David Michael Slater seems to know exactly what kids want, whether he’s doing books for younger readers or somewhat older, as with his recently released The Book of Nonsense, aimed at children ages ten and up. The book is already a finalist on the Association of Booksellers for Children’s Best Books 2008 list and a 2009 Cybil Award Nominee. Slater’s previous books have been alternate selections of the Children’s Book-of-the-Month and Mom’s Choice Award winners He’s also working on a film called Mocha Cola High with Right Angle Pictures.

As for The Book of Nonsense, it revolves around a book, naturally–an ancient weathered book that enters the lives of Daphna and Dexter. It seems to be nothing but pages and pages of nonsense, but soon bizarre events begin to occur, seemingly influenced by the book. Their father suddenly is distant. An old man who took their father to a hypnotist suddenly seems suspicious. Meanwhile, Daphna and Dexter have a thirteenth birthday coming up. Together, they’ll have to figure out the secrets behind the Book of Nonsense before it destroys their lives.

As the Portland Tribune wrote, this series is “fraught with suspense, hidden clues, bizarre twists and an ancient book full of utter nonsense…Slater understands that the secret to capturing the interest of teens is to engage their curiosity and intelligence by hooking them with a blend of unusual references, mysterious clues and a dark, suspenseful plot packed with action.”

There’s also a nice website for the book. If you’re looking for something well-written and engaging for your kids, this is a great new series to check out.

Tags: books, children, childrens-books, choice-award, cybil-award, david-michael, kids, kids-books, slater