Jennifer is Reading: Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures by Walter Moers 
I picked this book up completely on a whim, off the clearance table at Barnes & Noble, and was instantly struck by the silly, gothic illustrations on the front cover. Flipping in and out of these pages, I was further enticed by the complimentary Washington Post blurb on the jacket that describes the book as “Equal parts J.K. Rowling, Douglas Adams, and Shel Silverstein…a work of monumental silliness”. That was all I needed to give this 600+ page novel a shot, and I seriously have yet to be disappointed. I’m about halfway through so far, and similar to how I got through the Harry Potter series way back when, I’m really taking my time with this one so as to soak up all the little weird details in the world-building as I possibly can. The book follows the life story of a frail, little Wolperting – think somewhere between a dog and a deer – who is fated to become the greatest hero in all of Zamonia. It’s basically a children’s book for adults overstuffed with mysteries within mysteries, merciless scenes of gory violence, Greek mythology story riffs, playfully complex character names, a wacky sense of humor, and gobs and gobs of yummy magic. It’s as if George R.R. Martin and the members of Monty Python had decided to try and write a children’s book together just to throw everybody off – though had gotten slightly carried away with the violent, nightmarish details of the plot to be suitable for your average kid. It’s the second installment of an amazing five-book series – centered on the life journeys of the other strange, Zamonian inhabitants – and is pure escapism for the teen at heart.
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