Four eccentric but gallant children get into an amazing amount of trouble in this madcap comedy from McKay (The Amber Cat, 1997, etc.). The Robinson family’s mother is sick and their father takes her away to recuperate, sending the twelve-year-old twins, Perry and Ant, to visit with their kooky Aunt Mabel, while ten-year-old Sun Dance and eight-year-old Beany stay with a neighbor. The twins are supposed to travel alone by train to Mabel’s, but they get off at the wrong stop and are several hours late. They know Mabel neither by her appearance, nor her last name, so wind up moving in with a bizarre old lady who is too batty to tell them that she’s not their aunt. Meanwhile, Sun Dance devises a burglar trap, accidentally ensnaring Mabel, who is searching for the missing twins. Not to be outdone, Beany spends her time wishing on what she believes to be a magical sword, then digs up the garden to see if her wish—that her recently buried beloved dog went to heaven—came true. For readers unfamiliar with the previous books about this lot, the set-up may feel sluggish; that the whole affair is wildly improbable won’t surprise McKay’s fans. Ultimately, the book gains momentum, becomes enjoyably outrageous, and culminates in an amusing, gratifying ending. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: May 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-689-82376-2
Page Count: 153
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1999
Fans of Cameron’s Huey and Julian stories (More Stories Huey Tells, 1997, etc.) are in for a treat as Gloria, their friend from those tales, gets a book of her own and graciously allows the two brothers to share it . In the first tale, Gloria makes a wonderful card for her mother, but the wind blows it away and it ends up in the cage of a cantankerous parrot. Thanks to Mr. Bates, Huey and Julian’s dad, the day is saved, as is the burgeoning friendship that Gloria and the boys have struck up with new neighbor Latisha in the story, “The Promise.” In another story, Gloria has to deal with a huge problem—fractions—and this time it’s her dad who helps her through it. Mr. Bates proves helpful again when the group trains an “obsessed” puppy, while Gloria’s mother is supportive when Gloria is unintentionally hurt by her three best friends. The stories are warm and funny, as Gloria, a spunky kid who gets into some strange predicaments, finds out that her friends and wise, loving adults are good to have around when trouble beckons. Great fun, with subtly placed, positive messages that never take center stage. (b&w illustrations) (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: March 9, 2000
ISBN: 0-374-32670-3
Page Count: 93
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2000
There is something profoundly elemental going on in Smalls’s book: the capturing of a moment of unmediated joy. It’s not melodramatic, but just a Saturday in which an African-American father and son immerse themselves in each other’s company when the woman of the house is away. Putting first things first, they tidy up the house, with an unheralded sense of purpose motivating their actions: “Then we clean, clean, clean the windows,/wipe, wipe, wash them right./My dad shines in the windows’ light.” When their work is done, they head for the park for some batting practice, then to the movies where the boy gets to choose between films. After a snack, they work their way homeward, racing each other, doing a dance step or two, then “Dad takes my hand and slows down./I understand, and we slow down./It’s a long, long walk./We have a quiet talk and smile.” Smalls treats the material without pretense, leaving it guileless and thus accessible to readers. Hays’s artwork is wistful and idyllic, just as this day is for one small boy. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-316-79899-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
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