THE GLAD MAN
By
Non-stop witticisms (""I stepped on a tunafish sandwich once in my closet and cut my foot"". . .) and a palpable aura of humankindness make for an upbeat, very likable turn on a standard plot--the one where two kids discover an old man living alone in the city dump, unwittingly lead the powers-that-be to his secret home, and then organize the neighborhood to save him from eviction. Here the kids are Melissa, determined to become a major league ballplayer, and Troy, prematurely sober and completely unflappable. The ""hermit"" is Eddie Bebberidge, who lives with his dog, Shadow, in the broken down bus he once used to deliver flowers and likes to listen to the skunks ""square dancing on the roof."" Eventually Eddie and Shadow have to move on in search of a new spot for their bus home but before they do, lots of people have pitched in to make it shipshape and show they care. The situation reminds us more of other books like this than anything we know from real life, but it's hard to resist the glow of good feelings that emanates all around.