With her usual wry humor and clear-eyed look at the world of children on the brink of adolescence, Gauthier (Club Earth, 1999, etc.) introduces a delightful, iconoclastic heroine and a glimpse of Vermont small-town life in 1966. The narrator, Therese LeClerc, a bright but indifferent student, comes from a French Catholic farming family. When her teacher, Mrs. Ford, is sidelined by a daughter needing care, a substitute teacher with progressive educational ideals confounds the tradition of assigning the "Ethan Allen report" to the student with the highest grade level in the spring. Instead, Therese is randomly chosen—much to the consternation of some of her classmates (notably the class star, Peggy, who is certain this prize was hers). As Therese delivers one oral report after another (Mr. Santangelo keeps reassigning the task until she gets it right) we get a look at Allen as an outrageous hero: irreverent, intelligent, hard-drinking, rarely missing an opportunity to make enemies, and possessed of an admirable and reckless courage. In the smaller milieu of her school and her town (and except for the drinking), Therese is much like her subject. By the novel's end, Therese has proven herself both as a student and a storyteller in the reader's eyes, though Gauthier doesn't entirely rescue her heroine. Mrs. Ford returns to her classroom and denies Therese the B+ promised by Mr. Santangelo; a budding friendship with well-to-do Deborah, the new girl in school, turns out to be a disappointment. But we are left, in this satisfying read, with a rich impression of a likable protagonist—a strong-minded girl with a supportive family and the audacity to be herself—and with a memorable introduction to the architect of the Green Mountain State. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-399-23559-0
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
In his quest for easy moolah, Owen learns that the road to financial solvency can be rocky and fraught with work. Greene (Owen Foote, Soccer Star, 1998, etc.) touches upon the often-thorny issue of chores and allowances: Owen’s mom wants him to help out because he’s part of the family and not just for the money—while Owen wants the money without having to do tedious household chores. This universal dilemma leaves Owen without funds and eagerly searching for ways to make a quick buck. His madcap schemes range from original—a “free” toilet demonstration that costs 50 cents—to disastrous, as during the trial run of his children’s fishing video, Owen ends up hooking his ear instead of a trout. Enlisting the aid of his stalwart, if long-suffering, friend Joseph, the two form a dog-walking club that becomes vastly restricted in clientele after Owen has a close encounter with an incontinent, octogenarian canine. Ultimately, Owen learns a valuable lesson about work and money when an unselfish action is generously rewarded. These sudden riches motivate Owen to consider wiser investments for his money than plastic vomit. Greene’s crisp writing style and wry humor is on-target for young readers. Brief chapters revolving around a significant event or action and fast pacing are an effective draw for tentative readers. Weston’s (Space Guys!, p. 392, etc.) black-and-white illustrations, ranging in size from quarter- to full-page, deftly portray Owen’s humorous escapades. A wise, witty addition to Greene’s successful series. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2000
ISBN: 0-618-02369-0
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2000
PLB 0-688-13166-2 King Midas And The Golden Touch ($16.00; PLB $15.63; Apr.; 32 pp.; 0-688-13165-4; PLB 0-688-13166-2): The familiar tale of King Midas gets the golden touch in the hands of Craft and Craft (Cupid and Psyche, 1996). The author takes her inspiration from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s retelling, capturing the essence of the tale with the use of pithy dialogue and colorful description. Enchanting in their own right, the illustrations summon the Middle Ages as a setting, and incorporate colors so lavish that when they are lost to the uniform gold spurred by King Midas’s touch, the point of the story is further burnished. (Picture book. 7-9)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-688-13165-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
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