Nicholas Phree and the Emerald of Bool

This looks like a kid's story, but it was written for adults. And it's funny. Lifelong readers in their sixties and beyond have laughed out loud and often at this. It contains references that only adults will get, but it is suitable for children ten and older who will get most of the adventure in the story. Nicholas Phree, living in an old mansion with seven aunts and one uncle, finds a genie named Gene and a flying carpet named Jules in his attic. These two are main characters in the story and have been together for over a thousand years, so they know each other inside and out. Gene has narcolepsy and falls asleep at inopportune times, and Jules has a top speed of about Mach 1.6 so hopping around the world is no problem. There is a new girlfriend, Hannah, and a town bully, Burgess Mumm. What would any of us have given to have had a genie to take care of the Burgess Mumms in our lives? And then there are the shore patrol guys on Wake Island who think they ought to take Nick and Hannah in for trespassing, and the out of control air conditioner in New Delhi that fills the hotel room with frost, and trolls guarding the Emerald of Bool, and . . . you get the picture, except . . . this one was written for adults who still remember the good old stories that really took you away.


Genre: Young Adult Fiction