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catwhisperflubbs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
hated this
worst book i've ever read
worst book i've ever read
rhovingh's review
2.0
This book was ridiculously long, had too many subplots, and failed to evoke emotion, though it should have, what with . I did enjoy the theme of the newspaper adverts, but this was just another subplot that was not explored as much as it could have been
Spoiler
Johnny's mother in danger of being hangednorthanger_abigail's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a very gripping book, impossible to put down.
samiwise's review against another edition
3.0
A fun mystery, but don't read it late at night or when you're by yourself!
mrskatiefitz's review against another edition
4.0
It is 1929, and Johnny and his mother live in an English village where money is scarce. Johnny delivers newspapers, but he wishes he could contribute more to the family’s savings, especially now that the rent is being raised. When he is fooled by an advertisement in the paper promising to sell him the “secret to instant height” inspiration strikes. Soon he is running his own ads and making money off of innocent people who believe he will send them instant cures to whatever ails them. While Johnny does his best to get away with his petty crimes, a much greater offense is committed in another part of town. Dr. Langford, who has been working in secret to bring a tuberculosis vaccine to England, is found murdered, and Johnny’s own mother is the lead suspect! With his mother being held in jail, and only his boss at the newspaper to look after him, Johnny realizes he must take matters into his own hands. Even if it means coming clean about his own criminal acts, he won’t let his mother hang for murder!
Johnny Swanson is one of the most interesting children’s historical fiction novels I have ever read. I think American kids will find it especially interesting because they probably haven’t been taught very much about what things were like in Europe while the Great Depression was beginning here in the U.S. Seeing the threat of tuberculosis and the perils of poverty through Johnny’s eyes really brings them to life and makes it easier for kids to empathize with people living through events that might otherwise seem remote, or even irrelevant. The mystery elements, too, are intriguing, and even kids who don’t care much for history won’t be able to resist watching Johnny solve a murder. Kids will also like the get-rich-quick scheme Johnny creates with the newspapers, and they will worry, as he does, about the girl in his class whose family suddenly falls ill with TB.
This book is well-written and interesting from the beginning, almost right up until the end. The ending is really the only thing that disappointed me, and it was mostly because it didn’t do justice to the rest of the story. What happens is predictable and contrived, and it ties things up much more neatly than is really necessary. I’m all for a happy ending - and I think kids generally are, too - but it always strikes me as inauthentic when every last string is tied up in a neat bow. That said, the cheesiness of the ending doesn’t take away from the overall reading experience. The final moments feel more like an epilogue than an actual part of the story proper, and I chose to treat them as I did the epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - which is to say, I ignore them in favor of the things I enjoyed.
Johnny Swanson will appeal to readers who enjoy 20th century history. Pair it with Great Depression titles such as Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, and Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. It might also be interesting to include in a unit of study about newspapers, along with The Landry News by Andrew Clements, The Candy Smash by Jacqueline Davies, and the Dear Know-It-All series by Rachel Wise.
Johnny Swanson is one of the most interesting children’s historical fiction novels I have ever read. I think American kids will find it especially interesting because they probably haven’t been taught very much about what things were like in Europe while the Great Depression was beginning here in the U.S. Seeing the threat of tuberculosis and the perils of poverty through Johnny’s eyes really brings them to life and makes it easier for kids to empathize with people living through events that might otherwise seem remote, or even irrelevant. The mystery elements, too, are intriguing, and even kids who don’t care much for history won’t be able to resist watching Johnny solve a murder. Kids will also like the get-rich-quick scheme Johnny creates with the newspapers, and they will worry, as he does, about the girl in his class whose family suddenly falls ill with TB.
This book is well-written and interesting from the beginning, almost right up until the end. The ending is really the only thing that disappointed me, and it was mostly because it didn’t do justice to the rest of the story. What happens is predictable and contrived, and it ties things up much more neatly than is really necessary. I’m all for a happy ending - and I think kids generally are, too - but it always strikes me as inauthentic when every last string is tied up in a neat bow. That said, the cheesiness of the ending doesn’t take away from the overall reading experience. The final moments feel more like an epilogue than an actual part of the story proper, and I chose to treat them as I did the epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - which is to say, I ignore them in favor of the things I enjoyed.
Johnny Swanson will appeal to readers who enjoy 20th century history. Pair it with Great Depression titles such as Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, and Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. It might also be interesting to include in a unit of study about newspapers, along with The Landry News by Andrew Clements, The Candy Smash by Jacqueline Davies, and the Dear Know-It-All series by Rachel Wise.
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