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Rating: 
Summary: The Catcher In The Rye of Massachussets Travel Literature
Review: Contrary to the opinion of senile, old hacks from Norwell,MA (a town famous for its proximity to high-tension power lines and twitchy, disaffected children) I found 4 Go Mad to be a thrill-a-minute-laugh-riot. I marveled along with Harry & Hugo at the ability to make electricity at the Charles River Museum of Industry, I felt MY temperature rise at the Porter Thermometer Museum and oh how I have dreamed of seeing a real Capybara since reading of the Harvard Museum of Natural History.
Bravo John E. Mitchell, bravo. And kudos indeed to the clearly talented Miss Christy Mitchell. I think this book should be a must read for every family. I gave three copies out to friends with infants just to encourage their sense of adventure. May we all "go mad" in the same fine fashion as the Mitchell's. Let's just make sure we avoid Norwell in our travels; those people are creepier than George's island.
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Summary: A TOTAL joy!
Review: From the moment I picked up this book, I was hooked - and I don't even live in Massachusetts! The adventures of the Mitchell family not only entertained me - they opened my eyes to a small part of the vast array of hidden oddities out there in the world just waiting to be discovered and explored!And what explorations they have! Every chapter uncovers yet another amazing locale - each more fascinating then the last. Harry and Hugo sound like wonderful children with vast creativity and an immense amount to offer - who wouldn't be with parents like these? Love it! Love it! LOVE IT - keep up the good work!
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Summary: A Disappointing waste of time!
Review: I am a mother of three, sometimes more depending on whom we have adopted for the day, and we love to go on outtings. We are always looking for fresh ideas and this book was not it. Mitchell tries to be the Dave Barry of the travel world and falls far short. With his peculiar sense of humor I couldn't tell whether they loved the place or not, or would ever go back. I read his review of places I knew well and wouldn't ever go to them based on the lack lustre reviews. Additionally, I found the text over bearing and condescending,i.e. "My exceptionally bright children." I don't want to hear about exceptionally bright kids unless I am reading Brazleton. He talks more about his kids than the sites they are visiting... Boring!
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Summary: Kooky fun travellogue
Review: John Mitchell can't quite decide if 4 Go Mad in Massachusetts is a travelogue or a travel book, but therein lies its perfection. A series of short stories about his family's travels all over the state make more fun reading than a bland travel book, while imparting the kind of hidden information about attractions both offbeat and obvious that often goes unsaid (like that when visiting 'The Butterfly Place' his twin boys get more excited about an infestation of mealy bugs they find, or how the boys' 'Uncle Biz' accompanies them to a historic site and meets a man in period costume portraying his Mayflower riding ancestor but all he can think to ask him is "Where is the bathroom?"). From the Thermometer Museum to an Anatomical Museum, to the Freedom Trail and Edaville Railroad, Mitchell paints a portrait of the state with equal parts sarcasm, wit, and wonderment that goes far outside the lines yet entices the reader to delve deeper into finding the Massachusetts that lies just outside the box.
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Summary: The most fun I've had with my pants on!
Review: This book is the SHIZZNIT! And I really mean it! I never knew there was so much fun stuff lurking around in my own back yard. I felt like Spock and Kirk when they found that Undiscoverd Country, you know what I'm sayin? If you don't, I wouldn't worry about it. Just plunk down your Shekels and buy this book. You won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: A smart and funny look at some most unusual worlds
Review: Throughout the nearly 200 pages of this book, John Mitchell finds himself facing an age-old dilemma: can a family find places to visit that won't leave at least one side of the parent-child team screaming for mercy? How do two young hipsters entertain their kids without hooking them up to the corporate theme park teat? It's a tribute to the Mitchells' parenting skills that they and their children derive as much fascination and enjoyment from talking to hens at the zoo as they do from wandering through a World War II-era submarine (although the boys get as much pleasure from crawling across the lined-up bunks and pretending to be moles). Between John's smart, clever prose and Jana's gorgeous, fluid illustrations, 4 Go Mad will make you want to visit more places and spend time examining their beauty, their pathos, and how different age groups derive different meanings from them. A smart, fun read.
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