S.W. Lothian – Author

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I’m very pleased to be involved in a great Blog Tour to celebrate the launch of a new Middle Grade book.
The thing that sets this book apart from others is that it has been written by a very talented
and inspiring young eleven-year-old, Erik Weibel.

Eleven-year-old Erik plans to eventually take over the world. Right now he’s a bit too young, so he is spending time as a sixth grade student, book review blogger and hopeful writer.

Thanks for dropping by, I hope that you find my review helpful.

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THE ADVENTURES OF TOMATO AND PEA (A Bad Idea)
by Erik Weibel ★★★★

Published August 8, 2013 by CreateSpace
72 pages – ages 5-10

For years the evil villain Wintergreen had tried to destroy super crime-stopper, Tomato and his sidekick, Pea, and take over planet Oarg. In a plan gone wrong, Wintergreen traps himself along with his arch-nemesis in a runaway rocket ship that crashes on a strange planet called “EAR-TH”.

Now these perennial enemies must learn to work together to survive the dangers on this strange world. Hungry birds, enormous snakes and the giant inhabitants of EAR-TH stand between this brawling bunch of aliens and finding a way home.

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My Review

This story is about a group of characters who definitely aren’t the best of friends. Wintergreen is a bad guy. Tomato is a good guy. Both are Smidges (small critters who are only 3 inches tall), who live on the planet Oarg. These two have been rivals for ages, and Wintergreen has come up with a scathingly brilliant plan that will get Tomato out of the way – once and for all.

Needless to say, all doesn’t go as expected and Wintergreen’s devious plan takes a turn for the worse. The result – they both find themselves in a strange place (Ear-th) where their old rivalries seem insignificant. They, and their posse of sidekick friends, have to learn how to put aside those differences and work together. After-all, their survival depends upon it.

The Adventures of Tomato and Pea – A Bad Idea is the first book of the series. It does a good job at setting up the characters, and the underlying story. I expect that there will be plenty of future adventures exploring Ear-th while they try to find a way home. I really liked the range of different characters and look forward to learning more about them in the future. It’d also be great to see some illustrations of what they actually look like. I loved the humor that was injected throughout the book, especially Poppy’s fast and furious fact attacks. They provided an amusing balance to the book’s action.

My bottom line: Well done on creating a story that kept me engaged from beginning to end. It’s so inspiring to see someone of Erik’s young age dedicated enough to take the plunge and write his first book. Keep on writing.

Note: I don’t claim to be a pro-reviewer, I am a reader. My reviews are based on my personal thoughts around the story that the book is trying to tell. I try to focus on the story (which is the reason I read) rather than dissect the book and pass comment on typos, writing style or structure.

A free copy of this book was provided to me by the author for a fair and honest review.

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The Adventures of Tomato and Pea (A Bad Idea) is for sale at
Amazon (kindle and paperback) and CreateSpace (paperback)

Here are the links to buy the ebook:
Amazon USA
Amazon Canada
Amazon UK

or

Paperback at CreateSpace

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All about Erik Weibel

Erik is an eleven-year-old sixth grader that loves to read. He started his blog, This Kid Reviews Books when he was nine. Erik writes a monthly book review column for a local free newspaper.

He has a black belt in TaeKwon-Do and in his spare time enjoys building things out of LEGOs. He hopes to be an inventor and a published author when he grows up.

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The Adventures of Tomato and Pea (A Bad Idea) Blog Tour Schedule (2013)

September 8th – This Kid Reviews Books – cover reveal and launch
September 9th – Michelle Isenhoff – Review
September 10th – KidLit Reviews – Review
September  11th – Mother Daughter Book Reviews – Review, The Story Reading Ape – Guest post by Erik
September 12th – Catherine Johnson – Review
September 13th – When I Grow Up I Wanna Write a Kids Book – Review, By Word of Beth – Book review and giveaway
September 14th – The Patient Dreamer – Book review
September  15th – Picture Books Help Kids Soar – Review
September 16th – Susanna Leonard Hill – Interview – Q&A with Commenters and giveaway
September 17th – Reading with Rhythm – ReviewSeptember 18th – Julie Rowan-Zoch – Interview
September 19th – Dr. Nana Plum’s (AKA Dr. Niamh Clune)  – Review in rhyme 😀
September 20th – swlothian  |  author  – Review

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While you’re here, please check out my edge-of-your-seat adventure series  by clicking the pic below.

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