A truly oddball account of one man’s willful ignorance.
Donley (Farmer Tice, 2016, etc.) offers more tales of a bumbling farmer in this sequel.
No matter what he does, Farmer Tice of the town of Hokum always seems to make a fool of himself. Life for him seems to be one long string of blunderings, from his inability to fight his way out of a literal paper bag to his ongoing war with his wife, Honeybunch. At one point, he goes to the county fair only to find himself stranded at the top of a roller coaster. The incident might not have been so bad if Tice hadn’t urinated in his pants and been laughed at by a large crowd. Another time, Tice tries to get rich by peddling women’s hair elixir only to have customers ending up hairless and eager to sue. For all of Tice’s efforts, he usually winds up being forced to sleep in a barn or, if he really gets into trouble, jail. But although readers know that things won’t end well for the farmer, they won’t be able to predict what mischief he’ll get himself into. This installment of Tice’s misfortunes is slightly less crude than the first (although bodily functions still play a large role). However, it’s far more eccentric: Tice manages to wind up in England at one point, and at another, he even hosts a massive, Woodstock-like environmentalist rally on his farm. However, some of the protagonist’s mishaps prove to be more tedious than creative, as when he faces difficulty dealing with snoring ranch hands and when his truck gets towed, due to a parking violation. Tice never learns from his mistakes, but his ceaseless endurance may, in its own way, be motivational for readers. If only the poor farmer would think about what happened the last time he ignored obvious “No Parking” signs.
A truly oddball account of one man’s willful ignorance.Pub Date: July 25, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5446-0816-7
Page Count: 138
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A rollicking, fun mystery with a young, charismatic hero.
Fifteen-year-old Jake McGreevy stumbles into an art-world mystery in Vogel’s (Celtic Run, 2012) middle-grade novel, the second featuring teen gadget buff Jake McGreevy.
Jake and his two best friends, Julie and Ben, take a holiday trip to a performing arts camp in Chicago. Because his art historian mother died 13 years earlier in Chicago, Jake also plans to use the trip as an opportunity to learn more about her. As he wistfully reads through his mother’s old notebook, Jake uncovers clues as to what really happened to her. She was inspecting a recently discovered mural—believed to have been painted by Mary Cassatt—and shortly after she began expressing doubts about the work, she was hit by a drunken driver. Her notes, however, indicate that there may have been something more sinister at work in her death. Jake, Julie, Ben and their new friend, Natalie, set out to learn the truth about Jake’s mother and about the Cassatt mural. During their search, tidbits about the 1893 World’s Fair, Chicago’s architecture and the science behind Jake’s gadgets are woven smoothly into the story. Meanwhile, the kids explore the historic city, get to know residents of a local retirement home, hoodwink the strict dean of their camp, and navigate the ups and downs of teenage life. Jake is a likable and sympathetic hero—intelligent but impulsive, easygoing and funny with his pals but a little nervous with girls. His friends are well-developed, creating a fun cast of secondary characters as well as a strong support system for Jake. Many scenes are set in famous Chicago landmarks, including a thrilling chase sequence in the Museum of Science and Industry and a suspenseful moment in Macy’s Walnut Room that kicks off the story’s action-packed climax. It’s not necessary to read the first Jake McGreevy book in order to follow this one, but readers who enjoy Jake’s Chicago adventures will likely want to pick up the earlier novel as well.
A rollicking, fun mystery with a young, charismatic hero.Pub Date: Nov. 21, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-9850814-5-4
Page Count: 176
Publisher: MB Publishing
Review Posted Online: Dec. 4, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
If pared down to its essential storyline, this heartfelt tale of a young boy’s pain and reluctance to make connections could...
In Fontánez’s (On this Beautiful Island, 2004, etc.) illustrated novel, Mateo, a troubled young boy reared in Puerto Rico, returns briefly, but eventfully, to his grandparents’ small island community.
At 12, Mateo is devastated by the death of his young mother, Minerva. The family, divided between the city and the country town of Palo Verde, has attempted to maintain the fiction that Mateo’s mother is actually his widowed aunt Maria. His grandfather forced Minerva to leave their home when, at 14, she became pregnant with Mateo. It’s unclear when Mateo discovered who his biological mother was since he refers to both women by their first names and mourns the untimely death of Minerva with an intensity that nearly destroys his other relationships. Many of the emotions the humans feel appear to be transferred to other creatures: cats, ghosts and even the plant life in the island’s thick forests. Soon after Minerva’s death, Mateo travels to Palo Verde to reconnect with his grandparents and gain some perspective on his loss. Feeling betrayed by his family, he responds to everyone with fury and attempts to shield himself from further pain with pledges to never love again. He crosses paths with a stray cat, whose tragic story is intended to evoke as much sympathy as Mateo’s. The cat’s traumatic odyssey weaves together the same characters and objects most significant to Mateo—Minerva; his best friend, Sergio; the forest creatures; an orange tree; an abusive psychotic and his son; and a magic crystal. But the story of the young boy’s loss is compelling enough without all the touches of magical realism, the constant jumps from past to present, and questionably profound truths: “a tree never forgets an act of kindness,” or “that indomitable law of Nature, bad things come in threes.” The black-and-white drawings, which appear every few pages, are occasionally endearing and impressive but do little to advance or clarify the plot.
If pared down to its essential storyline, this heartfelt tale of a young boy’s pain and reluctance to make connections could form an instructive, charming story for younger readers.Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-9831891-6-9
Page Count: 330
Publisher: Exit Studio
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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