When Guy’s mother announces her plans to marry Jerry, the father of Lana, Guy is devastated. How can she imagine Guy could be in the same family with his longtime enemy? A continuation of the cast introduced in Guy Time (2000) and Regular Guy (1999), this glibly lighthearted comedy shows Guy and Lana pulled into working together. Along with good friend, Buzz, they manage to keep down the insults long enough to concoct a plan to prevent their parents’ Valentine’s Day wedding ceremony. Readers of the earlier titles will recognize that Guy’s mother is a bit wacky and that Jerry actually makes his living as a clown. That they are perfect for each other doesn’t occur to either Lana or Guy, who can hardly bear being in the same room at school, much less the thought of being in the same family. With lots of coincidence, trendy slang, and bad jokes, the plot plods merrily along. There’s no depth or believability to the entire situation. Guy’s mom adopts a stray “yappy little dog” at just the point where one is needed and then palms it off on her ex-husband, Guy’s father, with equal nonchalance. Some of the characters important in previous titles are barely here and in the case of Guy’s father, barely recognizable. Readers desiring simple cutesy sitcom humor will find their cotton candy here. An upcoming TV movie based on these characters may occasion some additional demand as well, but those looking for any lasting value will look in vain. Pure fluff. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: May 31, 2001
ISBN: 0-06-028369-6
Page Count: 192
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2001
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
Simplistic, but a straight shot on goal.
Despite poor first impressions, an aggressive new student earns a spot as goalkeeper on the local soccer team.
Loud, pushy new arrival Shane definitely seems to come with an attitude problem in this simple tale, told from the perspective of one of Shane’s teammates and originally published in 2021 in the U.K. A few days later, however, the source of the chip on his shoulder becomes clear when the North Park Juniors take the pitch. When Shane shows up to play, his bossy, verbally abusive stepfather, Mick, is in tow, screaming orders and insults from the sidelines. The story, which is printed with what the publisher calls “dyslexia-friendly fonts and paper tones,” is laid out with extra spacing between the short sentences and paragraphs. The author also takes multiple breaks to examine historical feats and foibles of renowned goalies of the past. The plot goes on to follow a fairly direct course. After the police haul Mick away in the wake of a chair-throwing tantrum, a more emotionally stable Shane shows up the following weekend to perform heroic exploits in a hard-fought climactic match. Physical descriptions in the text are minimal; young players and adults in Chalik’s frequent illustrations are woodenly drawn but feature a mix of light- and dark-skinned faces.
Simplistic, but a straight shot on goal. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781454954842
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
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