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BILL

Name: BILL
Author: Chap Reaver
ISBN: 0-385-31175-3

by Chap Reaver ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1994

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From the late author of Mote (1990) and A Little Bit Dead (1992; both Edgar winners), an endearing story that, despite its compelling climax and some pleasingly melodramatic features, is markedly less violent than its predecessors. Jess, 13, is left in charge of the garden and milking while her dad makes moonshine or binges on safer store-bought booze. Her best friend is Bill, a clever mixed-breed dog whose eloquent mannerisms, as Reaver laconically verbalizes them, are one of his novel's particular charms. Friendly revenuer ``Wrong Man'' (so-called because a hapless moonshiner once made the mistake of selling him his wares) is tracking Dad by fair means and also by trickery that Jess considers foul. He's also reaching out, with some delicacy, to Jess; his offer of a home and a chance to go to school is even more appealing after Jess meets his sensible ``first [and only] wife'' Nell, with whom Jess establishes an immediate bond. Still, she's loyal: She follows her dad's orders, manages in his absence, warns him when he's followed, visits him in prison, and even makes the best of his homecoming—despite the fact that he's blabbed about a treasure she's discovered, an indiscretion that has led to a horrendous encounter in which Bill was desperately wounded. The dog's touching recovery months later may stretch credibility; it's also deeply satisfying, as is Jess's ultimate choice between her no-good father and his pursuer. Laced with wonderfully dry humor and pungent observations, a grand yarn that begs to be shared aloud, and again. (Fiction. 10+)

Pub Date: May 1, 1994

ISBN: 0-385-31175-3

Page Count: 218

Publisher: Delacorte

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1994

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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A YEAR DOWN YONDER

From the Grandma Dowdel series , Vol. 2

by Richard Peck ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2000

Year-round fun.

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Set in 1937 during the so-called “Roosevelt recession,” tight times compel Mary Alice, a Chicago girl, to move in with her grandmother, who lives in a tiny Illinois town so behind the times that it doesn’t “even have a picture show.”

This winning sequel takes place several years after A Long Way From Chicago (1998) leaves off, once again introducing the reader to Mary Alice, now 15, and her Grandma Dowdel, an indomitable, idiosyncratic woman who despite her hard-as-nails exterior is able to see her granddaughter with “eyes in the back of her heart.” Peck’s slice-of-life novel doesn’t have much in the way of a sustained plot; it could almost be a series of short stories strung together, but the narrative never flags, and the book, populated with distinctive, soulful characters who run the gamut from crazy to conventional, holds the reader’s interest throughout. And the vignettes, some involving a persnickety Grandma acting nasty while accomplishing a kindness, others in which she deflates an overblown ego or deals with a petty rivalry, are original and wildly funny. The arena may be a small hick town, but the battle for domination over that tiny turf is fierce, and Grandma Dowdel is a canny player for whom losing isn’t an option. The first-person narration is infused with rich, colorful language—“She was skinnier than a toothpick with termites”—and Mary Alice’s shrewd, prickly observations: “Anybody who thinks small towns are friendlier than big cities lives in a big city.”

Year-round fun. (Fiction. 11-13)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2000

ISBN: 978-0-8037-2518-8

Page Count: 144

Publisher: Dial Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2000

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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THE BEST MAN
by Richard Peck

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THE MOUSE WITH THE QUESTION MARK TAIL
by Richard Peck ; illustrated by Kelly Murphy

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SECRETS AT SEA
by Richard Peck illustrated by Kelly Murphy

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PERCY JACKSON'S GREEK GODS

by Rick Riordan ; illustrated by John Rocco ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 19, 2014

The inevitable go-to for Percy’s legions of fans who want the stories behind his stories.

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Percy Jackson takes a break from adventuring to serve up the Greek gods like flapjacks at a church breakfast.

Percy is on form as he debriefs readers concerning Chaos, Gaea, Ouranos and Pontus, Dionysus, Ariadne and Persephone, all in his dude’s patter: “He’d forgotten how beautiful Gaea could be when she wasn’t all yelling up in his face.” Here they are, all 12 Olympians, plus many various offspring and associates: the gold standard of dysfunctional families, whom Percy plays like a lute, sometimes lyrically, sometimes with a more sardonic air. Percy’s gift, which is no great secret, is to breathe new life into the gods. Closest attention is paid to the Olympians, but Riordan has a sure touch when it comes to fitting much into a small space—as does Rocco’s artwork, which smokes and writhes on the page as if hit by lightning—so readers will also meet Makaria, “goddess of blessed peaceful deaths,” and the Theban Teiresias, who accidentally sees Athena bathing. She blinds him but also gives him the ability to understand the language of birds. The atmosphere crackles and then dissolves, again and again: “He could even send the Furies after living people if they committed a truly horrific crime—like killing a family member, desecrating a temple, or singing Journey songs on karaoke night.”

The inevitable go-to for Percy’s legions of fans who want the stories behind his stories. (Mythology. 10-14)