The Epic Tales of a Misfit Hero, a debut middle grade novel by Matt Peterson, is exactly what it appears to be—a fun story that teaches a valuable spiritual lesson.  True, it's like an extended version of something you'd find in The Friend (except with a few more mentions of, um, unmentionables, particularly of the Transformers variety), but it's still pretty funny.  While I found the story a little lacking in plot and character development, I'll probably be the only one to notice or care.  Kids will be too engaged in Andrew's escapades to worry about analyzing story elements.  Beware, though, of handing the book to boys like my son, a wizened teacher (as of last week).  When I read him the plot summary of The Epic Tales of a Misfit Hero, he said, "I don't think being a deacon is really that dramatic."  Probably not, but don't tell that to your favorite 8- to 10-year-old, because they're the perfect audience for this short, fun, uplifting read.

(Readalikes:  Reminded me a little of tween boy books by Gordon Korman)

Grade:  B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG for some scary images

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of The Epic Tales of a Misfit Hero from the generous Matt Peterson.  Thank you!