Dr. Fell and the Playground of Doom

August 22, 2016
Ever since Dr. Fell moved into the abandoned house at the end of Hardscrabble Street, things haven't seemed right to 10-year-old Gail Bloom; her younger brother, Jerry; and her best friend, Nancy Pinkblossom. The rest of the town, however, seems hypnotized by the hunched old man: kids flock to the doctor's spectacular playground, and parents are delighted by his offer of cheap physicals and ability to heal the increasingly serious injuries that occur on his playground. When Gail appears to be brainwashed following an exam with Dr. Fell, Nancy and Jerry team up to save her and the town. The doctor's verbosity ("Shouldn't you three be running amok within and throughout my magnanimous neighborhood donation?") should give readers' vocabularies a boost, but comes across like a forced quirk; determined though they are, Gail, Jerry, and Nancy never wind up the most captivating of heroes. Terry's spot illustrations, not all seen by PW, help establish an atmosphere of dreamlike strangeness, complementing the creepy threads of medical and supernatural horror Neilsen weaves through his debut novel. Ages 8â12. Author's agent: Eric Myers, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

May 15, 2016
Dr. Fell, foul fiend or friend to children?The last house on Hardscrabble Street, empty and old, has always been a playground for the local children, so when a "sold" sign appears in the yard, no one's pleased. Jerry and Gail Bloom and Gail's friend Nancy Pinkblossom meet their new neighbor, the wizened Dr. Fell, and bemoan the loss of their play space. A few days later, a fantastical playground of pirate ships and castle towers appears in Dr. Fell's yard. Before long, children start getting hurt there, but every injury on Dr. Fell's playground heals quickly under his care. Gail, Jerry, and Nancy grow suspicious, especially when their parents start acting strangely. Then Gail returns from a visit to Dr. Fell acting brainwashed. Her friend and brother cure her, but as Dr. Fell's control of the town grows, the trio realizes something terribly sinister's afoot. Can they head it off? Actor and storyteller Neilsen's debut tries too hard from the start. Dr. Fell speaks in purple prose and then translates himself nearly every time he converses, a characterization tic that grows old quickly. Repetition of humorless gags and forced quirkiness in nomenclature cannot be saved by a shallow attempt at Lovecraft-ian horror far too late in the tale. Terry's black-and-white illustrations add atmosphere and depict an evidently all-white cast.Steer Cthulhu-craving kiddies to Charles Gilman's fearful and funny Lovecraft Middle School. (Adventure. 7-9)

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June 1, 2016

Gr 5-7-Imagine a playground that fuses medieval castles, pirate ships, and zombie-infested wastelands. Dr. Fell, an elderly man always clad in a bright purple suit with matching top hat, creates a dream play structure with a slide, secret doors, and multiple levels, earning the respect of nearly every child on Hardscrabble Street. Three kids, Jerry, Nancy, and Gail, however, observe oddities that lead them to question Dr. Fell. How is he able to heal broken bones that occur on his playground in mere hours? How can he miraculously make a heart beat again? Why are no adults worried about the multitude of injuries befalling children on his playground? Is he a doctor or a magician? In this mix of mystery, science fiction, and realism, with a twist of horror, readers experience the abnormal events along with the protagonists. Neilsen delicately leaves clues for readers to braid together, continuing to create intrigue surrounding Dr. Fell. While the story and plot are strong, the main characters and neighborhood setting feel dated. The childlike illustrations; the naivete of Nancy, Gail, and Jerry; and the notion of a neighborhood playground may strike tween readers as inauthentic in 2016. The simple sentence structure and basic vocabulary make this a straightforward read. VERDICT Recommended for school libraries that need to breathe life into their traditional mystery collections.-Mary-Brook J. Townsend, Episcopal Collegiate School Library, Little Rock, AK

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