Anyone who has been to summer camp will delight in this wild spoof of camp life told entirely in letters, memos, and whimsical illustrations, in a format similar to the Klises’ Regarding the Fountain (1998). Three sets of brothers and sisters who hate each other find themselves trapped in Camp Happy Harmony, which promises to teach battling siblings love and respect. But the Harmony family, a crowd of has-been singers, turn out to be thieving con-artists plotting to murder each other. Led by the egotistical Darlene Harmony, the family uses the campers for drudge work, assigning them to paint buildings and build fences, feeding them drugged dinners and very little else. Darlene is trying to kill off the handyman, while two of the Harmonys (one of whom isn’t even a real Harmony brother) are trying to poison the other four. The campers, also oddballs, rise to the occasion by learning to cook, spying on the Harmonys, cracking the mystery, and exposing the Harmonys’ crimes to the world. Along the way they also come to love one another. The illustrations are as important as the writing, allowing readers to become detectives and discover clues in the letters and pictures. Every character and every plot development is thoroughly silly, and every single one contributes to the charm of this novel. A real treat, ideal for having on hand for camp care packages. (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: June 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-380-97539-4
Page Count: 179
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
There is something profoundly elemental going on in Smalls’s book: the capturing of a moment of unmediated joy. It’s not melodramatic, but just a Saturday in which an African-American father and son immerse themselves in each other’s company when the woman of the house is away. Putting first things first, they tidy up the house, with an unheralded sense of purpose motivating their actions: “Then we clean, clean, clean the windows,/wipe, wipe, wash them right./My dad shines in the windows’ light.” When their work is done, they head for the park for some batting practice, then to the movies where the boy gets to choose between films. After a snack, they work their way homeward, racing each other, doing a dance step or two, then “Dad takes my hand and slows down./I understand, and we slow down./It’s a long, long walk./We have a quiet talk and smile.” Smalls treats the material without pretense, leaving it guileless and thus accessible to readers. Hays’s artwork is wistful and idyllic, just as this day is for one small boy. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-316-79899-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
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