The Legend Of The Pumpkin Thief by Charles Day; Noble Young Adult; 2011; 596 KB pgs; $4.00 US

It seems that recently the YA market is exploding with new releases from author’s who have never published a word before to those who have hit the best seller lists with their usual adult oriented works.  The market appears to be huge, and after the success of the Twilight series, publishers are looking for the next blockbuster YA series to cash in on.

But not all YA speculative fiction authors are looking to publish a grandiose work that will set the movie world on fire.  There are many authors whose goal is to simply entertain younger than adult readers with stories that not only throw a few scares into their readers but to write stories that resonate with them.  Charles Day’s, The Legend Of The Pumpkin Thief, is one YA story that manages to do both quite well.

The main character in The Legend Of The Pumpkin Thief is a 17 year old named Nick who has many of the same problems that many male teenagers face.  For instance, his car is broken down and his parents refuse to give him the money to fix it, telling him to instead get a job and earn it.  And like many kids his age, he likes the girl’s in his school but considers himself a bit of a nerd and is too insecure to pursue them.  Then, there is a bully at his school named Lou, who after an altercation that happened earlier with Nick, has made it his mission in life to torment Nick.  I should also add that Nick has a thorn in his side, a little sister who seems to make it a point to torment him when ever the opportunity arises.

In The Legend Of The Pumpkin Thief, we discover that pumpkins have been disappearing all over town and that Nick, who has a detective streak in him, has decided to investigate who is stealing them.  In the process he learns of The Legend of the Pumpkin Thief but, while intrigued at its supernatural origins, his money is on Lou and members of his gang as being the thieves.  After following a lead that brings him to a dead end, Nick discovers that sometimes old legends may have some basis in fact.

While the plot of the story may seem a little simplistic, make no bones about it, Charles Day weaves this plot into a story that is suffused with tension and offers genuine frights.  You don’t have to be a teenager to get sucked into the story as adults will find themselves anxiously turning the pages to find out what would happen next due to Day’s excellent characterization and prose.  This reviewer found his eyes glued to the pages during the pivotal action scenes despite the lack of excessive gore and overt sexuality.

The Legend Of The Pumpkin Thief is a very entertaining read and is highly recommended to those 16 years and over in age.

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Jan 25, 2012

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