Hardy Belch and The Predator: Addressing Internet Safety by William Bentrim
(The Adventures of Hardy Belch Book 7)
52 pages – ages 9+
Published by Bearly Tolerable Publications on May 27, 2014
Hardy Belch was excited! For Christmas he got the newest video game and it was AWESOME! Hardy’s cousin, Mardi a portable version of the same game. She tells Hardy that a friend online has been gifting her extra game boosts. Hardy is excited because he thinks that maybe someone will gift him extra stuff online! But when Mardi says she is going to meet up with this online “friend” named Amy, Hardy gets worried. What if Amy really isn’t Amy?
Wow – this is an important book! The message of internet safety is something every kid needs to hear and every parent needs to teach. Mr. Bentrim addresses the issue very well and creates a believable situation for Hardy and Mardi to be in. I can see this happening. The illustrations in the book go along with the story very well. Mr. Bentrim gets this serious message across in a very kid friendly way. The only issue I had with the book is that this is the first Hardy Belch book I have read in the series (this one is the 7th) and it took me a while (and a couple of times re-reading) to realize that Hardy’s dog, Tiny, is telepathic and Hardy understands his thoughts. Once I understood the characters, the story read well and it left me really thinking about the message of safety in the book.
Four out of five bookworms for Hardy Belch and The Predator. 
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Categories: Age 9+
LOVE the character’s name!
Me too! Great book to alert everyone to internet dangers Erik. You can’t be too careful these days.
This is a marvelous book! 😀
It gave me a good chuckle, too! 😀
Eric, thanks for the thoughtful post. I hope it gets some kids to think about who they might “really” be chatting with on the web.
Bill
Thanks Mr. Bentrim! 😀
How timely. Kids need to know about this (and parents too!)
It is a very important book! 🙂
Wow, I like the cover . . . until I saw the top creature and it scared me a bit. Taken as a whole it is a good cover for the subjects. A very important subject for kids and adults. I hope this book helps at least one kid stay safe. Bless the children.
Yeah, I’m not 100% sure why that thing is on the top. Hmm. It is a great book to have though. 🙂
I envisioned the dark cloud as the potential looming danger of the Internet. Thanks for the comment. I, too, hope my book will help at least one kid.
Great post Eric. Very timely subject. Thanks!
Thank you Ms. Tulloch! This book is a very important book nowadays! 🙂
I agree, Erik…a VERY important message about child safety. This is something that deeply concerns me. The internet can be a wonderful place that makes the world a global village and the imagination can roam free and express itself, but, unfortunately, and no parent likes to warn a child against predators, the internet is also a dangerous place.
This book is a must-have for all families, Dr. Clune! 🙂
Thanks for another gerreat review, Erik. I’m passing this along to my grandson. This book seems necessary for todays young folk. So glad to see it here.
I am sure that your grandson will like it! 🙂
Love that name!! And a telepathic dog buddy! Excellent!
Check out “A Big Scare Turns Out Tiny” which details how Tiny was born and why he is telepathic. thanks for the kind comments.
Billk
Hmm… I’m intrigued… 😉
Me intrigued, too
It is great! 😀
I agree — wow, what a great book. Doesn’t sound preachy. We need more books like this for kids.
Hi, if I made be so bold as to suggest you check out the rest of my books at http://www.bentrim.info I have addressed bulleying in Short or Tall, Diabetes in Jack’s Diabetes, Domestic Violence in Mommy’s Black Eye and more. I try an put good moral values and address issues in all my books. Thank you for your kind words on this book.
Bill
Thank you, I will. I like your topics.
I know what you mean! 😀
I agree with you when you noted that this is an important book. So many sleazy predators on the net.