Set against a vivid picture of life in the Panama Canal Zone during the Carter Administration, this tale of a deceptively healthy military family trying to deny past tragedy has a theatrical flavor. In a 24-hour period in 1977, Lane, who is 12, and her younger brother, Charlie, join the rest of the neighborhood kids to hang out, build a fort, then row out to a low tower set in a nearby lock of the Canal. Their joking, bickering, and horseplay seem perfectly normal, but there's an underlying tension, fueled by a mystery revealed in tossed-off hints and clues and in an album of oddly cropped family photos, Charlie's bursts of unreasoning aggression, and Lane's chronic, near-hysterical anxiety. As their parents party obliviously, Charlie sneaks out and subsequently breaks his leg falling out of a tree. During their night together in a Panamanian hospital, Lane unburdens herself at last: She and Charlie had an older sister who was killed in an automobile accident, and their parents have cut her out of every photo and forbidden any mention of her name. The unique character of Canal Zone society, with its hostile relationships between the Panamanians and both the military and the ``Zonians'' (descendants of North American settlers) is drawn with such feeling and clarity that the plot itself sometimes takes a backseat; despite this, the subtle dysfunction of Lane's family is effectively drawn. Griffin's first novel for young readers will leave them sober and thoughtful. (afterword) (Fiction. 11-13)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-395-81181-3
Page Count: 199
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1996
A sly, side-splitting hoot from start to finish.
The dreary prospect of spending a lifetime making caskets instead of wonderful inventions prompts a young orphan to snatch up his little sister and flee. Where? To the circus, of course.
Fortunately or otherwise, John and 6-year-old Page join up with Boz—sometime human cannonball for the seedy Wandering Wayfarers and a “vertically challenged” trickster with a fantastic gift for sowing chaos. Alas, the budding engineer barely has time to settle in to begin work on an experimental circus wagon powered by chicken poop and dubbed (with questionable forethought) the Autopsy. The hot pursuit of malign and indomitable Great-Aunt Beauregard, the Coggins’ only living relative, forces all three to leave the troupe for further flights and misadventures. Teele spins her adventure around a sturdy protagonist whose love for his little sister is matched only by his fierce desire for something better in life for them both and tucks in an outstanding supporting cast featuring several notably strong-minded, independent women (Page, whose glare “would kill spiders dead,” not least among them). Better yet, in Boz she has created a scene-stealing force of nature, a free spirit who’s never happier than when he’s stirring up mischief. A climactic clutch culminating in a magnificently destructive display of fireworks leaves the Coggin sibs well-positioned for bright futures. (Illustrations not seen.)
A sly, side-splitting hoot from start to finish. (Adventure. 11-13)Pub Date: April 12, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234510-3
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Walden Pond Press/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
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
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