By Scott Seegert
In the midst of reading timeless Christmas stories, forgettable Christmas romances and one science fiction novel this past holiday season, my son handed me this book he had gotten for Christmas. He wanted me to read it. Believe me, it was better than reading his other choice, Nerds 3.
The Vordak series of books are written with the upper elementary/middle school level of maturity in mind. But they are funny in a very quirky way. Seegert's name does not appear on the book in any fashion as Vordak himself is to have written it. In the first book, Vordak was attempting to rule the world and giving others tips on doing so as well. I know all this because my son did a book report on that book. In this book, Vordak has tried to make himself younger but his machine has made him too young. Now he is forced to return to middle school and attempt to take over.
I won't go into the slim plot at this point but I will say that Vordak gets by with much more than a real kid could in middle school so you do have to suspend reality. Although much of the funny moments are only worth a slight chuckle, Vordak's incredible self-absorption is really over the top. He thinks of himself as the most brilliant person ever yet those around him, especially other kids, are totally ignorant of his selfishness. Perhaps they are enticed by his confidence – he ends up with several “minions” who inadvertently do his bidding. In addition, his so-called brilliant attempts usually backfire and he only gets his way through a series of accidents. Of course, he takes full credit for these.
And you, the reader, are always being addressed as part of the dialogue, plot and message. The drawings are simple but effective. I wouldn't recommend this to you unless you have a third through seventh grader living at your home.
What does this book have to do with my faith? Vordak is what I do not want to become as a Christian: selfish, self-absorbed and almost sociopathic. No one as as brilliant as Vordak. No one as as evil as Vordak. And he is proud of these things and uses them to take over wherever he happens to be. However, it is evident that Vordak is not as brilliant as he believes. Neither is he as evil as he thinks. He is definitely not a person I would want to be around. The book made me think about my own self absorption and misplaced confidence. Am I really that good of a cook? Is my writing worth publishing? Am I a good Christian? Am I trying to take over where I work? Perhaps I am more like Vordak than I believe.
Recommended for parents of middle school children. But check out Seegert's website for a laugh – click on his name above.
Happy reading!
Amelia
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