Among my manuscript readers, there are a number of musical folks and also several educators. Eric Levine is both. Eric is an English teacher in Portland, Oregon. He has taught middle and high school students for several years. Eric is also a musician (lead guitar/vocals), songwriter, and poet. His current bands are fuzzball (formerly, the willies) and THE ALPHABETICIANS. Eric kindly offered these observations (circa 2002):

“Bentari is a fantastic adventure story written with a love of language. It has clever schemes, fabulous fights, and high flying jungle flights, all the while focusing on the characters' compassion and relationships. There are no "cut-out" characters here. While the book focuses on a struggle between good guys and bad guys, the players are fully developed human beings each with complex motivations. It's a great book!”

Learn why “Fuzz is the new black” at: http://www.myspace.com/fuzzballmusic

Learn about THE ALPHABETICIANS at:

http://www.reverbnation.com/page_object/page_object_bio/artist_873542

Eric is also a new dad! Thanks for your support, Eric, and good luck with the ABC’s—and the XYZ’s of parenthood!

Photo courtesy of Eric.