Review: I Have a Bad Feeling About This by Jeff Strand

Wilderness Survival Tip #1 Drinking your own sweat will not save your life. Somebody might have told you that, but they were trying to find out if you'd really do it.

Henry Lambert would rather play video games than spend time in the great outdoors--but that doesn't make him a wuss. Skinny nerd? Fine. But wuss is a little harsh. Sadly, his dad doesn't agree. Which is why Henry is being shipped off to Strongwoods Survival Camp.

Strongwoods isn't exactly as advertised. It looks like the victim of a zombie apocalypse, the "camp director" is a psycho drill sergeant, and Henry's sure he saw a sign written in blood...

Wilderness Survival Tip #2 In case of an avalanche, don't despair. You're doomed, but that's a wicked cool death.

Wilderness Survival Tip #3 If you're relying on this book for actual survival tips, you're dead already.

I read, and loved, Jeff Strand's book A Bad Day for Voodoo.  That book had me laughing and gasping throughout.  So when I was given the chance to read I Have a Bad Feeling About This I jumped at the chance.  While this book wasn't as funny as A Bad Day for Voodoo it was still fantastic.  What I really liked was the voice of Henry the main character.  I could hear his voice in my head the whole while I read.  He has a sarcastic buy yet dry sense of humor.  It reminded me of several students I've had, so I could completely hear it.  And this sense of humor had me laughing again.  I was reading it in the waiting area while my son was at gymnastics.  It started in with a scene where Henry's sarcasm is in full swing.  I had to stop myself from bursting out laughing.  I know I was getting strange looks from the other parents in the room!

The story itself is a bit (ok a lot) far fetched but because it is so, I could set aside any concerns of it and just go with it.  It's almost because it is far fetched that it works so well! Had Strand tried to make it seem more plausible, much of the fun would've been lost.  It needed to be crazy, and silly and impossible it order for it to work and work well!

As for the rest of the cast of characters - great bunch and all super unique.  Each definitely added to the story and kept the fun chaos moving! If one of them had been taken out of the story there would've been a hole.

Overall a fun read.  Pick it up if you want to laugh and just have fun.