sofaWith main characters named Freak, River and Fiona how can you go wrong? You can’t. Henry Clark has created a fun, zany adventure that just begs for a sequel.

When three twelve -year olds find a sofa on the curb near their school bus stop they assume it’s junk. But it isn’t. The sofa has found them! It’s from the future and is the product of technology that can make objects of any shape and size move through space and time. The objects are connected to a computer that just happens to have the disembodied intelligence of a woman named Miranda in it. The computer, Miranda and her brother are trying to save Earth from a most unusual villain. As you would expect, all the objects the kids find between the cushions of the sofa are not what they seem, and without giving away too much, I will say it is a collector zucchini colored crayon that finally sets them off on their adventure. They must save the world from the evil mastermind who is using mind control from cell phones and flash mobs to soften the people of Earth for his invading army. He plans to let the army in through a time portal which just happens to be on site of an abandoned chemical factory on land where there was an environmental disaster. The villain’s only weakness is he has CCD (Compulsive Collecting Disease) and will not stop until he collects the last original zucchini crayon. Our heroes will use this to their advantage.

The premise of the book, a villain from another dimension who plans to take over Earth, is not new, but how Clark tells the story is. He cleverly combines present day elements with timeless themes to create a fun, original adventure that will have you laughing out loud and begging for more. It is a must read.