Lubar’s (Hidden Talents, 1999, etc.) latest is somewhat weaker than the sum of its parts. The characters are strong, the setting is interesting enough, but somehow the plot just does not ring true. Chad lives on the Jersey shore, an odd place to live, especially in the off season. Chad and his single mother try to scrape together enough money to pay the mortgage, she by working and renting their second floor to boarders, Chad by scamming side jobs on the boardwalk. When Malcolm, a college professor with a unique summer job, becomes their new tenant, Chad’s summer is irrevocably changed. Malcolm works as a “Bozo” at the dunk tank, the smart-mouthed jokester who jeers passers-by into spending their money to dunk him. Chad is so taken by Malcolm’s ability to come up with the perfect wisecrack every time that he vows to study him and become a Bozo himself. Added to this unlikely career choice is Chad’s struggle to work up the courage to talk to his dream girl, the collapse of his best friend due to a rare autoimmune disease, and Malcolm’s slow revelations about his past that led him to this vocation. Chad is an appealing enough teen, nice to his mother, hangs out with his friends, worries about his social life, yet somehow is just not likable enough. Lubar seems to throw in a lot of filler—Chad’s friend’s disease, his struggles to talk to a girl he likes—which doesn’t necessarily add to the story. One substantial plot device involves Malcolm introducing Chad to classics in humor (the Marx brothers, Charlie Chaplin) and discussing how laughter and humor can be healing. Chad uses this idea to help his friend feel better as they await news of his disease, but these parts are few and far between. Not a bad effort, just not quite there. Will appeal to junior-high boys who aren’t looking for a challenging read. (Fiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2002
ISBN: 0-618-19455-X
Page Count: 280
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Seven entertaining, mostly funny stories with themes that include first love, troublesome siblings, aggravating parents, and horoscopes. Most are in a female first-person voice; one exception recounts a first-day-of-school confrontation between a disillusioned teacher and a student whose brother's reputation has preceded him. A particularly clever vignette, ``Body Wave,'' is a one-sided conversation between a girl and her hairdresser, climaxing in a disastrous—but well-deserved—perm. The prolific author knows her young-teen audience; she keeps the tone light, barely suggesting a serious problem when two reluctant about-to- be stepsisters must spend a day and night together (``Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite''). Only one story (``Arnold Bing, the Carpet King'') suffers from silliness. Otherwise, thoroughly enjoyable. (Fiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: March 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-590-45558-3
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1994
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
On her first day at a new school, Addy, 15, has a panic attack and races out; without understanding what is happening to her, she finds herself unable to leave the safety of her home. Everything in her world first changed when her parents separated and Addy moved from Toronto to Winnipeg with her mother. Now Addy convinces her mother (a bit too easily) to let her home-school; while she spends the days in the confines of an apartment house, she meets new and strangely fascinating people, and attempts to unravel a mystery of the former owner of the house. The atmospheric, introspective prose moves slowly, as does the plot, but readers gain a realistic sense of Addy’s state of mind; a sensitive portrait of a troubled girl coping with abrupt changes emerges. The mystery of the agoraphobic needlepoint artist who died in the house bogs down Addy’s story; it is the least compelling element, relayed mostly in the screeching taunts of a very talkative parrot. (Fiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1998
ISBN: 1-55074-415-1
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1998
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