Anyone who has ever looked for books geared for school age boys knows how challenging it can be to find them. It becomes even more difficult if the boy is a minority.
The Fantastical Adventures of Sleepy Steve by Deronté Smith is a book that any child, boy or girl will enjoy.
The Fantastical Adventures of Sleepy Steve centers on the life of Steve Jackson who is in the midst of dealing with his parent’s separation. At the start of the school year Steve also has to deal with relocating close to his mother’s better paying job. Topping it all off Steve has a sleeping disorder known as narcolepsy. At his new school Steve, otherwise known as Sleepy Steve, decides that humor is the best way to deal with all of his challenges. Sleepy’s outlook soon attracts the notice of Chuck, the human sponge. Despite his best efforts to keep his narcolepsy a secret Sleepy falls asleep in the middle of class. The diverse group of kids consisting of “Chuck, an Indian boy named Sammy who is the son of a diplomat, Ikea the street smart girl bully and Ms. Elle, the prissy blonde and queen diva of all sixth graders.” To Sleepy’s surprise, this diverse group is accepting of his disorder. The Adventures ensue when Sleepy strives to fulfill a mission given to him by Confucius. Together the five students learn about each other’s cultures as the assist Sleepy in the completion of his mission.
Part one of a five part series, Fantastical Adventures is appealing on a multitude of levels and in some ways remind me of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn where an innocent young boy exposes all of our adult faults frailties.
An award winning writing and motion picture director, Deronté Smith, resides in Atlanta GA. After the devastating loss of his mother, Smith became the head of his family. This led to the creation of Sleepy Brown. According to Steve, one boy dealing with real life issues could find a renewed sense of pride in his family. The young boy would also gain life experiences dealing with the personal relationships of his friends…” Due to his experience dealing with children, Steve is able to create realistic characters and deliver a moral message devoid of preaching. Steve insists, “If there is one thing I hope that people take away from this book, it is that we, as artists, entertainers, parents and educators must assume responsibility for the lack luster performance our children are showing in school."
To find out where you can purchase The Fantastical Advetures of Sleepy Steve, pleast visit the website.
