It’s a common belief that teenagers of today’s world despise reading. They would rather put their eyes on a phone than their nose in a book. To some extent, this is true. However, there are a group of Miami High students who turn their back on this theory, expressing enthusiasm about author and Miami High teacher Mr. Montesano’s soon-to-be-released novel, Total Bullfrog.
The book begins as a seemingly normal tale about a boy in the wake of his father’s death, but turns into an adventure in space that flips your brain. The protagonist, Joseph Henderson, is a high school freshman who is willing to take any opportunity to break from the norm. His school goes on an aviation field trip, where he notices his English teacher subtly trying to escape, which takes Joseph on a trip to outer space.
The transition from school-life to space travel begs the question: where did the inspiration for this multi-dimensional tale come from? “In a world full of craziness,” said Mr. Montesano, “I just want to have something fun out there for people.  I want young people to experience escapism, from a book.  I want them to connect with characters and enjoy the ride.  Total Bullfrog isn’t and shouldn’t ever be like, ‘Oh my God, I have to read that thing.’ This is all about fun.”
Elaborating more on the idea of escapism, Montesano says, “Here’s a student [Joseph Henderson] that not only ditches the field trip, but leaves the solar system. The kid truly gets to escape, just like the reader.”
If you’re already interested in reading the book, chapters of the book are up on the website totalbullfrog.com, completely free for those looking for the next book to read after raiding the library and Wattpad, others who might be looking for a good book because they think reading sucks otherwise, or some who want to get away for a while.
So far, I’ve read 16 chapters of the book, and I can definitely say that Total Bullfrog has neat characters and an enticing storyline. I have found myself losing the time while reading it. The best part is I’m not just saying that. Other Miami High students have read the book as well.
Junior Felipe Martinez felt escapism while reading the book. He said, “This is the type of book that you read to have fun, and be transported to another world with really cool, believable characters. When you read it, you actually want to keep on turning the page. There isn’t really a dull moment as each scene brings something interesting, important, or funny to the story.”
Junior Rebecka Soto thinks that Montesano’s book connects with students.  “There are so many relatable contexts,” she said. “I think since Mr. Montesano is around students almost all the time, he’s able to see how we react to things. Most writers don’t have that advantage which is why I think his novel is so exceptional.”
Obviously a book takes a lot of time to write, perfecting every detail to conjure a brewing pot of interesting plot elements, but teaching takes up just as much dedicated work. So where did Monty ever find the time to write a book? He told me he would work on the book whenever he was away from school, and all day on the weekends and days off.
Part of his writing process involved running the book through his head as if it were a movie, and projecting it onto each page. I’d like to add a side note, if your projector is malfunctioning, maybe you should call Monty.
Asked how long this book may have taken to write, Mr. Montesano replied, “I’m not entirely sure.  It has been a few years and I don’t really want to know.  I started around when REM’s Collapse into Now came out.” Spoiler alert, Monty, Collapse into Now came out in 2011. It’s been four years. You can start reading again now.
If you enjoy this book, or just look forward to anything that comes out of Montesano’s sarcastic hatch, you’d be pleased to know that Total Bullfrog isn’t one and done. Monty is still standing for round two and is currently working on a draft for Total Bullfrog 2 so stick around!