From Reader’s Favorite

Blackhope Scar, the first book by David Kennedy McCulloch in the Wullie the Mahaar Gome series “revolves around a young boy named Finn and an extraordinary present he received from his uncle, comprising a dictionary and a rock. Pretty amazing, right? I didn’t think so until the rock inexplicably shape-shifted into a little old man named Wullie and started talking to Finn with something a little less extreme than a potty mouth, but still quite grumpy. The dictionary also came in handy when being hustled across the Scottish landscape, trying to figure out things like the connection between Scaur O’ Black Hope and an excerpt from Bluebeard’s Wee Black Book. Wait…what? Trust me, if you know, you know.

Wullie the Mahaar Gome by David Kennedy McCulloch is an infectiously fun story with a great deal to offer in only a few nights of bedtime reading. As far as chapter books for older children go, this story sits comfortably in the middle length-wise and the chapters themselves are long enough to feel like an accomplishment to a child but short enough so that when they ask if they can read just one more chapter, it doesn’t mean an all-nighter. Wullie is hilarious and Finn is the de facto main character, but out of the “happy band of adventurers,” it is Finn’s friend and neighbor Hadley who steals the show. . . This is a wonderful adventure and I look forward to reading book two. Highly recommended.”

From Amazon Reviewer WSV

“Oh boy, I thoroughly enjoyed reading [this book]! . . . What I particularly enjoyed was the descriptive language the writer used, which had me laughing frequently. Take for example the description of Churchill, the bulldog: “A big white torpedo it was with a face that would scare its own mother. It looked like a squashed prune. You know, like it had run into too many walls.” The creativity in the names used delighted me as well (Tiffany Kistlebutt, a petite, skinny, blond-haired girl with an upturned nose; Alexander Clambucket Targomshie of Calanais, everybody calls him Big Sandy).

The book is action-packed from start to finish and I think many readers will find themselves wishing the same as me, which is to have a Wullie too!

As I reached the climax of the story, though, I kept wondering what exactly drove the different Gomes and the other villains to conspire in wishing to practically destroy a big chunk of Scotland. They did express their reasons but somehow these didn’t feel powerful enough to me to warrant their evil plan. I guess these might be exposed in the sequel(s), like book 2: twilight cave.

All in all, Wullie the Mahaar Gome is definitely a delightful book worth reading. You won’t regret spending your hours reading about the adventures of a wee stone creature with superpowers!”