The 18th Emergency [Hardcover]

Betsy Cromer Byars (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 084467026X | ISBN-13: 978-0844670263 | Publication Date: June 1999

Benjie and his friend Ezzie have often discussed what they would do if an octopus or a crocodile attacked them - but whatever is Benjie to do in the worst emergency of all, when Hammerman, the biggest boy in the school, is asking for a fight? The author also wrote "The TV Kid" and "The Cybil War".

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Peter Smith Pub Inc (June 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 084467026X
• ISBN-13: 978-0844670263
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,289,801 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Betsy Byars began her writing career rather late in life First, she married and started a family. The writing career didn't emerge until she was 28, a mother of two children, and living in a small place she called the barracks apartment, in Urbana, Illinois. She and her husband, Ed, had moved there in 1956 so he could attend graduate school at the University of Illinois. She was bored, had no friends, and so turned to writing to fill her time. Byars started writing articles for The Saturday Evening Post, Look,and other magazines. As her family grew and her children started to read, she began to write books for young people and, fortunately for her readers, discovered that there was more to being a writer than sitting in front of a typewriter. "Once a wanderer came by my house and showed me how to brush my teeth with a cherry twig; that went in The House of WingsThe Summer of the Swans." Since that time, Byars has written more than 45 books for young readers and has won numerous awards, including The American Book Award, which she received in 1981 for The Night Swimmers. The humor, compassion, and insight Byars brings to each of her books won her a large audience of admirers both in the United States and abroad. Six of her novels were presented on national television, and her books are translated into nine languages. Six of Byars' novels have been named ALA Notable Books, and in 1971, The Summer of the Swans -- a story about a 14-year-old girl and her mentally retarded brother -- won the Newbery Award as the most distinguished contribution to literature for children in the year of its publication. Byars was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 7, 1928. Unlike many of the characters in her books, Byars grew up in a normal, loving family. Her father was an engineer and worked as a bookkeeper in a cotton mill. He was stern and hardworking and had a strong sense of humor. Her mother was a lively woman who loved acting and music. Byars's sister, Nancy, two years older, was sometimes an inspiration and sometimes an evil nemesis. Byars has always been adventurous and never allows a few setbacks to prevent her from doing things she wants to experience, like petting a blacksnake and flying planes. The snake was named Moon and became the subject of her 1991 autobiography, The Moon and I. Betsy Byars and her husband live on an air strip in South Carolina, and have traveled widely throughout the United States in pursuit of their interest in gliding and antique airplanes. They have four grown children and seven grandchildren.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another gem from one of the best children's author, January 2, 2000

By 

Chris "The BBC American" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Eighteenth Emergency (Camelot Book) (Mass Market Paperback)

Betsy at her best: funny, original, perceptive, and sensitive. This book does a highly comendable job at teaching an admirable lesson, by focusing on the humorous idiosyncracies of her main character and the sympathetic plight he finds himself in rather than being preachy and heavy-handed, and slips the lesson in quietly and slyly at the end.

Apparently, however, not everyone catches Byars' perceptive humor, though this book is an amusement park of wonderful wit. If you don't find her funny, then it is probable that the story will not hold your attention. Most of the book stays inside of Mouse's (the protagonist) head, so if you aren't charmed by Mouse, then you will quickly lose interest.

My reaction was one of complete enthrallment in Mouse's perception of and grappling with his predicament. Byars draws the supporting cast and environment of her heroes with the familiarity and perspective of their ages. I frequently find myself laughing in recognition and remembrance of similar childhood perceptions and people. Her humor, also, runs freely and easily and frequently and compellingly.

Don't let this author pass you by. The 18th Emergency is a wonderful introduction to her, and a must for familiar fans!

4.0 out of 5 stars Predictable? I think not!, July 6, 2011

By 

Sean J. Hagins (Lancaster, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The 18th Emergency (Hardcover)

I don't know why everyone thinks this book is predictable! When i read this book for the first time as a kid, i thought either Benji would either find some way to make things right with Hammerman (so he wouldn't fight), or teachers (or other adults) would find out about the cloud of Marv hanging over Benji's head and stop Hammerman. The fact that there WAS a fight still surprises me.

I think the suthor has a great way of writing children's books-she doesn't talk down to kids, but she relates Mouse's thoughts and feelings in the way a child can relate to. Also, i like how it gives a good perspective on urban life.

If anything, i don't like how disinterested Benji's mother was, but sadly many parents just don't take enough time for their kids

2.0 out of 5 stars Didn't Engage Me (as a kid), May 7, 2011

By 

Tim W - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Eighteenth Emergency (Camelot Book) (Mass Market Paperback)

I purchased & read this book in middle high school, attracted by the promise of trying to figure out how to deal with bullies. Yes, there were a few funny bits, but it never really "worked" for me -- never engaged my attention. (Didn't have much helpful to say about bullies, either.) The tone and scenery struck me as dismal, Mouse's life seemed pretty pointless and depressing. I re-read it several times, thinking I must be missing something, or needed to give it more of a chance. Nope. Anyway, just fossilized point of view from a kid who read it back when it was new.