Louis Proof is an ordinary kid.He loves listening to hip-hop, racing radio-controlled cars, and hanging out with his best friend, Brandon. Then a mysterious letter invites him to visit the local junkyard. There he finds a secret, underground amusement park like no other in existence. This is the best day of Louis's life. The park even has the most amazing race course for radio-controlled cars. Louis starts racing right away. It's a close contest; he's about to activate his nitro boost to take the lead, when...This is the worst day of Louis's life. Without warning or reason, thirteen-year-old Louis Proof falls into a coma due to a virus of a mysterious, celestial origin. When he awakens three months later, the world that he once knew and loved is totally out of control. He will learn that his illness is connected to everything that is wrong, and that it's not only his responsibility but his destiny to set things right.This story is a megadramatic, remarkably true, super action fantasy. Get ready! Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Troy CLE's debut novel, originally self-published, has its heart is in the right place, but unfortunately often gets bogged down by an overwrought narrative. Seventh-grader Louis Proof receives an invitation to an exclusive, hidden playground called the JunkYard JunkLot. Once there, he discovers a subterranean playground filled with video games, pizza and skateboard half-pipes. Louis is spooked by two pairs of phantom eyes he sees while playing a larger-than-life car racing games. Soon after, he falls into a coma for three months, and when he wakes up the world appears to have gone mad: parents don't act like themselves, kids start disappearing and reappearing, and fire hydrants spray cookies and ice cream. Louis learns he is becoming a Celestial-like Entity ("Close to perfection, but not quite," says Timothy, a supernatural mentor to Louis) and he gains powerful abilities that make him a threat to the Galonious Imperial Evil, who has crossed over from the "thought dimension" with his army of Crims to free everyone on earth from all responsibilities. There is a profound message at the book's core-that selfish desires to do only what pleases oneself are among the darkest evils imaginable-but it's buried fairly deep beneath a profusion of arcane alien names and too-cute direct asides to the reader. ("Will L. Proof really be able to put a stop to all this? Do you want him to stop it?") The urban setting and characters of CLE's world may attract fantasy fans and bring new ones to the fold, but they might struggle to comprehend it once they arrive. Ages 10-up. (May) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 6-9-Fantasy fiction with African-American protagonists is hard enough to come by, so it's a joy to discover a book that fills the need with flair. Louis Proof is racing RC cars in an underground amusement park when he glimpses a pair of ethereal beings. Soon after, he falls into a coma and awakens three months later to a world turned upside down. Surreal events have become commonplace, several parents and teachers are now unusually permissive, and the teen has been granted phenomenal powers. Eventually a stranger named Timothy explains that Louis is about to become a CLE-"a Celestial-like Entity." He has been recruited for an Earthbound extension of the eternal conflict between two races at the center of the universe: the virtuous iLone and the evil eNoli. Louis needs to prevent an escaped eNoli named Galonious from "liberating" humanity from the effects of empathy and conscience. While Galonious inspires a great deal of unsettling behavior (Louis's best friend steals pornography; physical abuse, murder, and suicide are also mentioned), things never get too dark, and the author forgoes a traditional "black-and-white" approach to the conflict by examining the complex interplay of the positive and negative forces in the characters' lives. The narration has the free-flowing, engrossing rhythm of oral storytelling, punctuated by poetic interludes that comment (sometimes ironically) on the action. A worthy addition to modern-age magic tales such as Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series (Hyperion/Miramax).-Christi Voth Esterle, Parker Library, CO Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

"Louis Proof, an inner-city, African American teen, and his friend Brandon receive an invitation to go to a mysterious amusement park. Their trip leads to strange experiences, which become stranger after Louis slips into a coma and, upon his recovery, discovers that he has special powers. Soon, Louis finds himself battling creatures from another dimension, led by the often-funny Galonious Imperial Evil. In the course of the extremely complicated plot, Louis and his friends fight many high-octane battles. Little is resolved at the end, but readers will discover more when they read this title's sequel. Louis' adventures completely parallel those typical of computer games, and this title is clearly an attempt to capture the video-game world in prose. Whether young gamers will find a game in book form more appealing than actually playing remains to be seen, but this first installment in the planned Marvelous World series makes for an interesting effort."--"Morning, Todd" Copyright 2007 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.