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THE DEATH-DEFYING PEPPER ROUX

Poor Pepper Roux (his nickname “le pauvre,” or “pitiful one,” was confused at school with “poivre,” French for “pepper”) has been waiting for death for as long as he can remember. According to his malevolent Aunt Mireille, Saint Constance had foretold he’d die by age 14, and due to his rather awful family’s quotidian reminders of this, “The days clattered down like rows of dominoes.” When he finds himself still alive on his 14th birthday, Pepper escapes, and the string of adventures and grim-reaper–dodging identity shifts that follows (from sea captain to telegram boy) comprise this laugh-out-loud funny, picaresque adventure set in early-20th-century France. British novelist McCaughrean’s frequently over-the-top metaphors mirror the delightfully implausible plot—a slapstick story salted with colorful characters both cruel and kind, anchored in the emotional reality of a painfully naïve boy who gets quite a bit wiser. The refrain—“Well, people see what they expect to see. Or do they see what they want?”—sits at the heart of this poignant, odd, wonderfully composed and vastly entertaining novel. (Fiction. 12 & up)

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2010

ISBN: 978-0-06-183665-7

Page Count: 336

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2009

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100TH DAY WORRIES

1882

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2000

ISBN: 0-689-82979-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1999

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THE BIG NOTHING

From the Neighborhood series , Vol. 3

Big brother Duane is off in boot camp, and Justin is left trying to hold the parental units together. Fat, acne-ridden, and missing his best friend Ben, who’s in the throes of his first boy-girl relationship with Cass, Justin’s world is dreary. It gets worse when he realizes that all of his mother’s suspicions about his father are probably true, and that Dad may not return from his latest business trip. Surprisingly ultra-cool Jemmie, who is also missing her best friend, Cass, actually recognizes his existence and her grandmother invites Justin to use their piano in the afternoons when Jemmie’s at cross-country practice. The “big nothing” place, where Justin retreats in time of trouble, is a rhythmic world and soon begins to include melody and provide Justin with a place to express himself. Practice and discipline accompany this gradual exploration of his talent. The impending war in Iraq gives this story a definite place in time, and its distinct characters make it satisfying and surprisingly realistic. Misfit finds fit. (Fiction. YA)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2004

ISBN: 1-56145-326-9

Page Count: 224

Publisher: Peachtree

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2004

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