|
"Five stars! Move over Spiderman, Batman and the Fantastic Four; there are new superheroes in town!
We need more books like this one…high interest, action packed, funny and very entertaining. This book would become a box office hit if it were made into a movie."
 —Debra Gaynor, ReadersFavorite.com.
Rick and Bobo was written by brothers, Nick and James Ventrillo. This unique book is well written with an imaginative plot, while still firmly based in reality. It will appeal to young adults and adults who are young at heart, especially if you have a sibling.
The lead characters are two brothers, Rick and Ray (Bobo). After coming into a great deal of money the duo quickly become bored, and begin a funny and adventurous journey into the world of superheroes. Move over Spiderman, Batman and the Fantastic Four; there are new superheroes in town!
The authors write with a great deal of humor, making it obvious that they enjoyed writing this story. Their style is hyperbole with a fast pace, reminding me of an action movie. This could not have been a quick book to pen, and obviously required a great deal of research to maintain its realism. We need more books like this one…high interest, action packed, funny and very entertaining. This book would make a box office hit if it were made into a movie. Well done Ventrillos. I can't wait for the next installment!
"Rick and Bobo is an engaging, fast-paced ‘movie style’ book that may wind up defining a new genre!
I really enjoyed the way this story was told, and most importantly, I enjoyed the story itself. The scene changes and descriptions gave the story a great pace and made me feel like I was watching a movie."
—Stephanie Rollins, BookReviewsRUS.com.
So often I will find a great story with flat characters, or vice versa. But real life brothers, Nick and James Ventrillo, have done an amazing job making their story and characters exciting and real.
Rick and Bobo has a wide audience range. I think the tag line the Ventrillo’s came up with is appropriate, ‘For young adults, and adults who are young at heart.’ There is some mild language, but far less than I have read in other young adult books. I made my 11 year old son read it and he loved it, and he hates reading!
"Aimed squarely at the young adult market Rick and Bobo scores a bullseye. It is a wild ride from page one.
If you are looking for a birthday or Christmas present for a teenager, this might be just the thing. Alas few teens read books voluntarily but I have a feeling this is one that will capture their imagination."
—Simon Barrett, BloggerNews.net.
Our unlikely heroes are two brothers Richard and Ray, one has an IQ the size of Texas, the other does not!
The big break comes when Ray develops a ‘must have’ product and sells the invention for $190 million. This device will revolutionize productivity in Japanese factories, in fact it is calculated that productivity will be improved by 9.25%. The Whiz-ard is a hit, here is a brief description of this wonder device:
A three foot half-inch blue tube was coiled around a sophisticated funnel attachment next to a four-inch yellow “donut.”
For those of you that have not figured out what the Whiz-ard might be for I will give you a clue, one end of the three and a half foot pipe goes into a plastic bag strapped to the bottom of your leg...
Now rolling in money the brothers set about finding creative ways to spend it, Xbox’s and Playstations offer little challenge, jet ski’s, race cars, jousting, you name it they, try it, but inevitably boredom sets in.
“I wanna be a superhero.” Ray smiled wide. “let’s make me… a superhero.”
And so using logic that only a mother could love, they set out on their greatest adventure, to make Ray a superhero!
Using Richards huge intelligence they set about inventing the gizmo’s and gadgets that every self respecting superhero needs.
Ray is well meaning but a bit of a klutz, the game is on.
Battling the villainous villains is easy, it is young children and old ladies that represent the real challenges!
“You hurt Scruffums!” the little girl yelled. She tightened her tiny fist and punched Ray in the groin.
Only to be assaulted seconds later...
Ray backed up toward the street, trying to protect himself as the cane-wielding senior citizen got her second wind.
And that was just a result of our superhero trying to rescue a cat stuck up a tree!
