Meh. I just couldn't get into it. ( )

Eleven year-old Milton and his older Goth sister, Marlo, are killed by a falling decoration at the mall. Next thing they know, they're in Heck, a hellish place for bad children that is run by Bea "Elsa" Bubb, the Principal of Darkness. Marlo was indeed a bad kid, she loved shoplifting and being a problem, but Milton was a good kid who shouldn't be in Heck. To make things worse, the bully who led to Milton and Marlo's death is also in Heck, and he's so mean that he's quickly promoted to being in charge. Milton and Marlo are determined to get out of Heck, and to take another good kid, big Virgil, with them.
A really funny and original story, and I believe it became a series. I'll mention that the way from Heck to freedom involves crawling through the sewage pipes of the underworld, and it's graphic and gross, but the age group this is aimed at is 9-12 years of age, of which I am not. I still enjoyed it. ( )

Children's fiction; humor. This book was aimed at the tween audience but largely missed the mark. Basye tried too hard to be clever, making a pun or semi-witty remark every other sentence or so--the references to historical villains such as Nixon and Lizzie Borden will also be lost on the younger audience; unfortunately, it's not clever enough to entertain the older audiences either. I very quickly got tired of it and eventually quit reading. ( )

Glad I went to Heck!

This book, thanks to Bronson Pinchot's skillful narration, and to the sly cultural references sprinkled throughout, was one of the best audiobook listens I've ever experienced. I commute to see my clients, and this book was more than welcome company at work. Cannot wait to listen to its sequel! ( )

Perverted and disgusting in bad/try-too-hard ways. ( )