A hilarious book from this firsttime author in which a young sporting fanatic is forced to leave his beloved Wexford, home of all his heroes, and move with his family to Tunisia! How will he survive in a place like this? Then he teams up with Omar, and a madcap friendship between the two boys leads to trouble, crazy escapades, a unique way of communicating, and heartbreaking challenges.
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Book Description
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Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Fans of Irish author Colfer's Artemis Fowl will find this contemporary novel a real change of pace. Benny Shaw's passion is hurling (an Irish version of field hockey), and he's crushed when his father's job takes the family to North Africa for a year. Not only will he miss watching the All-Ireland Hurling Final, but he also has to deal with culture shock, from Tunisia's fierce heat to scorpions to a classroom run by a pair of aging hippies named Harmony and Bob (who say things like "remember, positive emotions only" and delight in group hugs). Benny slips over the wall of the company's gated compound one day and strikes up a friendship with Omar, an orphan whose only English comes from watching pirated TV (e.g., "Night, John Boy"). The two bounce from one scrape to the next, and Benny learns a lesson about family loyalty when his friend's devotion to his institutionalized sister sparks a climactic finale, with the two on the lam from the law. Colfer smoothly layers adventure, moments of poignancy and subtle social commentary, and his comic timing is pitch-perfect (at the airport, "Georgie was sad wishing his Grandad farewell, Benny distraught over losing a steady source of fivers"). He studs the prose with Irish slang ("eejit," "the dole," "that yoke"). Readers will hope that the story's sequel, Benny and Babe, will cross the Atlantic soon. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Gr 5-9-As the hurling champion at Saint Jerome's school, Benny Shaw thinks he has a perfect life-until his parents move the family all the way to North Africa, a lifetime away from Ireland. They've never even heard of hurling in Tunisia. The village school is taught by feel-good hippies and filled with students actually bent on learning. There's no place for a sarcastic, self-centered kid like Benny. Then he meets Omar, a cheerful, scrappy boy surviving on his wits, and the two become fast friends, creating havoc and terrorizing everybody. But when Benny meets Omar's little sister, a drugged resident of the local mental farm, he realizes that his friend's life is more tragic than he had thought and realizes that he must help Omar rescue his sister. Suddenly Benny has to think of someone beside himself, and his ultimate change and personal growth make for a memorable story. At first it's hard to like Benny, even when he's trying to be decent, but Colfer does such a masterful job of mixing humor and tragedy with Benny's smart-alecky remarks that youngsters will like him in spite of themselves. This is a funny, fast-paced read, despite the Irish slang, that provides a wonderful glimpse into some very non-American worlds. -Linda Bindner, formerly at Truman State University, Kirksville, MO
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Moniker
Format:Paperback
This book isn't supposed to be in the same style as Artemis Fowl. But, amazeningly, it far supasses it. The author weaves mystery, comedy and adventure in to a story whic to me, reminds me of a mixture of Survivor, Annie and the Producers.
The comedy is great. When i first read this book, i was 12, so i didn't reall y understand all of the jokes, but now, 2 years later, the jokes amuse to no end. The way that Benny and Omar communicate is classic, using TV terms like "I'm Bonds, James Bond Omar" to introduce ones self.
Okay. ENough of the fawning. Now to the plot. It's a great plot. Benny, a fairly self centered Irish preteen is moved with his family to Tunisia. There he teams up with a boy who lives in a cardboard box and has learn ed his english from TV. What follows is one of the best adeventures with children that i have ever read.
Omar, the boy, is basically living in poverty and with very little to survive on. He and BEnny instantly pair up and help each other out. Benny enjoys this all until Omar asks him to help kidnap Omars sick little sister.
Colfer writes it soooooo well. He had jokes at just the right time and develops Benny (and Omar a little bit) so well that you can really see the changes happening adn why. Despite the way that the book ended, i still enjoyed it emensly and Benny and Omar is one of my favorite books.
Ever.
Format:Audio CD
Our family just finished listening to Euan Morton's audio reading of Benny and Omar. Not only is this book brilliantly written and performed well, but the themes it covers are powerful and compelling. Through the telling of this friendship between these two boys, we encountered a relationship across cultures & class. This friendship explores what it means to have privalege but also how our common humanity crosses all these boundaries. What an eye opener for our kids in a way that wasn't preachy or guilt inducing. Thank you Mr. Colfer & Mr. Morton for a great colaboration of talents!
By danielle
Format:Paperback
No it was not as good as the Artemis Fowl books but those books are some of my favourites. To people that say this book is not as good as the Artemis Fowl books I agree but it depends on what you're judging the books on. This book was just plainly a different style it was a realistic fiction book where as th Artemis Fowl books are fantasy. It was a really good book. It was funny, adventurous and touching. Even if it was not as good as the Artemis Fowl books in my opinion it was still really good and I definately reccomend it.
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4.3 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
OK
This book isn't quite as good as my autographted copies of the first 2 books out of 4 of the Artemis Fowl story. Read more
Published on Oct 17 2002 by Amy Gerber
2.0 out of 5 stars
Artemis Fowl fans beware--not as good
I got this book for my daughter because we both loved Artemis Fowl, Colfer's other novel. This one unfortunately does not measure up. Read more
Published on Oct 9 2001
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