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Summary
Summary
This wonderfully wise and witty new collection is full of surprises as ordinary kids in offbeat situations uncover the unexpected -- about themselves and others.
In the title story, Carrie and Sam discover that while the Lord of the Fries, a legendary short -- very short! -- order cook at the Burger Barn, talks tough, he is anything but. In "Ick" Garnet and Brody find a clever way to use ick, the strange disease that killed Brody's goldfish, to protect a friend from the advances of a teacher. In "The Bermuda Triangle, " a story full of missing things -- buried treasure, a father, and even a young boy's voice -- Billy Bones, an odd old man, and Jim Hawkins, a grieving young boy, find the unexpected gift of friendship. These stories, seven in all, shine with unforgettable characters, wry humor, and, best of all, a sense of the possible.
Reviews (6)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-8-The seven stories in this collection all feature instantly likable characters and intriguingly original plots. In the title story, two girls investigate a grumpy cook, hoping to turn his mysterious life into a money-making magazine article. "The Pinhole Camera" tells how two imaginative boys discover what they share, despite their differences. An L. M. Montgomery fanatic who can't act finds a different way to participate in a school play in "The Anne Rehearsals." Most of the stories range from 20 to 40 pages, offering enough room for twists and surprises. Several common threads unite the tales to make a pleasingly unified whole. All of the main characters have strong imaginations that play key roles in their stories and they make active choices that affect their outcomes. The teenage boy in "Ick," for instance, comes up with an ingenious and effective way to confront a flirtatious teacher, and a grieving boy makes a crucial connection with the stories told by an eccentric neighbor in "The Bermuda Triangle." In "The Chinese Babies," Molly manages to mend several rifts within her extended family. The tales all have clear messages, but Wynne-Jones deftly lets the meanings come out through the characters and events. Throughout the collection, the author's lively style and light touches of humor are evident. Another excellent collection of short stories from the author of Some of the Kinder Planets and The Book of Changes (both Orchard, 1995).-Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library, OR (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The eponymous "Lord of the Fries," a grouchy cook with two teenage detectives on his trail to discover the cause of his surliness, is just the first of the quirky characters spotlighted in seven vibrant stories. There is also Billy Bones, an ancient man, who everyone thinks is "touched in the head," and Jim, the mute, fatherless 11-year-old, who becomes his confidante; there is Luc (short for Lucifer?), whose devilish pranks turn choirboy Rodney's life into a living hell. In a unique conglomeration of slapstick humor, wistful moments and poignant outcomes, Wynne-Jones (The Book of Changes; Stephen Fair) sets up almost bigger-than-life situations and conjures offbeat relationships. Readers are able to explore new territories, like the secret world lying inside the hole at the foot of a 12-year-old's bed and the "aquarium-like" classroom for gifted children, where recent inductee Garnet feels like a fish out of water. Fresh dialogue, sympathetic and idiosyncratic protagonists, and surprises around every cornerthese have become Wynne-Jones's calling cards, and he just gets better and better. Ages 10-14. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Intermediate, Young Adult) Tim Wynne-Jones continues his successful scavenging for ""story-building material"" in his third collection of tales (after Some of the Kinder Planets and The Book of Changes). Some stories are stronger than others; readers will certainly have their favorites. But on the whole these seven stories plumb heaven and earth to reveal human nature with winning originality. Like the osprey in the title story who circles the skies, occasionally plummeting to earth for treasure, Wynne-Jones reveals himself ""one of a kind."" The creepy may turn angelic or the angelic creepy: in the title story, the gruff, scar-faced short-order French fries maven who will only identify himself as Rumpelstiltskin to intrusive Sam and Carrie reveals a heart of gold; in ""Fallen Angel,"" mysterious Luc, with a voice like an angel, turns satanic when he locks narrator Rodney in his family barn and sets it ablaze. Through all his clever plot manipulation and character revelation, it is Wynne-Jones's sublime turns of phrase that will stay with the reader. When Rodney gets home from choir practice one evening, his father is displeased. ""Displeased was a lot like angry, but with a British accent."" Wynne-Jones has special fun with language in ""The Anne Rehearsals"" when narrator Carmen reverentially apes Maud Montgomery while celebrating the one hundred and twenty-first birthday of Anne of Green Gables (""Things seem to be going to the demnition bowwows!""). The complexities and intricacies of families and friends are viewed, as in one story, as if through a ""Pinhole Camera."" Like that camera, Wynne-Jones focuses his attention ""like a hole into the darkness, a hole that [leads] to somewhere bright."" s.p.b. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Wynne-Jones (Some of the Kinder Planets, 1995, etc.) gets off to a relatively slow start here, but finishes strong. In most of the seven stories young people find, or re-find, friends: Garnet engineers an effective rebuke (``Ick'') when a new teacher starts hitting on classmate Annaliese; a malicious ``Fallen Angel'' joins Rodney's church choir and becomes a dulcet-voiced but deadly rival; in other stories, kindness brings profound rewards, and two classmates discover that they've built elaborate, but very different fantasy worlds in the woods and fields between their homes. In the title story, two nosey young people invade the privacy of a surly short-order cook and then have to decide whether or not to go public with the heartwarming human interest story they discover. These economically told tales, leavened with generous quantities of humor and tension, carry their messages lightly, and deserve a welcome from all fans of thoughtful, perceptive writing. (Short stories. 11-14)
Booklist Review
Gr. 6^-10. Although "Lord of the Fries" doesn't quite live up to its wonderful title, Wynne-Jones' new anthology of seven stories still has some good selections to choose from. Two teenage busybodies learn about privacy, heroism, and integrity in "Lord," and in "Ick," some very smart students protect one of their own from the suspect attentions of a teacher. The sweet "Anne Rehearsals" will be a favorite among kids who savored Anne of Green Gables, and "Chinese Babies" may spark discussion about Canada's separatist movement and the nature of prejudice. Wynne-Jones' best stories, however, push readers gently beyond concrete concerns. In the ultimately joyful "Pinhole Camera," two imaginative outsiders begin as enemies and end up as possible friends. Almost as good is the subtle and complex "Fallen Angels," an eerie, suspenseful tale with religious underpinnings that add intriguing depth. A mixed bag. --Stephanie Zvirin
Library Journal Review
Schroeder weaves an engrossing tale of love and loss in her captivating, beautifully written second novel (after Solitary Places, LJ 9/15/94). Set in present-day Gettsyburg, PA, the book has multiple plot lines that mesh together brilliantly. Allison Carver, the ministers wife, has lost her youngest and favorite daughter in a tragic freak accident. Chief of Police Cal Daviess wife has left him after 40 years of marriage to spread her wings. In the midst of this personal pain, the towns churches are being burned to the ground. Whos behind these frightening arsons? Is it Ellis Burns, menacing yet ultimately gentle Vietnam vet and town hermit? Although the story is set in the present, the richness of Gettysburgs history makes it a character in itselfa crucial part of the plots ebb and flow. West Virginian Schroeder is a Southern writer to the core, and her prose is simply stellar. Shes an author to watch. All public libraries (and any institution with a Civil War interest) should definitely purchase.Beth Gibbs, P.L. of Charlotte & Mecklenburg Cty., NC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
