About one year ago to the day, I read to my kids Clive Cussler’s first-ever book for kids, The Adventures of Vin Fiz (2006). We didn’t know what we were getting into, but I’d long been a Clive Cussler fan, and my kids were antsy to hear an adventure story with some pizzaz, so I thought I’d give it a shot.

I recall that the first book fell a little flat for me with its magic, its unlikely characters, and its too-fast-to-matter scenes. Truth be told, I’d already lost all interest in Cussler’s adult books myself more than a year prior to reading that kids’ book, a sentiment hammered home to me with the atrocious book, Odessa Sea (2016). Ugh, what a horrible novel! So I hadn’t gone into Vin Fiz with many high hopes.

This year with The Adventures of Hotsy Totsy was slightly different, I must admit. Having been away from Cussler for so long up until just a few weeks ago when I read his delightful non-fiction-novel The Sea Hunters (1996), I fell back in the mood for an unbelievable, cliché-filled escapade—and that’s exactly what we got!

For this summary and review, I will try to keep my opinions positive and relatively sarcasm-free, though believe me, it will be tough. My children (10, 12) both loved this book, so again, kudos to Cussler for pulling it off! But adults with critical brains might have a very hard time enjoying this book (much like its predecessor).

This magical novel picks up where Vin Fizz left off, with the Nicefolk twins, Casey and Lacey, dreaming of what new adventure they can enjoy with Sucoh Sucup’s strange invention that turns small toys into life-sized vehicles. This time, Casey whittles a powerboat with hopes of turning it into a contender for the Gold Cup National Race, a motorboat race which runs through the San Francisco Bay and up the Sacramento River and back. The invention works, but the kids’ plans are foiled by bureaucracy—yup! that darn ol’ red-tape that my kids care so much about!

[Oh, Clive, it’s hard to stay mad at you in your old age. In fact, it’s a little bit like if the 2023-version of Joe Biden suddenly started writing books for children. It’s kind of humorous in a way!]

The kids ignore the pesky paperwork and enter the race anyway, gaining a cult-following from the tens-and-tens of people that actually care about this race, forcing the hat-wearing race officials to allow these children to continue risking their lives for this race—-yet unanimously disqualifying them from ever winning any of the $100k prize money.

Add to this scenario the reappearance of the Vin Fizz villains, The Boss and his henchmen (The Beard and Wrinkle Face). They’ve just stolen a bunch of money from a bank and are using their black escape boat to haul cash and prisoners to the now-abandoned Alcatraz. The children are kidnapped, but Hotsy Totsy’s magic and Floopy’s courage save their bacon. Again, the boat’s magical personality plays an important role in the story, which is an element the kids enjoy. I just have to ignore it.

Ultimately, the kids foil The Boss’s plans (“Why I ought’a!”) and finish the race, though not in first place. Their parents discover the kids’ chicanery but can’t stay mad at them either, because they’ve been awarded $25,000 with which they can buy new farm equipment. I don’t know where to start in a discussion about the morals at play, so this time, I just let them slide. The book was too silly to take serious anyways, though again, my kids loved it.

I still can’t figure out the supposed era for this story, because at times it feels like they’re living in Dustbowl America, just scraping by like they’re in The Grapes of Wrath. But then suddenly there’s helicopters and news reporters. It might be part of Cussler’s fanciful recipe, but to me it was off-putting.

For the most part, I love reading books designed for children, because even in their innocence, they excite and intrigue. It’s fun to enjoy adventures like The 39 Clues, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and The Sugar Creek Gang together with my kids—but this series by Clive Cussler just isn’t the same. Feel free to hand these books off to your pre-teen to read for themselves, but I’d recommend adults avoid them. Your brains will thank you.

©2023 E.T.

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