The Amazing Adventures of 4¢ Ned – Coinworld: Book One

The Amazing Adventures of 4¢ Ned by Benjamin Laskin is a stunning opening in the Coinworld series, a hilarious tale of 4¢ and his wonderful, breathtaking adventures. The lone 1938 Jefferson nickel suddenly discovers that he is worth a million bucks. Follow Ned Nickel and his adventures to redeem the Coinworld from a useless future. The other coins do not see much in him, but he is coveted by collectors, and this could mean only one thing: he has a powerful role to play in the world where money speaks, thinks, and decides. Read on to discover how 4¢ Ned becomes the key player of small change everywhere, aided by an untidy Lincoln wheat penny and a wise Indian nickel. But besides fighting to save the world of coins, 4¢ Ned must locate the love of his life, a 1922 Peace Dollar known as Franny.

Benjamin Laskin’s The Amazing Adventures of 4¢ Ned is a work of genius, a humorous and delightful read that has great originality. This is a tale about the place that vintage pennies play in the world ruled by money. It is a story told in a delightful and humorous tone, immensely arresting, and entertaining beyond all imagining. This book exceeded all my expectations, and readers can learn to care about the characters, imbued with human sensibilities and emotions. The language is beautiful, crafted with a lot of “wow” moments. One can feel the music as one reads on, the telling lyricism, the powerful symbolism, and the exceptional dialogues coming through in the exquisite prose, just so naturally.

Listen to the music in tone and language: “Every jingle and jangle in every pocket or purse was a ballad sung by some coinage, but no coin Pete had ever met had a tale like Ned Nickel’s.” The talking coins are gifted with rare faculties that allow them to communicate whether heads-up or heads-down and with an exceptional “fly-like eyesight.” This is the kind of story that will amuse both young and adult readers, especially when it comes across in motion pictures. You won’t be able to put this one down; you’ll get sucked into the humorous whirlwind once you start reading.