I think Rick And Bobo will be very well received by the young adult population. It is a wild ride from page one. I also think that the Ventrillo Brothers are well on their way to creating an interesting product in Rick and Bobo, I could see this striking out in a number of directions, it certainly would easily translate into a comic book, or graphic novel format, although I suspect that its real power may lay in taking it into an animation studio. I think it would be some ideal raw material for a young adult TV audience.
There is no strong language or other offensive material, the violence is more amusing than gory, all in all this is a delightful romp into the improbable. It will be interesting to see what direction the author takes Rick and Bobo in the next installment.
Doctor Recommended!
"This is the perfect book to foster love of reading with its mix of humor, drama, and rocket paced action.
In over 50 years of teaching first grade through university level, I have seldom read a book that I know will keep any class mesmerized from start to finish. Rick and Bobo is one of those rare finds."
—Dr. Robert Rose, teacher & author of The Complete Teacher.
What fun this book is. I couldn't put it down until I finished it. I'll be sharing this with my fellow teachers and students - immediately.
To prove how convinced I am that this should be read in schools, I am creating a series of educational challenges to young readers (and their teachers and parents) to use this book to learn the fundamentals of creative writing. Reading should be fun and this book is a whale full. I will be posting this series on my Educators Blog for the Huffington Post.
I can easily see this series as a wonderful movie franchise. And if these guys aren't scooped up as the next J.K. Rowling, then Hollywood is missing the boat!"
"Extremely impressive, filled with excitement, sharp wit, and a world of ‘what if’ so real that you believe."
—Michael LaRocca, best-selling author of The Lazarus Effect.
What's the hallmark of a great book? I haven’t a clue. But I do know that I read this one cover to cover more than once and enjoyed the hell out of it every time.
Maybe we'll chalk it up to 'attention to detail.' Plot, character, pace, dialogue, humor...nothing is neglected as clever realism and entertaining characters combine into a gripping high-stakes story which is whimsical, suspenseful, creative, and just a whole lot of fun to read. One thing is certain…I am officially a Rick and Bobo fan!
"This is one of the most captivating, interesting, and adventurous books I have ever read."
—Jonathan K. Deau, author of Nobody Wants You But Me.
The story draws you in and keeps you wanting more. The vivid descriptions allow you to picture everything as you experience a roller coaster ride of emotions: humor, action, suspense, and even a few tears. Overall, this book is awesome!
I am waiting with great anticipation for the next book to be released because this first one has made me an instant fan. I have recommended this book to several people and I don't think anyone will be disappointed by it. It definitely leaves you wanting more.
I can surely see this book/series being made into a movie and I really hope the right people take notice.
"This is a superb read. Both the humor and creativity of the authors is outstanding."
—Kenneth E. Lynch, author of the Beyond Ecstasy trilogy.
From the very beginning your attention is fixed to the main characters. Both the humor and creativity of the authors is outstanding. This has got great movie potential.
"A modern superhero story that hits all the right notes."
—Bill Kte'pi, editor and author of The Minotaur.
The superhero genre is a well-established genre, but one that is too rarely explored in prose, outside of franchise tie-ins or parody. The authors of Rick and Bobo are well-versed in the genre's tropes -- the costume, the secret identity, the sidekick, the arch-nemesis and the love interest -- and use them in a way that shows they're aware of why they work, instead of splashing them around like a kid who uses every color of finger paint just because they're there.
The story works, the setting works, and above all the characters work, because at the core this is a story about two brothers, and everything else develops out of that.
"As an educator of over 50 years, it has rarely been my pleasure to read such a wonderful book."
—Jean Fairfield, teacher.
The brothers captured my heart through warmth, excitement, and a cleverly created world that seemed both fantastic and believable. The quick pace and fun dialog are sure to capture the attention of readers young and old.
"A cinematic, visceral, quick-eyed ride of a book."
—Stephen Haberman, teacher.
Although I am a bit outside the core reading age, I really enjoyed it, as did my wife. This is a playful expression of the spirited imaginative life and bond of two real-life brothers, and it comes through vividly on every page, with every line of dialogue.
