Part The Westing Game, part Masquerade, this board book mystery lures readers in with its pentagonal shape, dry humor, and pages of intricate details. But the chief draw is the promise of—very real—buried treasure, with the clues to its locations hidden within the book. Narrator Gus Twintig plays an imbecilic Watson to the Holmes that is detective Roy Dodge. They are summoned to a 13-story apartment building to investigate a string of robberies: the emerald-encrusted numbers have been stolen from a clock belonging to owner Bevel Ternky, and his 12 tenants have also been burgled. Dodge and Twintig make their way down the building, interviewing bizarre residents in equally eccentric apartments (Sigfried Plumpjack’s dwelling is a maze of hamster trails for him and his piano-playing hamster). The right side of each spread is an overhead cutaway view of each apartment, ostensibly drawn by Twintig. Given the potential of discovering clues to where the actual bejeweled numbers (created by jewelry designer Anna Sheffield) have been hidden, kids should be plenty motivated to pore over each scene. Ages 9-up. (May)
"Ready to get your mind blown? Then dig into this enthralling—and oddly shaped—book.... Twintig (a pseudonym for Scott Teplin, Mac Barnett, and Eli Horowitz) has an absurd, dry wit (“You should have seen my emotive facial expressions!” insists the mime). And those names! General Klobberduck. Jigsy Squonk. Sigfried Plumpjack. Rarely has a game of Clue been this fun. Oh, and those 12 bejeweled numbers? They’re real and buried in 12 holes across the country. This is not a joke. The codes to unlock their locations are hidden within each drawing. So insert your Holmes pipe and grab a shovel, because the real mystery is just beginning."
—Daniel Kraus, Booklist (starred review)
"A marvel.… Clock is a house-shaped board book chock full of mystery, humor and stunning artwork. Oh, and there are also clues that point to 12 emerald-encrusted numbers buried across the country, just in case the visuals don't hook you (which is unlikely)."
—Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle
"Enter the world's weirdest book. I'm sure there are other words for it, but the term 'weird' sticks out prominently in my mind. So too do the words 'wacky,' 'hypnotic,' 'awe-inspiring,' and 'potentially hazardous to your health.' I do not kid. I kid a tiny bit. But the fact of the matter is that if you or a child or you AND a child ever wanted to be a part of a real world treasure hunt, the time is now. For my part, all that I care is that there’s a new book out there with teeny tiny pictures for me to stare glazed-eye at for long periods of time. To stare and stare and stare.... what I really came to like and respect about The Clock Without a Face is that it has no difficulty defining its own audience. The writing and the pictures are hugely kid-friendly. Maybe a child wouldn’t have the wherewithal to solve the puzzles, but there’s always a chance. And where there’s a chance there will be kid fans. I know I’ll be handing my copy to the kids in the bookclub I run with the hope that they find a way to solve it themselves. Because even if they don't solve it, they're going to have a heckuva great time obsessing over its wackiness. Fun fun fun."
—Elizabeth Bird, School Library Journal
" Clock seamlessly blends the playfulness of the kids’ books we wished we had and the sophistication of [McSweeney's] trademark design."
—Jonathan Messinger, TimeOut Chicago
“Part The Westing Game , part Masquerade , this board book mystery lures readers in with its pentagonal shape, dry humor, and pages of intricate details. But the chief draw is the promise of—very real—buried treasure, with the clues to its locations hidden within the book.… Given the potential of discovering clues to where the actual bejeweled numbers (created by jewelry designer Anna Sheffield) have been hidden, kids should be plenty motivated to pore over each scene."
— Publishers Weekly
"Fun shape, fun story, fun pictures! If I had a kid who asked a million questions all the time, I would give them this, because it would shut them up for awhile. (Would probably also work on adults who need to be shut up.)"
— Large Hearted Boy
" The Clock Without a Face is the realization of every (inner) child's wildest dreams: a full color, illustrated mystery book packed full of clues that lead to real treasure."
—Bonnie Chan, Flavorpill
"This is a very cool book for the tween set (think 9-12). And really, any teens or adults that have browsed the book in my living room seem to love it just as much."
— DesignMom
"Leave it to McSweeney's to publish a book whose heist mystery extends past the confines of the book itself and into the actual real world.… The book is sincerely funny, has great illustrations and is shaped like a house.… Make no mistake, this book is delightfully silly above all things."
—Adam Lustick, Jewcy
Hours of fun for sharp-eyed puzzle fans. Painted on oversized cardboard pages trimmed to a peaked top, the arrangements and finely detailed contents of 13 apartments seen in canted cutaway views (purportedly) contain hidden leads to real concealed treasure. In the rudimentary plot, detective Roy Dodge and his bumbling "Watson," Augustus Twintig, are hired by wealthy collector Bevel Ternky to investigate the disappearance of an antique clock's 12 emerald-studded numbers. The detectives pay brief calls on each of the apartment house's residents-who sport monikers like P.K. Quello or Jigsy Squonk and live in wildly differing digs-before gathering everyone for the obligatory denouement. Rex adds spot-art caricature portraits of all but Twintig, and jewelry designer Anna Sheffield created the physical numbers themselves, which are buried in "holes strewn across the country." For those who can't bestir themselves to join the nationwide hunt, bulletins will be posted on an associated website. Good luck. (Novelty. 10-15, adult)
