Duck Boy by Bill Bunn

Duck Boy Reviews

• 
  Heidi | Paper Safari Book Blog

  This is a great story about a misfit boy whose world is turned upside down when his mother disappears. His father is distraught and doesn't know how to cope and so the two of them are just floundering through life, until Steve is sent to stay at his Great Aunt's house for Christmas. That's when his world changes.
  
  Through his fantastical adventure to save his mother, his Great Aunt and a new friend Steve finds his inner strength and his self esteem. He learns that he has skills that not everyone else has and his determination and will are stronger than he ever thought.
  
  A fun, fantastical adventure and coming of age story.
• 
  Mirrani

  This story wasn't exactly what I expected it would be, however I did enjoy reading. The title comes from an event in the main character's past, a moment that actually has very little to do with the story. I wasn't certain that the constant repetition of "Duck Boy" as the reminder of his inadequacies was really what was needed, but it didn't put me off reading.
  
  This is actually the tale of discovering modern alchemy, told as a young boy discovers his true potential. The boy in the story has experienced the sudden disappearance of his mother and must cope with that as well as the stresses of trying to fit in with others outside of his home. The quest to find out what happened to his mother takes him on an interesting journey that is sometimes reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. There were times when I thought the characters weren't behaving in a very realistic way, doing things that seemed inappropriate for the situation or stood out as odd to do at the time, but the overall plot and storytelling were good.
  
  Note: Though this book was a free gift from the author, the content of my review was in no way influenced by the gifting. The book speaks for itself and my review would have been worded just this way even if I'd gone out and bought it. I also give bonus points for Text To Speech enabling on Kindle format.... but that also wasn't a factor in the above review.
• 
  Maxine

  Fourteen-year-old Steve best is the victim of bullies at school. The problem is only made worse when he tries to rescue a duck frozen in the pond. This act only serves to make him an even bigger laughing stock and earns him the epithet 'duck boy'.
  
  This his mother disappears. His father, who travels for his work, sends him to stay with his eccentric Aunt Shannon. Aunt Shannon is a budding alchemist. When she shows Steve how to transform a clock into a lock with the use of alchemy, Steve becomes excited. His mother's disappearance may be the result of alchemy and maybe he and Aunt Shannon can use it to find her.
  
  Unfortunately, Aunt Shannon's experiments have attracted the attention of a rival group of alchemists and soon mayhem ensues: Aunt Shannon also disappears, Uncle Edward is kidnapped, and Steve is on the run, pursued by both the police who think he's guilty of the strange disappearances as well as the bad guys who want his knowledge.
  
  Duck Boy is a fun story aimed at middle-graders. It's full of eccentric characters, exciting chases and a strange alternate world. My one complaint with the book would be the ending which seems a little contrived. Overall, though, I suspect children will enjoy the non-stop action.
• 
  Lyuba

  This book was interesting and definitely different, but there were some parts I just couldn't get into. For example, the constant repeating of "Duck boy" as a taunt, which I just didn't feel was that bad of a taunt? I actually didn't really feel that the title reflected the book all that well because of that, since there wasn't that much relation between him being called "duck boy" and what was happening in the book.
  
  However, the whole idea of alchemy and how it tied in with his mother's disappearance was very interesting and new to me, since I haven't read anything like that before. I liked Steve's relations with his great aunt, and how realistically she was portrayed. Mr. Bunn also touched down on some serious issues that many kids are undoubtedly facing with their families, which brought a nice realistic touch to the story.
  
  Overall, this was a pretty good read other than the "duck boy" issue.
  
  Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by Bitingduck Press via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.
• 
  Angie Lisle

  The main character, Steve Best, is bullied at school and then his mom disappears in a magical burst of light. Steve (unwillingly) teams up with his eccentric Aunt Shannon to find his missing mother by using alchemy.
  
  A fantastical story that, at times, feels a bit like a Disney movie in that readers have to suspend their disbelief (I also thought of L'Engle's Time Quintet, though there are no direct references to the series).
  
  There's a couple of passages that read a little rough but the action-packed plot propels readers forward quickly, if they don't stop and try to figure out how it all works.
  
  I received a free copy of this book for review.
• 
  7706laurel

  This fantasy book is about a boy named Steve Best. He is unpopular, and struggling in school since his mom vanished. When he visits his aunt over Christmas break she tells him his mom was an alchemist and so is she. Steve and Aunt Shannon embark on an (I feel silly saying this) adventure to find her. People who like fantasy, but not the kind most people like these days with vampires and werewolves, would like this. I thought it was very fun to read and now I'm interested in alchemy.
• 
  Missy Clifton

  Young fiction reading...which I almost returned as I didn't realized that. Paring my expectations down, I enjoyed the story of the alchemists, those with interesting and profound powers. In the age of loving Harry Potter's novels, who wouldn't want to be something other than a muggle or mundane? :)
• 
  Brianna

  I finally read it AND I have a review on my blog:
  http://abookishescape.wordpress.com/2...
  
  Thanks Uncle Bill! So happy for you :)
• 
  Melissa

  
  
  Alchemy!