Snow’s vignettes of brutally dismembered sock puppets, plus a literally hellish plot twist toward the end, keep this satiric import afloat—just. After his moody, unstable father Frank is confined to a straitjacket after whipping out “his wrinkly old willy” to urinate on the puppets in a department-store window, young Jason Lurcher hears a voice from the attic: “Nixon the penguin must die!” Who is Nixon? The puppet that propelled Jason’s half-brother Barry to TV fame. And who’s talking? That would be Tolstoy, the foul-mouthed bat puppet that made Frank Lurcher’s name a household word years ago—before an ugly on-screen incident got them both kicked off the air. But if he can get Jason to dig him out of the trunk and stick a hand up his bum, Tolstoy plans a murderous comeback. So who’s really in charge? Any reader who knows actual puppeteers may already be wondering, and Magrs doesn’t do anything to clarify the issue—except to offer the climactic revelation that Frank, at least, had made a Deal with a certain subterranean gent. Casually savage, and a little slow off the mark, this isn’t going to draw a crowd of readers, but some might be amused. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-689-87019-1
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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