Boomtown

by Nowen N. Particular

Book Overview

Imagine a place where everyone's favorite thing to do is blow stuff up . . . that's Boomtown. This is a humerous mystery and adventure story that kids (especially boys) will love to read! Boomtown is... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400313457
• ISBN13: 9781400313457
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers
• Length: 323 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.2" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Boomtown is a Blast!

Boomtown, Chang's Famous Fireworks Factory (Book One) is a truly delightful read! You will be hooked after reading the first page. The author does a wonderful job of transporting us to a small town set in the late 1940's. After reading this book, I wished there was still a place like this in which to raise a family. My 11 year old son read the book and could not put it down. He says, "Boomtown is an exciting book that will enthrall readers of all ages. I know I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it so much I could hardly put the book down, even during school, the teacher had to threaten me with detention and an "academic study skills period" because I was reading my book so much. This book is one of the best books I have read." That says a lot from a young man who reads 5-10 books each week. The narrative descriptions are magical and will thrill readers of all ages. The characters are rich and engaging even though the story takes place more than 50 years in the past. The jacket cover and the author's pen name, Nowen N. Particular, will have you smiling before you even open the book. At several places in this delightful tale, I found myself laughing out loud. Books like this that catapult one's imagination and plant a seed of hope that things can be better are not published very often. We highly recommend this book and cannot wait for the next one in the series!

Boomtown, A Bang to read!

Title: Boom Town Book One written and illustrated by: Nowen N. Particular (aka Marty Longe') published by Thomas Nelson 2008 Genre: Kids/Juvenile/Fiction ISBN-13:978-1-4003-1345-7 A church, with a history of pastors who don't "make" it, a new pastor and his family, and mysterious disappearing objects, all the setting and beginning of a wonderfully entertaining story. I read this book in one sitting with tears streaming down my face, from laughing so hard. My imagination was stretched as the author described marvels I would have never thought of. A mansion turned museum with switches that did all sorts of amazing thing using steam. A town where every celebration somehow involved fireworks. A miraculous healing (of sorts) due to a gerbil. A football team famous for loosing games for forty long years. Floods, long winters, Spring Fever Festivals, parades, an Indian tribe that performs in a famous circus, interspersed with the most interesting characters you will in any town, will capture and hold your attention. Combine all these things (and more) and then add in a bit of mystery with things disappearing, and mounds of dirt appearing and a rarely glimpsed stranger and you have the perfect setting for a book that is wonderfully written and illustrated by Nowen N. Particular. This story does not have a dull moment in it. Your imagination will stretch and grow as you picture all the many wonders described in this book. You will laugh as unfortunate incidents turn into comedic moments, and chuckle at a pastor who stays is desperate to not follow in the footsteps of his previous 24 predecessors. You also will be amazed by a story of family love and devotion. This reviewer gives this book a 5 star rating, along with a standing round of applause for a story that is well written and very entertaining. [...] 323 pages

BOOMTOWN is where you want to live

What would it be like to move to a new town where the hostess of the welcome wagon greets you with a deluxe 150 pound box of Chang's famous fireworks? My 7 year old son and I just finished reading "Boomtown" and we are ready to move there. What kid (or parent) wouldn't want to live in a town where the people add fireworks and fun to every holiday? So in the spirit of celebrating the wonderful imagination that Boomtown inspires, I can tell you that Nowen N. Particular's book soars like a bottle rocket with mysterious turns, explodes with bigger than life characters that get into crazy situations and shines like a fountain of colorful sparks that celebrate being good, trusting your family, and caring for people that are not like you. In Boomtown, a family moves from the craziness of life in California to a small town in Eastern Washington. Yes, there are white picket fences, a good old fashioned soda shop and a town sheriff that is kind. These are all of the things we expect to find in a rural Washington town in 1949. And yet, you wouldn't expect to find an ethnically diverse town where people work and play together as a community of equals. The mayor is a Japanese American war hero. The barber/butcher is Russian and Eskimo. The healthy economy of Boomtown is indebted to a Chinese explosives expert that helped build railroads and then built a famous fireworks factory. In Boomtown an ex-African slave is the town's most famous inventor. And, the Native American Hopontop Indians are among the most educated and wise people in the county. In Boomtown people are not judged by the color of their skin, the prestige of their occupation, or their level of wealth or education. The citizens of Boomtown have created a great sense of belonging with one another in spite of their diversity. Like I said earlier. . . I'm ready to move there. Another thing you would expect to find in a place like Boomtown is the dedication of townspeople towards their local High School football team. And yet, you might be surprised by the faithfulness of the fans as their good ole Stickville Slugs endure a 40 year history of getting slaughtered by every opponent. This was one of my son's favorite chapters as an "Act of God" helps the Slugs have a fighting chance of actually winning a game. I recommend this book to anyone that likes adventure, inventions, and chickens that lay exploding eggs. Nowen's book challenged me and my son to express love and mercy to people that can be odd, different and difficult. We also learned that in a parent and child relationship we should trust one another and tell each other the truth. This is the kind of book that I love reading with my son. This novel is wholesome and it paints a picture of the kind of community that I not only want to live in. . . I want to help create it. At the end of "Boomtown" my son's immediate comment was, "Dad, this is only book one! I can't wait for book two!" BTW - We also loved all the photo

Childhood

I am no longer a child, but this book made me feel like a child again. It reminds you of the great joy of discovery, playing, fireworks and helping others. I would recomend this book to almost anyone.

A breath of imaginative fresh-air in family friendly reading!!

I had the honor of reading the original draft of this book and found it amazingly refreshing and highly entertaining. It is imgaginatively written, and entertains delightfully with every turn of the page. A rare jewel in a world of violence and copy cat productions, this is a truely unique and well thought out story that is sure to please all generations. The links to historical events, and the manner in which the author ties in details from Northwest lore keeps you turning the pages. A very satifying read that I would highly recommend that you read outloud to your children...