The Kingdom of Patria Experience

Stout Hearts and Whizzing Biscuits (Kingdom of Patria #1) 

and

Stoop of Mastodon Meadow (Kingdom of Patria, #2)

by Daniel McInerny

When I was first contacted about this, the author assured me that they’re a completely electronic project. But guess what! They are now available through Amazon as hard copy books, too!

Oh, my! What a project! Maps and blogs and radio in addition to the stories themselves, which are good in all the ways that make you remember them long after you’ve put them down.

The books themselves are just as good as I was hoping they’d be. Who needs adult fiction when you can have stories like these? I categorize them middle grade or mom-worthy, you pick.

We meet the characters in Stout Hearts and Whizzing Biscuits, and when you pick yourself up from laughing at the outlandishness of it all, you’ll be turning the pages (or flipping the screen) so fast you might see a blur. The story is good. And hilarious.

The adventure continues in The Stoop of Mastadon Meadow with a conflict that seems, again, impossible (how did McIrney think of this?). I tried to hide that I was on the edge of my seat, but there you have it: I was.

I was pretty sure, in both books, that things would turn out okay. But there’s always that worry: does the author think “okay” is the same as I think “okay” is? Will I end up hating life after reading these books?

And do I need a map to find my way around?

No map needed, but you’ll find an interactive one (in colored, detailed beauty) at the website.

I feel like maybe it’s cliche to say that these books are wonderful, excellent, and delightful, but they are. I laughed out loud and caught myself trying to read passages to anyone who was nearby.

My eight-year-old will be reading them soon, oh yes, and that will be all the excuse I need to dive back into this new world that I hope will feel as familiar as Narnia someday.