The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin

by Elinor Teele

[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

Initial Thoughts: This is personal preference, but this book was simply too weird for me, from the plot structure to the sense of humor to the morality espoused. Boz was an annoying character with apparently no morals, who was held up as a "good friend." He also uses "large words" in contexts that make no sense, and I'm not sure how young readers will deal with this--if they'll want to know what he's talking about or just be able to move on reading by ignoring him. The whole premise is also that a bunch of adults are helping two children run away from their aunt/guardian who, admittedly, is kind of mean--yet her primary flaw seems to be trying to force the children into the family coffin-making business. It's depressing and stifling, but I don't know that she's abusive or that other adults should be hiding the children from her under the auspices of helping them fulfill their dreams. Altogether, just odd and sometimes even grating.