Peter Johnson (6) (1951–)

Teen: I don't want to give away the end, so I'll just say that Benny and Claudine learn something in this competition. By being forced to consider love and/or loss, they learn it is much easier to empathize with each other than they had believed.

Adult: Benny has a great voice that echoes the sentiments and logic of his peers (male and female). The author deals with several real and poignant events (e.g., grandfather’s stroke) with a balanced hand: not over-the-top funny, but not down-in-the-dumps sad, either.

Pros: Humor and authentic dialogue combine flawlessly in a story where kids can easily see themselves, their peers, and their families. Parents will like that the adults are genuine and “equal” in the sense that they are not caricatures or the comic foil.

There's more to our review. Visit The Reading Tub®. While you’re there, add a link to your review of the book.… (more)

Young Reader Reaction: "This was a good book, mom." Interestingly enough, our daughter was drawn more to the secondary characters Lucky (who was anything but), Jorge, and Angel (the neighborhood bully). We were surprised that she stayed with it until the end.

Adult Reader Reaction: Enjoyable story, modern plot elements. It took me a couple chapters to get into the book, because I felt bogged down by all of Houdini's explanations (i.e., setting the stage). But once we got past that, it was fun to read.

Pros: Lighter moments and realistic vignettes combine for a thoughtful, well-written story. Kids will easily see themselves in these characters and their situations.

To read our full review, go to The Reading Tub®… (more)

John Smith Jr. aka Houdini is thirteen and lives on the East Side of Providence. He’s obsessed and has read every book about the real Houdini. John helps his friends Lucky and Jorge rake leaves in their neighborhood, but this book is really about feelings, the war in Afghanistan, parents, trouble, enemies, and most of all change.

Wait, I almost forgot, it’s also about a boy that writes a book.

Author Peter Johnson teaches college level creative writing and children’s literature in Rhode Island.… (more)

Thirteen-year-old John "Houdini" Smith Jr. is inspired by a visiting author to start chronicling the events of his life, because he can certainly write about being a kid better than a lot of the authors he's read, whose thirteen-year-old characters are nothing like the real thing. And he has a lot to write about. His parents have big-time money worries; his older brother is a Marine in Iraq; his two best friends and he have just started a lawn-service business, courtesy of a sleazy politician; and the class bully has Houdini in his sights.
This story was such a refreshing surprise-- I was expecting a pleasant if predictable story, and what I got was something slightly reminiscent of the best of Jerry Spinelli and Gary Paulsen, but quite original. Houdini is a pretty cool kid-- and Peter Johnson is an author who definitely has a handle on authentic middle school voices.… (more)