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A review by alinaborger
Guys Read: Funny Business by Jon Scieszka
I haven't thought about Jack Gantos in a long time, but his story in this collection--of pulling a wart out of his foot with a pair of garden shears--left my son and I in absolute tears of laughter. I think what makes his story compelling is the internalization of his voice coupled with the kinds of details and metaphors a kid--specifically a boy--that age would use. Like when his foot is bleeding, he talks about the blood squirting out like water from the water fountain, leaving a little trail down the hall.
Gantos also manages the relationship between the kid and his mother effectively; it reminded me a bit of Diary of a Wimpy Kid in that way, actually. What do you do with a perfectly sane, loving mother? You introduce mischief that she simply has to deal with. Of course she does it like an adult, and her kid does it like a kid, and kids always do mischief better than adults--until they're at risk for blood poisoning and have to come clean about their shenanigans, anyhow.
We also had a rollicking time with Paul Feig's story, "My Parents Gave My Bedroom to a Biker," which turned out to be quite a bit more speculative than we expected. In that story, it's not mischief, it's genuine trouble, and the kid turns out to be the hero who saves his parents.
Kate DiCamillo's epistolary contribution to this collection had me hooked from start to finish (my son much less so). In her case, the dry adult/author voice paired with a clueless and relentless kid was almost the reverse of Gantos; in DiCamillo's story, the adult genuinely understands more than the kid all along, and her understanding progresses the plot and saves the day.
The craft takeaway is pretty clear to me: it's funnier when the kids are in charge.
Gantos also manages the relationship between the kid and his mother effectively; it reminded me a bit of Diary of a Wimpy Kid in that way, actually. What do you do with a perfectly sane, loving mother? You introduce mischief that she simply has to deal with. Of course she does it like an adult, and her kid does it like a kid, and kids always do mischief better than adults--until they're at risk for blood poisoning and have to come clean about their shenanigans, anyhow.
We also had a rollicking time with Paul Feig's story, "My Parents Gave My Bedroom to a Biker," which turned out to be quite a bit more speculative than we expected. In that story, it's not mischief, it's genuine trouble, and the kid turns out to be the hero who saves his parents.
Kate DiCamillo's epistolary contribution to this collection had me hooked from start to finish (my son much less so). In her case, the dry adult/author voice paired with a clueless and relentless kid was almost the reverse of Gantos; in DiCamillo's story, the adult genuinely understands more than the kid all along, and her understanding progresses the plot and saves the day.
The craft takeaway is pretty clear to me: it's funnier when the kids are in charge.