Box of Shocks

By Chris McMahen

Oliver has helicopter parents-they love him, but they seriously cramp his style. He decides to fill an old wooden box with souvenirs from some of his outrageous and daring exploits. That way, he'll never forget the zombies, the killer dogs and the crazy cows, and his parents will never know that he once jumped from a bridge with the police in hot pursuit. But the biggest shock comes when Oliver realizes that the most terrifying things of all can't be controlled or contained.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
• Release date: Oct 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781554699186

Chris McMahen

Chris McMahen is an elementary school teacher-librarian living near Armstrong, British Columbia. When he's not busy writing, teaching or spending time with his family, he can be found cycling the back roads of the Spallumcheen Valley or making peculiar pottery.

Reviews for Box of Shocks

[kayden-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Oliver keeps souvenirs of all of his adventures he has gone through and hides them from his protective parents. This helps him so he won’t forget everything he has been through from the killer dogs to the scariest house in town. After meeting his neighborhood boy he appreciates his parents.

[bunnyjadwiga · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Our hero, constrained by his loving but overprotective parents, is inspired to try some dangerous stunts (trick-or-treating at a house he's not supposed to go to, confronting a fierce dog) and collect souvenirs from his exploits in his Box of Shocks: things his parents would be shocked to find out about. However, when someone gets between him and his Box of Shocks, he ends up having an adventure of a different kind, where he learns rather more about another person than he expected. Thoughts: while the Shocks are things that are not uncommon in middle grade fiction, the secret adventures in this relatively realistic book, specifically involving taking risks parents have forbidden, may be uncomfortable for some adult readers. Especially uncomfortable is the complicated secret-keeping, especially when another child is clearly (if not vividly written) in danger. Still, I was pleased to find out how supportive the adults in our hero's life were.