Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman.
Korman, G. (2002). Son of the Mob. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children.
Synopsis:
Vince Luca is a seemingly typical high school student who is just trying to get a date and get his school work done along with his best friend Alex. But Vince is different from the typical high school student because his dad happens to be a mob boss and Vince wants nothing to do with his dad's life as a mob boss. Also making his life hard is the FBI agent who has bugged the family home, recording their every word. On top of all of that Vince discovers that the girl he has a crush on is the daughter of the FBI agent who has bugged their home. Vince must choose between keeping his family of prison and the love of his new girlfriend.
Reaction:
I enjoyed reading this book. The writer of this story is spot on in telling a believable story of the life of a teenager. The story is also very interesting. I read it in one sitting because I really wanted to know how Vince is able to navigate some of the problems caused by him family’s business and keep a relationship with a girl whose father is the FBI agent assigned to monitor Vince’s family.
Reviews:
Peters, J. (2002). Son of the Mob (Book). Booklist, 99(5), 485. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed March 3, 2013).
Gr. 6–8. The Sopranos meets Romeo and Juliet in this briskly comic romance, costarring a crime kingpin’s son and an FBI agent’s daughter. Tony and Kendra are mad for each other, but that doesn’t mean that Tony is ready to tell Kendra who his father is—espe- cially after his horrifying discovery that her father is on the listening end of the bugs and wiretaps scattered through his house. Real- izing that it wouldn’t be wise for either dad to find out what’s what, Tony has to do some fancy footwork to keep the fathers, and Ken- dra’s suspicions, at bay—a task considerably complicated by his unwilling involvement with a pair of petty hoodlums. Stubbornly battling to preserve his illusion that the fam- ily “business” has nothing to do with him, Tony presents a winning mix of good instincts and innocence that will have read- ers cheering him on as he weathers a succes- sion of amatory and ethical crises, to emerge at the end of this expertly plotted escapade with relationships, self-respect, and even conscience more or less intact. —John Peters
SON OF THE MOB (Book). (2002). Kirkus Reviews, 70(17), 1313 Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed March 3, 2013).
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka. Illustrated by Lane Smith.
Synopsis: The Big Bad Wolf is getting his day in court but he states that the entire episode with the three pigs is nothing more than a giant misunderstanding. He sneezes, the house just happens to fall over and a few pigs die. What is a wolf to do? He can't let the meat go to waste. Can he convince the courts he is just a victim of circumstance?
Impression: I thought this book was clever, although I did not like it as much as I liked the book by David Wiesner that I reported on earlier. The book is still lavishly illustrated and clever.
Scieszka, J. (1989). The True story of the three little pigs. New York, NY: Viking Press.
Peters, J., Jones, T. E., Toth, L., & Suhr, V. J. (1989). The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (Book). School Library Journal, 35(14), 108. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed March 3, 2013).
Victim for centuries of a bad press, Alexander ("You can call me Al") T. Wolf steps forward at last to give his side of the story. Trying to borrow a cup of sugar to make a cake for his dear old Granny, Al calls on his neighbors-and can he help it if two of them built such a shoddy houses? A couple of sneezes, a couple of dead pigs amidst the wreckage and, well, it would be shame to let those ham dinners spoil, wouldn't it? And when the pig in the bring house makes a nasty comment about Granny, isn't it only natural to get a little steamed? It's those reporters from the Daily Pig that made Al out to be Big and Bad, that caused him to be arrested and sent to the (wait for it) Pig Pen. "I was framed," he concludes mournfully. Smith's dark tones and sometimes shadowy, indistinct shapes recall the distinctive illustrations he did for Meriam's Halloween; the bespectacled wolf moves with a rather sinister bonelessness, and his juicy sneezes tear like thunderbolts through a dim, grainy world. It's the type of book that older kids (and adults) will find very funny.
La verdadera historia de los tres cerditos (The True Story of the Three Little Pigs) (Book). (1991). School Library Journal,37(11), 154. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed March 3, 2013).
K-Gr 5--A new slant on an old, familiar tale. The much maligned A. Wolf tells his side of the story and offers benign explanations for his bad behavior. This translation retains the colorful language and sense of fun found in its English counterpart. Some of the vocabulary is regionalized and may not be universally understood by all Spanish-speaking children without adult clarification. The stylized watercolors with dark shadowing, clever use of perspective, and textured detail will appeal to audiences sophisticated enough to enjoy the tongue-in-cheek humor.
Library Use: This would go great in a display on variations of fairy tales or Mother Goose stories.
