The Last Last Day of Summer by Lamar Giles. 287 p. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 2, 2019. 9781328460837 (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)
Cousins Otto and Sheed live with their grandma in Logan County, Virginia. They've spent the summer sleuthing and bickering. Both are mourning the approach of the last day of summer though Grandma is not. She's got it circled on the calendar. As they argue over just how they should spend their final day of freedom, a strange man named Flux appears out of nowhere with a camera that freezes time. He allows Otto to take a picture of the town but another man appears out of nowhere and fights Flux for the camera before he can take a picture of the boys. They run away with the camera and discover that everyone in town is frozen. Who is the rubbery man with the camera? Who is the second man? Why is everyone in town except them frozen? This might just be the case of their lives!
Buckle up because this mind-bending romp takes off running and doesn't stop. It zigs and zags wildly and hilariously. The characters in this quirky little town are distinct and memorable. The humor ranges from slapstick to wry, so there's something to amuse everyone. And there's plenty of fun wordplay. The brotherly relationship between the cousins is a bit competitive lending a realistic, relatable element.
While this really should have wide appeal, hand to your fans of time-travel, fast-paced adventure, and/ or humorous books. Giles rocks his MG debut. More please.
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