Whales On Stilts

Author: M.t. Anderson

Whales on Stilts does for pulp-sci-fi what A Series of Unfortunate Events does for gothic drama. It's a fun spoof that kids will love. Shy Lily is overshadowed by her famous friends, Katie Mulligan who battles zombies and werewolves at her house in Horror Hollow, and Jasper Dash, a boy inventor who thwarts pirates. On Career Day, Lily is convinced that her father is ignoring all the signs that he works with a mad scientist. He works in abandoned warehouse that is heavily guarded, his boss wears a grain sack over his head and talks about taking over the world. When Lily can't convince her father of her doubts, she turns to her friends for help. The first in Anderson's Thrilling Tales series, Whales on Stilts calls to mind both Nancy Drew and Tom Swift. With plenty of jokes and asides, Whales on Stilts mixes sci-fi, adventure, and mystery in a way that pokes fun at them all. Definitely not a hard science fiction story, but also not a hard story to get into. Middle-grade readers, especially, will relate to Lily and her feelings and will cheer for her on her adventures. Older readers will appreciate the spoof of genres they read in their youth, and everyone will laugh out loud at this imaginative tale.