Heck: Where The Bad Kids Go

Check out this cover! How cute.

I was lucky enough to attend the Random House Summer Preview last week on Valentines Day. The folks over there put on a lovely luncheon, complete with candies, kisses, and glittery lips! But the real show-stoppers were the books!

Marlo and Milton are living in Gernerica, Kansas where Milton is your run of the mill kid, and Marlo is a bit of a hellion. She is bent on pulling off the greatest shoplifting extravaganza ever! Unknown to Milton, Marlo has pulled him into her plan. They are running through the mall trying to avoid security when resident trouble maker Damian pulls off his own stunt...blowing up the gigantic marshmallow bear statue in the centre of the mall.

All of a sudden, Milton and Marlo find themselves sliding for thousands of miles, watching the air change from white clouds, to ash grey, to sooty black until they land in an Olympic-sized kiddie pool filled with Ping-Pong balls and garbage! Where the heck are they?

Well...Heck.

This is the place where the bad kids are housed until they turn 18. A place filled with disgusting creatures, school, and bullies. Milton can understand why Marlo ended up here, but why him? Until unwittingly shoplifting some lip-gloss, Milton's record was flawless!

Now Milton is on a quest to get the heck out of Heck! Can he do it with a little help from some other kids gone wrong?

Dale E. Bayse has written a romp of a story filled with gross-out moments involving poop, brussel sprouts, and Barney. Lots of word play and hilarious situations arise. I do wonder, however, if today's kids will get the joke of Lizzie Borden teaching home-ec, or Nixon teaching ethics. Kids may just read over these details and enjoy the story.