"An adventure for readers young and old."
—Jill Walker, teacher.
It's very visual and often flows like a movie scene, like with the juxtaposition of concurrent scenes, giving them more impact and keeping up the quick pace. I’d suggest the authors start writing it into a screenplay immediately--someone will make this flick.
The science details were nicely done so a non-scientist could easily believe this is possible (maybe it is?) I also appreciated all the details that were so well thought out, making them, and the story, so believable.
"This book was a lot of fun, and really fast paced. I felt like I was part of the action and I laughed out loud a bunch of times."
—Jeffrey Prater, Amazon Review.
I really liked all the characters, but Harker was definitely my favorite. And I loved the setups. I love stories where they have running gags or funny setups, and it was clear the authors do as well.
I recommend this book to anyone. It does have some mild language, but nothing you wouldn’t hear on TV. So if you are okay with your kids watching a PG-13 movie, then you won't have a problem with this.
I was telling my best friend about it and got so hyped up, that I actually read the book again. I’m glad I did because I found a bunch of little things I hadn’t caught the first time. On the author’s website they say there are lots of hidden clues and levels to the book and they weren’t kidding.
I agree with the other reviewers, Rick and Bobo would make a great movie!
"Hands down, this was the best 14 bucks I ever spent! I can’t wait for the rest of the books."
—Nicholas B. Collins, Amazon Review.
I have to confess, I really began to wonder if what the characters were doing was actually possible, and searched the net for the material used in the book. I couldn't believe what I found! The authors really went all out for this series.
This story, the first of four, was written about two brothers, by two brothers. One of which is a real genius with a 200 IQ. It was really cool seeing the world through the eyes of someone that smart.
Apparently there are a lot of hidden things in this first book, I have already found one, but I won't spoil it for anyone. But you can go to their site and talk to other readers on their blog, and you can even chat with the authors.
Hands down, this was the best 14 bucks I ever spent! I can't wait for the rest of the books.
"The most fun I've had reading a book."
—Robert J. Lomasney, Amazon Review.
I am a big superhero fan and love all the superhero movies. So my wife bought me this book for our anniversary two weeks ago. And I am glad she did. But she wasn’t. I spent the entire day reading it from cover to cover. I felt like a speed reader at times, I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.
I’m not really sure what to say in a review. I looked at some of the others, and don’t want to repeat anything that was said already. The bottom line is, if you like superhero movies, or really any kind of comedy action movies, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Rick and Bobo. Just don’t start reading it on your anniversary.
"I do not like to read, and my mother made me read Rick and Bobo. It was actually good!"
— J.T. Rollins, age 11.
t was sort of like a comic book. It is about two brothers who become rich. Then, they decided to become super heroes. They get into a lot of tight spots. It reminded me of me and my brother. We are not rich, and we are not super heroes, though.
This is a really cool book, especially for boys. It rocks!
"I rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars and I can't wait to read the next 3 in the quadrilogy."
—Tyler Clement, age 12.
I read Rick and Bobo and really liked it. I think my brother and I can really relate to this book. I am very much like Rick. I am very smart and have a really short temper. My brother is a lot like Ray. He has trouble with school but it takes a lot to set him off.
"Rick and Bobo was a fast paced book that I could not put down and is now my number one favorite book!"
—Shannon Shinagawa, age 17.
Jokes made me laugh out of nowhere and the raw emotions between the two brothers were like nothing I’ve read before. The characters were amazing; action was on every page and kept my attention throughout the entire book. If this would be turned into a movie, then it would be number one on the charts.
"I laughed, I cried, then I did it all over again! This book was terrific!"
—Sasha May, age 19.
I mailed the book to the authors, who said they would be happy to sign it for me. I also got on their email list to be one of the first to get the second one. They said their goal is to have the series made into movies. I am sure it will happen, and I cannot wait!
|
