Book Review and Giveaway: The Colossus of Roads

I’ve been reading a lot of middle grade books lately. With everything going on in the world right now, middle grade books for me, as an adult, are fun, quick reads that help keep me reading even when I’m in a slump. Plus, I have three middle grade readers in my household and I work at a middle school. So when I saw that The Fantastic Flying Book Club was putting together a tour for The Colossus of Roads by, Christina Uss, I jumped at the chance to be a part of it.

Publisher: Margaret Ferguson Books
Release Date: May 5th 2020
Genre: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fiction

Synopsis:

Eleven-year-old Rick Rusek is determined to improve the traffic conditions in Los Angeles– his parent’s failing delivery catering service, Smotch, depends on it.

“Traffic is a puzzle with one correct solution. And I’ve got to solve it!”

Rick has been studying maps and traffic patterns for years, and devises solutions to improve Los Angeles’ notoriously terrible traffic that he calls his Snarl Solutions. He has big ideas, but not enough resources– until his artistic friend, Mila brings him to a Girl Scout meeting.

Every week at Miss Diamond’s art studio, the scouts paint recycled traffic signs with their own designs. The signs will be hung all over Los Angeles to beautify the city with art. But Rick, The Colossus of Roads, has ulterior motives . . . He will restore the signs to their original glory and find a way to install them strategically to rectify the traffic. Anything can be hung with duct tape!

But of course, it’s not that easy. SPLAT (Stop Poor LA Traffic), BLAM (Bike-Loving Amazing Mamas), and the TCD (Traffic Calming Division) have their own methods of curing the city’s dilemma and will undermine Rick’s efforts however they can.

Will Rick be able to clear the notorious traffic problem on Sepulveda Pass in time for his parents to deliver Polish food to the movie studio and land the catering contract they need to keep their company afloat?

Written by Christina Uss, the acclaimed author of The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle, which was selected for the Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List and was a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the year.

Christina Uss has ridden her bicycle across the United States both lengthwise and widthwise, and has worked as an adventure tour guide in fifteen states, leading cyclists of all ages through various mountains’ majesty and all kinds of fruited plains.

Even more than pedaling across state lines, Christina loves books, especially ones that remind us all that the world is wonderful, weird place. She lives in Western Massachusetts with her family and will always wave hello if she sees you out riding.

You are not hopeless, his stomach said staunchly. You are very hopeful. Hopeful and helpful. In fact, you could be the helpingist helper who ever helped.

I mean, not every piece of art makes a difference to every person, but it doesn’t have to. It’s like this: the right art makes the right difference to the right people. Then their happy feelings start rippling along and makes other people happy, and before you know it: chain reaction. Happiness in all directions.

Middle grade books have become an easy reading escape for me during this crazy time in history. Lengthy books with heavy subject material are not something that I look forward to reading right now. And so when I a book like The Colossus of Roads comes along, I jump at the chance to read it. And I’m so glad that it did!

Rick is an unusual boy. He’s obsessed with maps and traffic patterns but gets terribly car sick so he can’t actually drive anywhere. His friend Mila is a Girl Scout and aspiring artist. Their sweet friendship, combined with their unique talents, is what I thought made this book really special. It’s an innocent, honest friendship that will make you smile.

One character in the book who I don’t think gets enough credit is Rick’s stomach! Rick and his stomach talk back and forth a lot in the book, and it’s just adorable! More than a few times I found myself smiling as I was reading their interaction.

This book was really wonderful. Adorable characters. Uplifting story. Pretty much everything I needed right now! I highly recommend this book to share with your family. Is the plot line believable? You can be the judge. But when we live in a world stuck in a pandemic and infested with murder hornets, why not just let your imagination go and read something happy!