Gr. 6–8. The Sopranos meets Romeo and Juliet in this briskly comic romance, costarring a crime kingpin’s son and an FBI agent’s daughter. Tony and Kendra are mad for each other, but that doesn’t mean that Tony is ready to tell Kendra who his father is—espe- cially after his horrifying discovery that her father is on the listening end of the bugs and wiretaps scattered through his house. Real- izing that it wouldn’t be wise for either dad to find out what’s what, Tony has to do some fancy footwork to keep the fathers, and Ken- dra’s suspicions, at bay—a task considerably complicated by his unwilling involvement with a pair of petty hoodlums. Stubbornly battling to preserve his illusion that the fam- ily “business” has nothing to do with him, Tony presents a winning mix of good instincts and innocence that will have read- ers cheering him on as he weathers a succes- sion of amatory and ethical crises, to emerge at the end of this expertly plotted escapade with relationships, self-respect, and even conscience more or less intact. —John Peters
SON OF THE MOB (Book). (2002). Kirkus Reviews, 70(17), 1313 Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed March 3, 2013).
As if life as a high-school senior isn't hard enough, what with sports, SATs, college applications, and girls (or rather, the lack thereof), Vince Luca has to cope with the special complications of his father's involvement in the vending-machine business--the family euphemism for organized crime. Case in point: Vince gets a date with the oh-so-hot Angela O'Bannon, but when he goes to get a make-out blanket from the trunk, he discovers the unconscious body of Jimmy the Rat, who's just been worked over by his older brother. Poor Vince: his family just keeps getting in his way. After the debacle with Angela, Vince begins a real romance with the cute and spunky daughter of the FBI agent who has been assigned to bring the Lucas down; the bugs he has planted in the house force all vending-machine business--and heart-to-heart parent-son conversations--into the basement. Korman (No More Dead Dogs, 2000, etc.) can reliably be counted on to deliver a hilarious story; he delivers in spades here, as Vince desperately tries to hold out as the only legitimate member of the family while at the same time inadvertently getting himself deeper and deeper in the family business when he tries to get Jimmy the Rat off the hook. Maintaining the balance between situational humor and the real violence and ugliness of organized crime is no easy matter, but Korman pulls it off in frae manner, managing to create genuinely sympathetic characters in Vince's family--people who love him and want the best for him, but who can at the same time call out a hit on someone as casually as ordering a pizza. Laced with running gags--the hijacking of Vince's class-project Web site by his brother is priceless--here's a laugh-out-loud addition to the ranks of dreary teen fiction. (Fiction. YA).
Library use:
This book can be used as part of a realistic fiction display. It can also be used as part of a display that tell stories of students solving mysteries because there is a little bit of a mystery in the story which Vince must figure out in order to protect his family.
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka. Illustrated by Lane Smith.
Synopsis: The Big Bad Wolf is getting his day in court but he states that the entire episode with the three pigs is nothing more than a giant misunderstanding. He sneezes, the house just happens to fall over and a few pigs die. What is a wolf to do? He can't let the meat go to waste. Can he convince the courts he is just a victim of circumstance?
Impression: I thought this book was clever, although I did not like it as much as I liked the book by David Wiesner that I reported on earlier. The book is still lavishly illustrated and clever.
Scieszka, J. (1989). The True story of the three little pigs. New York, NY: Viking Press.
Peters, J., Jones, T. E., Toth, L., & Suhr, V. J. (1989). The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (Book). School Library Journal, 35(14), 108. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed March 3, 2013).
Victim for centuries of a bad press, Alexander ("You can call me Al") T. Wolf steps forward at last to give his side of the story. Trying to borrow a cup of sugar to make a cake for his dear old Granny, Al calls on his neighbors-and can he help it if two of them built such a shoddy houses? A couple of sneezes, a couple of dead pigs amidst the wreckage and, well, it would be shame to let those ham dinners spoil, wouldn't it? And when the pig in the bring house makes a nasty comment about Granny, isn't it only natural to get a little steamed? It's those reporters from the Daily Pig that made Al out to be Big and Bad, that caused him to be arrested and sent to the (wait for it) Pig Pen. "I was framed," he concludes mournfully. Smith's dark tones and sometimes shadowy, indistinct shapes recall the distinctive illustrations he did for Meriam's Halloween; the bespectacled wolf moves with a rather sinister bonelessness, and his juicy sneezes tear like thunderbolts through a dim, grainy world. It's the type of book that older kids (and adults) will find very funny.
La verdadera historia de los tres cerditos (The True Story of the Three Little Pigs) (Book). (1991). School Library Journal,37(11), 154. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed March 3, 2013).
K-Gr 5--A new slant on an old, familiar tale. The much maligned A. Wolf tells his side of the story and offers benign explanations for his bad behavior. This translation retains the colorful language and sense of fun found in its English counterpart. Some of the vocabulary is regionalized and may not be universally understood by all Spanish-speaking children without adult clarification. The stylized watercolors with dark shadowing, clever use of perspective, and textured detail will appeal to audiences sophisticated enough to enjoy the tongue-in-cheek humor.
Library Use: This would go great in a display on variations of fairy tales or Mother Goose stories.
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