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Title: Taking Three
Score:
Author: Mark R McCallum
Rating: Not available
Hits: 109

Review of Taking Three

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Comments for Taking Three

• Posted on 2009-06-08
  Intriguing!
  
  Great book! Though suspenseful, it is not a horror book in the modern sense and appropriate for teens and older. My favorite feature of the story was the way the author brought me into the psychology of the characters. He really captured the thought process of an 11 year old boy to the point of giving me a greater understanding of how my own son views the world. The various threads of the story lead you in varying emotions from fear, doubt and duty; but mostly the story is about the importance of love and how it is stronger and more important than the greatest fears we can imagine.
  
  
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• Posted on 2009-06-04
  Goose bumps throughout
  
  Taking Three is wierdly and wonderfully creepy. The mysterious small town, the black characters and the legend of Old Coals kept me turning the pages and wondering what was going to happen next.
  
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• Posted on 2009-06-02
  Do you believe in small town legends?
  
  Comedian Robin Williams once joked about getting pulled over for speeding in a small town in the South. The sheriff who pulled him over wore mirrored sun glasses. The mirror was on the inside. The type of small town everyone jokes about. Where someone sneezes on one side of town and everyone on the other side knows it.
  
  This is like the town named Soke where Taking Three is set. Like many small towns there's always a town legend. A legend that's true to some and unbelievable to most. Soke is no different. In fact, it is exactly that. This is what made the book intriguing and interesting.
  
  The legend in Soke is name Old Coals. Just what or who is Old Coals? That's what the reader is left to find out for themselves. The story centers around a boy named Robbie Callahan, Officer Merl Burt and, of course, Old Coals. There is a good mix to the cast of characters. Just like you'd expect to find in a small town. Personalities of all types that really stand out.
  
  The reader is taken through a variety of scenes and emotions left to wonder what's next. From the vivid imagination of 11 year old Robbie Callahan to the skeptical, yet inquiring, Merl Burt. To Robbie's mother Mallison who can't bear the thought of losing her son. The story will definitely keep the reader turning the pages.
  
  Mark McCallum did well with the characters. Robbie Callahan's imagination is just what I would expect from an 11 year old boy. The way the scenes are acted out in his head make the reader wonder if it's really happening. Add the emotions of his mother who thinks she is about to lose him. And then right in the middle of Robbie fighting a battle with his imagination there is Officer Burt investigating, yet never satisfied with the answers he gets.
  
  Of course, Old Coals is always in the background even when he's not mentioned by name. There is a good cast of characters, but you'll have to read the book to find out where folks like Wacky Jacky, Alex Simons and Bucky fit. And what about the pennies? You'll have to read.
  
  I liked the format of the sentences and chapters. The author combined short and long sentences with some chapters as short as one page. This kept the book moving steadily along. The short chapters were great for breaking up the reading while giving insight into another place in the story. It was a great story about the unknown. It kept you wanting to know just what it is you don't know.
  
  Over all it was a good and enjoyable read. While this book is not like The Shack it was a story of faith of sorts, but in a different way. A more general and generic faith not necessarily the kind that one seeks for eternal life. Not that McCallum ever claims this in the book, however, I wanted to point that out. You will have to read the book to make that judgment for yourself. The author did a great job of leaving the mystery and faith aspects of the book opened for each reader. It's more of a pursuit of just what Old Coals is, what role does faith play and how is he defeated. I had to go back and re-read the ending. I'm still not settled on Old Coals.
  
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• Posted on 2009-06-01
  Great story, well written
  
  I really enjoyed this book. It has all the important components of a thriller but even moreso because of its creative subject matter-that death comes in threes.The story is built around this premise so it makes you want to keep reading but at the same time, the characters are more developed than a typical thriller that relies primarily on the story to move you forward. You want to know about their stories in addition to getting to the climax of Old Coals. Great book.
  
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• Posted on 2009-05-08
  Terrific read
  
  This was a great book and well written. The short and to the point chapters make it easy to read and keeps you interested. The characters are interesting and I felt like I could see everything happening as I read. I especially liked how the author tells the story without any cursing. So, there's no worries if your child picks it up and starts reading.
  I strongly recommend this book.
  
  
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