FROM THE PUBLISHER

I lost myself inside a book last night.Then found myself in a galactic fight ...A thrilling world awaits you inside The Paper Doorway! From The Woggle Wrangler to The Wart, from Boogeyman to The Bear with One Green Ear, from The Monstrous Broccoli Excuse to An Angry Poem by a Dragon's Mother, Dean Koontz's poetry is wickedly entertaining fun.With 225 million copies of his books sold, New York Times — megaselling author Dean Koontz has been called America's most popular suspense novelist — but that only begins to describe his endless talent and imagination. Following the success of his previous children's book, Santa's Twin, Koontz has created a richly inventive book of poems, illustrated in black-and-white by Phil Parks, that delivers a powerhouse combination of humor and spookiness.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Bestselling novelist Koontz rejoins his collaborator on Santa's Twin for this uneven roundup of poems whose humor sometimes misses the mark. All poems are narrated in the first-person; Parks portrays both boy and girl narrators. Among the most clever entries is the title poem, in which the narrator tells of losing himself literally in a book: "The book fell shut while I was inside/ And I escaped the things I can't abide:/ Doctors and dentists, lima beans and school,/ Homework, neckties, piano lessons, rules." In another winner, "The Monstrous Broccoli Excuse," the narrator insists that his or her dislike of this vegetable is mutual, explaining that the broccoli escapes from the fridge at night and slithers under the bed: "Oh, Mom, how can I eat, you see,/ A fearsome food that would eat me?" Some of Koontz's nonsense verse falls flat, as in the following brief ditty, "A Beverage with Antlers": "I like the taste of orange juice./ And I like the look of a moose./ However, I don't like moose juice,/ Nor do I want an orange moose." Often serving up surrealistic images, Parks's half-tone art echoes the hyperbole and whimsy of the verse, which Koontz's fans will likely pick up for their progeny. Ages 8-12. (Oct.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-8-The startling cover illustration pulls readers through the doorway into this lighthearted poetry collection filled with wordplay, humor, spookiness, and nonsense. The tone is reminiscent of Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, and Eve Merriam though Koontz does not quite reach their level, and not all of the selections succeed equally. At times it is difficult to hook into the rhyme or the beat of the selections and they require a second look. Best known for his adult suspense novels, the author uses a gentler voice here to deal with an annoying aunt, the boogeyman, rumors, broccoli, dragons, warts, and a sibling who must have two heads because he can switch from being mean to pleasant. Youngsters will find much to giggle over and wonder about in these imaginative poems. Parks's whimsical black-and-white illustrations have an animated quality that adds life to the book. On the last page, readers are challenged to find a mouse hidden in every picture. This is indeed a tall order because some of them are impossible to find, but the quest is fun. Koontz and Parks used this same puzzle idea in Santa's Twin (HarperPrism, 1998).-Renee Steinberg, Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

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