Review of Mister Pushkin Springs Into Action

[Kristen Barenthaler]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Mister Pushkin Springs Into Action" by AC Michael.]

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1 out of 4 stars

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Mister Pushkin Springs Into Action by AC Michael is a collection of short stories revolving around the cat, Mister Pushkin, and his family and friends who come in and out of his life. Each of the stories in this collection focuses on a springtime-themed setting with various events (weddings, babies, etc.), making the title misleading. Those expecting an action-packed tale will be sorely disappointed. However, those who read a summary before picking up the book will understand the subtle hint of AC Michael’s titling.

On the positive side, these stories are each noticeably short, making them suitable for easy and quick readings. The simplicity of seeing life unfolding through the eyes of an animal is always an interesting narrative style that is found in many forms of children’s literature. AC Michael doesn’t have Mister Pushkin narrate the stories himself, instead making him the main character of a third person narrative, letting readers feel included as a part of the story.

On the negative side, the writing of AC Michael is at times childish and at others too mature for children to comprehend. Also, the stories are a bit too simplistic as they often have almost no plotline and tell of a day in Mister Pushkin’s life without any conflict or climax to the storyline. This can make for very tedious reading.

Overall, I would give this collection of short stories a 1 out of 4. AC Michael seems unsure of their audience, storylines, and characters, which makes this a dull read and a difficult finish. The underlying ideas and stories are good, but the teetering writing makes this collection of stories uninteresting for older readers and confusing for younger readers.

Thus, I would suggest an audience of young children. Anyone with a reading comprehension above kindergarten would find this collection to be monotonous as Mister Pushkin and his friends simply live a mundane day-to-day life.

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Mister Pushkin Springs Into Action
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