THE KIDS' CANDIDATE

by Jonah Kalb ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 8, 1975

When a loophole is discovered in the election laws of Copley, Massachusetts, a town ""almost thirteen miles due west of Cambridge,"" Barnaby Frome, a very average thirteen-year-old eighth grader, finds himself ""the kids' candidate"" for a position on the local school board. Among Barnaby's qualifications are that he is NOT the child of a Harvard professor, that his last name, falling at the beginning of the alphabet, is likely to put him at the top of the ballot, and that with a name like Barnaby, people are apt to think that they are voting for an adult rather than a kid. The fact that his favorite expression seems to be ""Yechchchch"" may or may not be an asset. With a platform including better food in the school cafeterias, no homework for the elementary grades, and elimination of the annual ""Cerebran Aptitude Tests (CAT),"" Barnaby and his friends have no problem creating a tight political organization' of very dedicated campaigners. The job of the kids is to convince their parents to vote for Barnaby, and through such stunts as a ""Clean-up for Barnaby"" day, a ""Silent for Barnaby"" day, and, finally on Election Day, a ""Snow-shovellers for Barnaby"" day, they almost succeed. This might be considered a good lesson in practical politics were it not for the ridiculous characterizations of the other candidates, the over-exalted Harvard professors, and a veddy vocal fred wid ad adenoid problem. Yechchchch!

Pub Date: Oct. 8, 1975

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1975

Categories: FICTION