Both read as if written by someone who closed the cover on their last children's book in 1940. A publishing event that demands an apology to the industry, all children and the trees that gave their lives. (Magical adventure. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews