GRANDMA TOLD ME TO NEVER BELIEVE ANYTHING GRANDPA SAYS

A veteran journalist and author shares anecdotes about grandparenthood.

McCoy offers a collection of funny stories about spending time with his four grandchildren. Referring to himself as “Apple Pie Grandpa” because of his baking skills, he provides fond memories of pushing his grandkids on swings, riding bikes on vacation, and playing pretend with them. His sense of humor is self-effacing and sweet. For example, he notes that “one of the blessings of grandfatherhood is we do have all day, and grandkids know it.” About half of the tales in this volume are told from his own perspective with useful advice for other grandparents. He calls mini-golf a “marvelous educational tool” because it teaches “flexibility in math, language, and real estate.” The other half of the stories are written from the perspective of one of his teenage grandchildren looking back on various incidents. These parts are puzzling because they describe events that took place in the past told from the grandchild’s point of view but in an adult voice. For instance, when reflecting on how much Grandpa and Grandma would argue over how much of a tip to leave, “Teenage Granddaughter” writes: “Sometimes they were still yapping about it at breakfast the next morning. When that happened, I so wished I had a job and could have handed them both $20 and told them to put a cork in it.” McCoy seems to be wittily describing himself from the perspective of his grandchild, but because it is not in a teenager’s voice, it comes off a bit awkwardly. Still, the stories in this collection will charm the author’s family and other grandparents who treasure time spent with their grandkids.

An amusing but bumpy account of the things a grandpa can get away with.