Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography

Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris, as shredded and pasted back together by David Javerbaum, 294 pages

Written in the classic YA style of choose-your-own-adventure books, this quirky autobiography offers insight into the various elements of NPH's life, from his work as a child actor (hello, Doogie!) to his career on Broadway (hello, Hedwig!), from his lifelong hobby as an amateur magician to understanding himself as a gay man. And don't forget about all those fun bits concerning Harold and Kumar, and Dr. Horrible, and How I Met Your Mother, and hosting every awards show imaginable.

The book, as is the tradition in choose-your-own-adventure books, is written in second person, with you, the reader, playing the role of the main character (in this case, Neil Patrick Harris) and making choices throughout (for example, to explore your career in made-for-TV movies, turn to page 49; if you'd rather return to the stage, go to page 137). And like any good choose-your-own-adventure book, there are options where you end up dead, or in traction for the rest of your life, or working at the Schlotzsky's counter and living a life of obscurity.

This book was both incredibly fun and incredibly frustrating. On the one hand, it was hilarious, unexpected (who knew you could end up at a crossword puzzle or a cocktail recipe?), and, considering all of the diverse elements of NPH's life, a decent format for his memoir, especially if you only really care about his TV career or his personal life. But if, like me, you want to know about ALL those elements, prepare to read this through a good five or six times. I'll admit that it got to the point, after several read-throughs, where I was simply skimming through, looking for anecdotes I hadn't read yet. I'm also really curious how this translates into an audiobook, which does exist. If you listen to it, please let me know!

Good for fans of Neil Patrick Harris, books with goofy structure, and those who love a good laugh. Not for those who want something straightforward and straight-laced.

The Magic Trap

The Magic Trap by Jacqueline Davies, 257 pages

This is the newest book in The Lemonade War series.  Brother and sister Evan and Jessie Treski have very different reactions to things.  When their mom plans a trip away for a week for work, Evan isn’t thrilled, but he thinks that his mom needs to get away for a while and he understands that she really needs to take all of the work that she can get.  Jessie is upset that her mother is leaving because she really hates change but is trying to be understanding.  When their father shows up unexpectedly right before their mother is ready to leave and an unexpected turn of events means that their babysitter is unavailable at the last minute, their dad volunteers to stay for the week.  Their mother reluctantly agrees.  Jessie is thrilled.  Evan is also apprehensive, because he understands, as his mother does, that his dad is not very reliable.  Still, everything seems mostly ok at first.  Their dad is on the phone a lot with work related things but he still finds some time to spend with them.  Until the day that their mom is scheduled to come back and their father leaves  a few hours before her return with a hurricane about to hit and Jessie and Evan have to figure out what to do.  A good story about family and self-reliance, with a good amount of adventure thrown in at the end, this book will appeal to a large kid audience.