It has been brought to my attention by a keen competitor that the Acronym Competition hasn’t been judged yet. Come on guys – give koala boy a run for his money! Entries close next Thursday (22nd May), and the winner will be announced the following day.
Mrs Sweeney
This is Hornby’s first foray into writing for Young Adults and in most regards I think he gets it right. The characters are real, the dialogue contemporary, and the story unfolds with interest. The main character is Sam, he’s 15, lives with his mum, spends his time skating and has read Tony Hawk’s autobiography more than 50 times. We learn early on that his Mum is very young (three years older than David Beckham and four years younger than Jennifer Anniston) and that therefore she must have had Sam when she was a teenager. When she convinces Sam to take a break from skating so he can come to a party and meet a daughter of her colleague, suddenly history seems to be repeating. A few unlikely coincidences, some time travel sequences that I found a little hard to swallow and a somewhat long-winded conclusion diminished my enjoyment of the book a little but overall I enjoyed it. It’s ultimately a rather gritty look at the realities and hardships of teenage parenting. I’d say it’s meant to appeal to boys but I reckon I’d be hard put selling it to the Scotch crowd!?
What do you think?
MsKerr
A big congratulations to Nicko, the lucky person to have posted the 100th comment on The Portal. A yummy treat awaits you Nicko!
Mrs Sweeney
(Image : http://www.thedctraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/fireworks.jpg 9/5/08).
Most authors fond of the unexpected twist in the plot make you wait until the last chapter to reveal their clever deception. Vaughan Edwards and Barry Creyton just couldn’t wait! At the end of the second chapter the penny dropped and I was turning back to page one to laugh at all the clues I’d missed in my first reading. The Dogs of Pompeii is a furiously paced thriller set in Pompeii and Naples, with hair-raising Ducati vs Vespa chases along the Amalfi coast, cartoon cut-out baddies, abductions, priceless antiquities and more melodrama than Desperate Housewives. Vaughan and Barry had their tongues firmly planted in their cheeks when they pitted Signor Macchiato against Professor Garibaldi, and Nero against Cerberus.
The corny puns leave you chuckling as you groan, and the canine heroes are endearing. There’s even a smattering of history for our edification.
The fun continues in Nero Goes to Rome and Nero and the Lost City.
Mrs Sweeney
With a hero who’s practically my namesake how could I resist reading this book? I’m glad I did, because it’s very funny and hugely enjoyable.
Michael Sweeney attends a boys’ school somewhere in Australia. To outsiders he’s an unremarkable Mr Nobody until he decides to befriend Tom, the American newcomer at school. Life suddenly becomes complicated as Michael discovers the secret identity of Tom’s dad, fights for a cause, falls for a gorgeous girl with a lightning fast tongue and tries hard to GROW UP!
There’s a poignant sub-plot involving a Vietnamese Australian teenager who’s on death row in Bangkok for trafficking heroin, plenty of gently ironic discussion of sex (for the first time), teachers (especially the attractive female ones), parents (never the kind you’d choose) and hearing impaired people(the girlfriend). Michael’s self-deprecating humour will leave you chuckling with self recognition whether you’re male/female, young/not so young, nerdy/cool.
Read this book before the 30th May so you can be part of an appreciative, informed audience when Sean Condon visits Scotch Lit. Club!
Mrs Sweeney
