We are of two minds about this book in my house. I enjoyed the gag-a-minute writing, while my eight-year-old thought it was too much silly, with no non-silly parts to make the silly parts seem sillier. That's almost verbatim. I should give up this book reviewing hobby of mine, when an 8-year-old does it at least as well as I do. Well. We have it out for a third opinion, and I'll be very interested to hear what that kid has to say.
MEANWHILE. Regardless of all that, I must point out the one thing that this book has going for it that makes it I believe unique in all of children's literature. It is very specific of place, which, no, that's not the unique part - When You Reach Me
, which is a very different book, is firmly cemented into its Upper West Side location. But does When You Reach Me namecheck that unbelievably skeevy bar on West 72nd Street where my wallet was lifted out of my bag? No it does not. But when SPHDZ! wants to tell us that not only does its Beset Protagonist, Michael K., live in Brooklyn, but that he and his unwelcome new alien pals go to the grocery store to buy Ajax and Charmin in the particular Brooklyn neighborhood called Park Slope, or, to be more specific, that the secret government agent who is tailing them falls on his keister on Fifth Avenue, in what I used to call Lower Park Slope, or The Part of Park Slope That Looks like the Dominican Republic, Jon Scieszka has Michael K. and his waveform alien companions Jennifer and Bob walk past the nastiest old old-man dive bar in Park Slope.
There I was, happily muddling through this goof-athon, when Those Meddling Kids walk up to a building with a sign on it that reads "Jackie's 5th Amendment." Jackie's 5th Amendment? Dude. I was just there! Or, actually, I was at the Chip Shop. Even I hesitate to go into Jackie's 5th Amendment. In fact, here's what the neighbors and critics say about the place:
hee hee hee!
How's the book? The book is fine. It's cute. It's got excellent online ancillaries and funny, loose-limbed cartoon illustrations. Did it make me laugh out loud? Well, no. Sometimes I don't laugh out loud. But it did make me wonder if I ever sat next to Jon Scieszka at O'Connor's, the other old-man bar in Park Slope. I bet Jon Scieszka would do a great impersonation of a belligerent zombie - god knows I do (or did, when I hung out at O'Connor's!).
, which is a very different book, is firmly cemented into its Upper West Side location. But does When You Reach Me namecheck that unbelievably skeevy bar on West 72nd Street where my wallet was lifted out of my bag? No it does not. But when SPHDZ! wants to tell us that not only does its Beset Protagonist, Michael K., live in Brooklyn, but that he and his unwelcome new alien pals go to the grocery store to buy Ajax and Charmin in the particular Brooklyn neighborhood called Park Slope, or, to be more specific, that the secret government agent who is tailing them falls on his keister on Fifth Avenue, in what I used to call Lower Park Slope, or The Part of Park Slope That Looks like the Dominican Republic, Jon Scieszka has Michael K. and his waveform alien companions Jennifer and Bob walk past the nastiest old old-man dive bar in Park Slope. There I was, happily muddling through this goof-athon, when Those Meddling Kids walk up to a building with a sign on it that reads "Jackie's 5th Amendment." Jackie's 5th Amendment? Dude. I was just there! Or, actually, I was at the Chip Shop. Even I hesitate to go into Jackie's 5th Amendment. In fact, here's what the neighbors and critics say about the place:
"In an otherwise beautiful, friendly and decent neighborhood, Jackie's attracts an awful clientele of alcoholics, alcoholics and alcoholics. Patrons harass the neighbors and wander around the streets like belligerent zombies. Jackie's is a place where the hopeless go to bide time before their deaths."
"How many winos does it take to line up at a bar's door at 7am? It depends: How many stools are inside?"
"If you're secretly harboring a longing for the nightlife of a two-bit hometown, complete with cheap furniture, out of date music, patrons too old to give a crap about irony or the next big thing, then you'll want to seek out Jackie's."
hee hee hee!
How's the book? The book is fine. It's cute. It's got excellent online ancillaries and funny, loose-limbed cartoon illustrations. Did it make me laugh out loud? Well, no. Sometimes I don't laugh out loud. But it did make me wonder if I ever sat next to Jon Scieszka at O'Connor's, the other old-man bar in Park Slope. I bet Jon Scieszka would do a great impersonation of a belligerent zombie - god knows I do (or did, when I hung out at O'Connor's!).
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