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Derek Taylor Kent
Author, Service Provider
My Homework Ate My Dog!

When11-year-old Rudy Berkman's homework comes to life and eats his dog alive, he embarks on a dangerous quest with his kooky grandpa and the school bully to rescue his beloved pet from a greater evil than he could ever imagine. Rudy Berkman thought he was the luckiest kid when his family moved to Danville --

Reviews
When Rudy Berkman’s family moves to Danville for a fresh start, they soon realize the picturesque town is not as perfect as it seems in this middle grade horror novel. Rudy, who is implied Black, now attends Danville Reformatory School, where the adults are monsters in disguise and the children seem brainwashed to conform. When a terrifying homework assignment come to life and devours his beloved beagle, Rudy’s had enough. But after Brett Looger, Rudy’s former bully, implied white, is also forced to move to Danville, the two boys unexpectedly bond in the face of danger and attempt to unravel the age-old mysteries of their scary small town. As Rudy experiences terrifying visions and his worst nightmares playing out in real time, his adventures offer a fast-paced romp through horror tropes old and new. Rudy’s extreme self-awareness and voice can feel more mature than his age, and some worldbuilding could be clarified. Still, Kent constructs an inventive magic system and doesn’t hold back gory details, which will draw younger readers who thrill at being grossed out and taken along for a chilling ride. Ages 8–12. (Self-published)
Reader's Favorite

My Homework Ate My Dog! by Derek Taylor Kent is a young adult fantasy book that would appeal most to a mixed audience of pre-teen and teens who enjoy magical fantasy fiction. Eleven-year-old Rudy Berkman and his dog, Beast, barely survived a fire that burned everything the Berkman family owned to the ground and resulted in Rudy being enrolled in Danville Reformatory School. It is in Danville that Rudy’s life is forever changed when his homework comes to life and eats his dog. Are you ready to follow Rudy, Brett, and crazy Grandpa Stu as they set out to rescue Beast?

My Homework Ate My Dog! by Derek Taylor Kent is a well-written book with a cover image that immediately pulled me in with a desire to find out what was going on with the vicious-looking homework. This book reminded me a bit of Harry Potter and Goosebumps, yet I found myself liking it more than those series as it was not as predictable as they were. I have to say that even as an adult I found this book to be an amusing read. If I had read it as a middle schooler it probably would have been one of my favorite books as it was filled with mystery, fantasy, and a bit of horror. My favorite part of the book was when Grandpa Stu let Rudy in on the truth of the War of the Ankaras after Rudy and Brett rescued him with the help of the ice cream man. Overall, I found this book to be a great read that held my attention so tightly that I finished it in one go.

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