Children's Book Review: "Trent The Racing Turtle"

Trent The Racing Turtle
Bill Franklin
http://www.trenttheracingturtle.com/
BookSurge Publishing (Subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc.)
http://www.booksurge.com/
2007
ISBN# 1-4196-7994-5
Paperback
114 Pages



Trent is a young turtle with a past he can’t remember. Two years ago, he was found alone in the forest near the small village of Elmwood at the edge of Willow Pond. Instead of normal turtle flippers, he has two wheels on the bottom of his shell which allows him to move incredibly fast. He lives in a small tree stump next door to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Squirrel who became his guardians after he was found alone in the forest. Their son, Jesse, is his best friend and both are eagerly anticipating the summer break as today is the last day of school.

What should have been an easy day of school is marred by the harassment of bullying classmates on their walk to school. After their adventuresome trip in, they meet their other friend, Mina, an orange and brown tabby kitten. Mina is the bookworm of the trio and is currently reading about the mechanical things Da Vinci drew and built.

The school day has its own events which ultimately lead directly into the main adventure of the book and series. The trio is drawn into the search for a series of powerful statutes, a 3,000 year old mystery which may have ties to Egypt, and an evil desert lynx known as Vane who is obsessed with his need to acquire power and treasure. Vane isn’t about to stop and doesn’t care who or what gets hurt or destroyed in the process.

This novel marks the first installment of a planned adventure trilogy aimed at intermediate readers. While Trent's past including why he wears wheels is not clarified, what is clear is that the positives of diversity are strongly promoted in this work. When challenged, the differences between the creature characters are what allow them to work together and overcome the seriousness of the various situations.

This is a fun enjoyable children’s book that entertains children and adults alike. Along with the occasional history reference, author Bill Franklin skillfully weaves in typical childhood situations that readers of any age can identify with. The result is a charmingly good book that starts off the series nicely and can also be read as a stand alone.

Kevin R. Tipple © 2008