Review of The Adventurers of Uncle Billy & Ross
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Sonia_Gonzalez
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Review of The Adventurers of Uncle Billy & Ross
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Adventurers of Uncle Billy & Ross" by Solon Phillips, Esq..]
The Adventures of Uncle Billy & Ross by Solon Phillips, Esq. is a fictional, young adult book. This is the perfect book you need to teach your children about life, as well as motivate them to aspire to a better, fulfilling life. This is exactly what a coming-of-age novel should be.
Ross Miller is a thirteen-year-old, dark-skinned, African-American boy who is still learning about life. His mother works hard to give him every opportunity she can, including sending him to a better school near his uncle’s house, who happily agrees to take care of Ross after school. Uncle Billy loves Ross, at 67, Ross and his mom are the only family he has left, so he decides to make sure Ross knows about life, by teaching him everything he can, and school is not teaching him. The Adventures of Uncle Billy & Ross is not your classic adventure book, Ross and Uncle Billy never face unimaginable dangers or leave the house, but each afternoon they embark on a journey of self-discovery, growth, and reality. What adventure is bigger than life?
I loved this book. Uncle Billy talks like an older uncle would talk, hard but full of affection. We get some lessons about money, friendship, and honesty, we also get to see Ross learn about his past and understand Black History and Culture. I love that you can learn and relate to Ross without having to be like him. I grew up in Latin America, and while I know what is like to be a minority, I can never compare my experiences to those of African Americans, so I have always tried to tiptoe around the subject, unsure of what can be offensive, but always trying to learn and be respectful. This book allowed me to learn things that no historical or motivational book has taught me. The descriptions are vivid, the dialogue flows naturally and the characters are likable and well developed.
The book has some formatting issues, but I cannot say if is a problem with my copy, editing, or a technology glitch, at the beginning of each chapter the first letter is separated from the rest of the text. The book also feels repetitive, when describing a character, the author constantly starts each sentence by naming the character (Ross’ mother, Uncle Billy, for example). I also found some errors, mostly due to the same formatting issues, for example, sentences divided into two paragraphs.
Overall, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. It needs minimal editing that can be compensated with its content. This is an amazing book and one of my favorite young adult books. I recommend it, primarily to African-American teenagers, as they will relate the most to Ross; but every teenager, regardless of race can enjoy it. I also recommend it to anyone who, like me, grew up in a different culture and wants to learn more about Black History or just about life.
******
The Adventurers of Uncle Billy & Ross
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Adventures of Uncle Billy & Ross by Solon Phillips, Esq. is a fictional, young adult book. This is the perfect book you need to teach your children about life, as well as motivate them to aspire to a better, fulfilling life. This is exactly what a coming-of-age novel should be.
Ross Miller is a thirteen-year-old, dark-skinned, African-American boy who is still learning about life. His mother works hard to give him every opportunity she can, including sending him to a better school near his uncle’s house, who happily agrees to take care of Ross after school. Uncle Billy loves Ross, at 67, Ross and his mom are the only family he has left, so he decides to make sure Ross knows about life, by teaching him everything he can, and school is not teaching him. The Adventures of Uncle Billy & Ross is not your classic adventure book, Ross and Uncle Billy never face unimaginable dangers or leave the house, but each afternoon they embark on a journey of self-discovery, growth, and reality. What adventure is bigger than life?
I loved this book. Uncle Billy talks like an older uncle would talk, hard but full of affection. We get some lessons about money, friendship, and honesty, we also get to see Ross learn about his past and understand Black History and Culture. I love that you can learn and relate to Ross without having to be like him. I grew up in Latin America, and while I know what is like to be a minority, I can never compare my experiences to those of African Americans, so I have always tried to tiptoe around the subject, unsure of what can be offensive, but always trying to learn and be respectful. This book allowed me to learn things that no historical or motivational book has taught me. The descriptions are vivid, the dialogue flows naturally and the characters are likable and well developed.
The book has some formatting issues, but I cannot say if is a problem with my copy, editing, or a technology glitch, at the beginning of each chapter the first letter is separated from the rest of the text. The book also feels repetitive, when describing a character, the author constantly starts each sentence by naming the character (Ross’ mother, Uncle Billy, for example). I also found some errors, mostly due to the same formatting issues, for example, sentences divided into two paragraphs.
Overall, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. It needs minimal editing that can be compensated with its content. This is an amazing book and one of my favorite young adult books. I recommend it, primarily to African-American teenagers, as they will relate the most to Ross; but every teenager, regardless of race can enjoy it. I also recommend it to anyone who, like me, grew up in a different culture and wants to learn more about Black History or just about life.
******
The Adventurers of Uncle Billy & Ross
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Refuge by Mike Shellenbergar
