From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9-Another gem from Peck, with his signature combination of quirky characters, poignancy, and outrageous farce. Parentless Peewee, 14, and Jake, the big brother she idolizes, live in rural Indiana in 1914. They run a small garage, but face nasty sabotaging from the rival Kirbys. The novel opens with a hilariously macabre twister that tears up Buelahland Cemetery, turning up coffins, and strews Mrs. B. D. Klinefelder's laundry, including her massive step-ins, around the county. The tornado doesn't dare to touch the stern former librarian's grave. The board of trustees closed the library after her death, but that situation is about to change. Irene Ridpath, a library science student from Butler University, arrives with her three equally pretty and wealthy sorority sisters, all of whom drive fabulous cars, sparking Jake's interest (not just in their cars). After many pranks and hijinks, Peewee ends up being the only finisher in a rough-and-ready auto race, an event recounted in the closing chapter when she is an elderly, although still spunky, old lady. A master of capturing voice, Peck aptly conveys the nuances of rural life in the early years of the last century while weaving in early feminism, the history of the automobile, and the message to be oneself. Kids will love the fast-paced action and librarians will guffaw over all the library puns.
-Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
If any author could combine auto racing, feminism, cross-town rivalries, orphaned children, a tornado, and libraries into an engaging novel, that author would be Richard Peck. Lara Everly skillfully narrates the story of this quirky Indiana town of 1914. She exudes the independence of Peewee, née Eleanor McGrath, who is not going to continue her schooling or wear a dress unless it fits into her plan. Everly brings personalities--an eccentric uncle, the show stopping Butler University library science students with their flashy cars, the conniving Kirby brothers--to life. She narrates with a flat affect that underscores Peck's signature deadpan humor. A.R. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine--
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