REVIEWS
Reviews of Destiny's Telescope
"Destiny's Telescope is. . . a gem. Scarsbrook's stories are arresting.
Anyone looking through the lens of this Telescope can't miss the author's own star - rising up through the literary universe to a date with charmed destiny."
- Mike Gillespie, The Ottawa Citizen
"Scarsbrook writes about love, and writes about it very well.
All the stories are deeply emotional and have a tendency to affect you at a gut level.
Stark and haunting. . . deeply involving. . . exquisitely lyrical."
- Storyteller, Canada's Short Story Magazine
"After reading the very absorbing and cinematically composed story "Black Taxi", I wanted more, much more of it. . . It posesses all the elements of a fascinating novel: good characters, setting, tension, superb dialogue, comedy, pace, etc. "Black Taxi" is a writhing, living thing and I read it with admiration and excitement. . . no small acheivement."
- Front + Centre (#15)
Reviews of Featherless Bipeds
FOUR and a HALF STARS (out of five!) from The SCENE
* RECOMMENDED * by The Canadian Children's Book Centre
* RECOMMENDED * by The Canadian Review of Materials
"This book does not disappoint, and it covers two of the primary topics that appeal most to boys: rock 'n' roll and girls! Scarsbrook perfectly captures the mind of a teenage boy. . . Whether you have read the first book (Cheeseburger Subversive) or not, Featherless Bipeds stands on its own, or as a happy revisiting of an old friend."
Rachel Steen, Canadian Children's Book News
"Scarsbrook. . . create(s) a novel that is not only fast-paced but incredibly funny. He has a great talent for moving easily from the heartache of Dak and Zoe's 'star-crossed' romance to side-splitting scenes. . . Do Dak and Zoe ever get together?
The answer is in Featherless Bipeds, and it's worth the read to find out."
What If? Canada's Fiction Magazine for Teens
"Featherless Bipeds remains at all times as tightly focused as the best short stories. . . Fans of live pop music will enjoy Scarsbrook's wonderful evocations of the characters, venues, trials, and successes of such a career, as well as the experience of making music, both onstage and off. "
Storyteller: Canada's Short Story Magazine
Reviews of Cheeseburger Subversive
"Cheeseburger Subversive is a coming of age story written with humour and panache. Scarsbrook has a special eye for the absurd, a wonderful way of looking at the world that turns tragedy into humor. A very funny and heart-warming debut."
- W.P. Kinsella, author of Dance Me Outside and Shoeless Joe (basis for the movie, Field of Dreams), in Books in Canada(Read the entire review HERE )
Rating: **** (Four out of four stars) - "Highly Recommended"
"Scarsbrook has nailed the Canadian teenage boy's insecurities, victories over bullies and persistent sexual longing to the wall. In a laugh-out-loud-funny style laced with witty, sardonic remarks by our hero, Dak, Scarsbrook brings alive the pain of rejection, the excitement of real friendship and the ache of a lost love. "
- David Jenkinson, Canadian Children's Literature
(Read the review HERE !)
"This coming of age novel is a brilliantly funny revved-up romp - part Catcher in the Rye, part Happy Days."
AECB, Selected Canadian Titles for American Libraries
"Cheeseburger Subversive is a perceptive and memorable book. The title story will make you laugh out loud! 'Benjamin's Aliens' wil disturb you. 'Tristan's Quarter', the last story in the book, wil have you eagerly awaiting the sequel, Featherless Bipeds."
- What If? Magazine
"This book is funny, funny, funny! I laughed out loud. . . and I was constantly harassing people, saying, 'Listen to this! Listen to this!' "
- Maggie L. Wood, Reviewer, author of The Princess Pawn
(Read the entire review HERE )
"To say Cheeseburger Subversive is a coming-of-age tale misses what makes the novel so much more than that. . . the theme of personal politics at boy's eye-level makes Scarsbrook's novel unique."
- Paul A. Toth, author of Fizz
(Read the entire review HERE!)
"This is one of the funniest books I've read in a long time. Even the titles of the chapters will reach out and grab your attention. Richard Scarsbrook has created a book that has it all."
- Lascha Belanger, Saskatchewan Publishers Group
(Read the entire review HERE.)
"Cheeseburger Subversive is certain to be enjoyed by readers of all ages. The writing, which is Scarsbrook at his best, is often the type you want to read aloud to others."
- Storyteller: Canada's Short Story Magazine
(Read the entire review HERE!)
"Cheeseburger Subversive brims over with well-realized and poignant scenes, keenly observed details, and light-handed humour."
- Quill and Quire
"Through Dak, a character ahead of his years, the reader experiences life as it truly is, filled with both hilarity and trying times."
- Patricia A. Carvacho, SceneandHeard.ca
(Read the entire review HERE!)
"Cheeseburger Subversive is a rare book. . . Scarsbrook dresses up his 'cheeseburger' with lots of spicy pickles and tangy mustard, without being afraid of adding a meaty message."
- Lian Goodall, The St. Catharines Standard-Spectrum
(Read the entire review HERE!)
"This book is laugh out loud funny, but still manages to be touching and dramatic. Read it. You'll thank me."
- Andrea Raymond, Editor, Surface and Symbol
(Read the entire review HERE !)
CLICK HERE to read actual, unedited comments from Cheeseburger Subversive readers, written at the 2005 White Pine Award Ceremony at the Toronto Metro Convention Centre.
"Richard Scarsbrook enters the world of his young protagonists through the front door, and rivals the best writers in the country in cunning and humour. Truly an exciting new voice in Canadian fiction."
- Jesse Stothers, Editor
Other Endorsements
"Richard Scarsbrook is a talented and versatile writer whose. . . work is witty, imaginative, and intelligent. Consistently, his productions display a fine craftsmanship. It is rare to come across a young author with this degree of consistency."
- Angus Somerville, Editor, The Harpweaver
"(Richard Scarsbrook) is an excellent writer - we expect to see (him) in the Governor General’s winner’s circle one of these years, and then we can say, 'we published that guy once'!"
- John Kooistra, Publisher, Catchfire Press
"Richard Scarsbrook is a dynamic writer with a great sense of character and story. He not only knows how to be funny, he knows when. His fiction about contemporary youth always rings true."
- Melanie Fogel, Editor, Storyteller: Canada's Story Magazine
"Innovative, engaging, and humorous. Richard Scarsbrook. . . is an avid writer with true talent."
- John Blair, President of the Toronto Branch, Canadian Authors Association, Editor of Winners Circle 8
