The Lost Journals of Bud Wiper

By: S.M. Morgan

Narrated by: Slade Hovick

"Help!! My head is being lowered into the swirling vortex of a toilet!”

My name is Teddy, and I’m in the sixth grade. It’s my first day at a different school, and so far, the only person I know is Zane, the school bully. I was just your everyday kid trying to stay off everyone’s radar, but when I met my new best friend, Bud Wiper, everything changed.

Bud is a 6th grade millionaire from 60 years ago.

Yep, that’s right. Bud Wiper is a treasure hunter from the 1940s who left behind his journal full of life and adventure. Even though we’ve never met, I think he might be the only thing that gets me through the sixth grade alive.

The Lost Journals of Bud Wiper is a fantastic story of bravery and friendship, perfect for kids, middle school students, and adults.

©2021 S.M. Morgan (P)2023 S.M. Morgan

Really fun story!

This Indiana Jones-sequel adventure was a lot of fun to listen to while I was at work. The narrator is truly amazing and adds a unique voice to the author’s writing!

Impressive 1st book for both narrator and author!

I was surprised and delighted to learn that this book was the first that author S.M. Morgan had written, and also the audiobook debut for narrator Slade Hovick. Listening to the story and hearing the performances, both of them are naturals and have done an outstanding job for their first titles! And, I think these two are a great pairing -- the story as written by Morgan really springs to life when narrated by Hovick. Let's get into it.

PERFORMANCE
The real treat of this book was the audiobook narration!

This is Slade Hovick's first audiobook narration, but you wouldn't know it upon listening! As a middle grades work of fiction, a story like this needs to have entertaining characters and an enthusiastic reader, and these are both things Hovick nails!

The story is told from Teddy and Bud's first person perspectives, and so the vast majority of the book is read aloud in either Teddy or Bud's voice, depending on the chapter. Hovick brings both characters to life by giving them distinct voices and personalities. Teddy is a little more shaky and unsure of himself while Bud carries the tone of a confident, smooth talking youngster. These immediately identifiable voices made it easy to tell whose story I was listening to at the start of each new chapter, AND most importantly these voices were entertaining without being over-the-top or grating, which is critical for a book like this where you're hearing these two voices a lot. Interestingly, as I kept listening to the tale, I started to feel like Bud was a more confident, sure of himself version of Teddy, and to me that became apparent from the voice performances of Hovick. I feel like this was an intentional choice by both Morgan and Hovick, and that as the books continue, Teddy will gain some of the confidence that exudes from Bud.

Aside from these two main characters, Hovick has to voice probably two dozen members of a supporting cast, and some of the characters have voices that would be quite tricky to pull off successfully. Namely, there are two side characters -- a Finnish man and a Chinese professor. It would be INCREDIBLY easy for a narrator to embody stereotypical caricatures when trying to slip into these voices and deliver a stilted, insensitive performance. I think Hovick brilliantly threaded the needle, giving both characters unique voices that are entertaining while also acknowledging their culture, without coming across as offensive, and I hope other listeners will agree. For me, listening to the myriad of voices Hovick adopted for each of the new characters was the highlight of the entire book! While some characters and voices were more memorable than others, each one stood apart from the rest of the cast. One or two voices felt unbelievable as voices that would come from a real person (Mr. Rogers the janitor comes to mind), but for 95%+ of the cast the voices were spot-on, well acted, believable, and highly entertaining!

Outside of the character dialogue, Hovick reads the story with an enthusiastic, steady pace that keeps the story driving forward at all times without losing the reader. His voices are easy to listen to, he enunciates clearly and naturally, he sounds like he's been reading stories aloud for quite some time, and I want to hear more from him in this style of audiobook narration as it kept me into the story for its entire runtime!

Next, let's discuss the story.

STORY
The Lost Journals of Bud Wiper was created as a middle grades novel, but I think it is a pleasure to listen to, even as an adult reader. The story follows the tale of Teddy, a middle schooler who just moved to Ravenwood with his mom. It is a classic tale of learning to fit in, finding yourself, and coming of age. This book is poised as the first in a series, and I think the plot hit that well. It stands alone as its own journey, complete with a satisfying narrative and character development from Teddy and a few other characters, while at the same time leaving plenty of room for these characters to continue growing.

The name of the book implies a sense of inane "potty humor" that kids may enjoy while parents may find unbearable. I was pleased to discover that the book isn't filled with juvenile jokes and low-hanging fruit. Yes, Bud Wiper's name is supposed to be a clever nod to the bathroom and elicited a chuckle here or there, but the writing didn't lean into gross out or potty humor to keep people entertained. It was charming and funny in places, but it never made me roll my eyes or groan at the delivery of a quip or line.

In fact, the writing was illustrative and engaging and presented the story with wit and charm! The pacing was also great thanks to the dual-narrative structure of it all. Early on in the story, Teddy finds the journals of an old local named "Bud Wiper" and from there the chapters will often flip between Teddy's journey and woes as a middle school student with that of Wiper's exciting adventures from 1949. The characters share some parallels that become more apparent as the story continues.

My only criticism of the story itself is the final few chapters wrapped things up a bit too abruptly. There is a scene between Bud and his family that, without going into spoilers, felt a bit frustrating to me as the reader, but I understood why it played out the way it did and overall it did not detract from my enjoyment. At the end of it all, I'm excited to see where Teddy and Bud's journeys go next!

SUMMARY
I cannot recommend this audiobook enough! Both of these men are talented and passionate, and this book stands as an impressive accomplishment for both of them as first forays into their respective fields. From the drama, humor, and suspense of a relatable story to the entertaining voices and reliably great performance, there is something special here for everybody to enjoy and I hope to see more from them both!

Genuinely a great book.

I was pulled in immediately by the different voices for the characters! Amazing Job! The author also wrote a very intriguing story I couldn't stop listening and wanted more.