Brothers, Boyfriends & Other Criminal Minds [Hardcover]

April Lurie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 12, 2007

Brooklyn 1977. April Lundquist lives in Dyker Heights, a neighborhood populated by the Mafia. Three hit men live on her block:
Francesco "Frankie the Crunch' Consiglione, Vincent "Gorgeous Vinny" Persico, and Salvatore "Soft Sal" Luciano. When Soft Sal approaches April and her best friend, Brandi Rinaldi, for a favor, well . . . the girls can't refuse.

But does the favor, along with the crisp hundred-dollar bills that turn up in their schoolbooks, mean that April and Brandi are now in with the Mob? Will April be able to get "protection" for her older brother, Matt, when he makes the big mistake of falling for the daughter of a big crime boss? And will April's connection to Soft Sal bring her closer to Dominick DeMao, bad-boy rocker and heartbreaker?

Soft Sal, Matt, Dom . . . in April's neighborhood the guys stir up all the trouble, but April wouldn't have it any other way.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Fourteen-year-old April Lundquist lives in the colorful neighborhood of Dyker Heights, where many of Brooklyn's most dangerous mobsters live. She and her best friend, Brandi, can hardly refuse when Soft Sal requests that they escort his mentally handicapped son, Larry, to and from high school. April thinks that her service might buy a bit of protection for her older brother, Matt, who has fallen in love with a mobster's daughter. Lurie has written a delightful book about growing up in Brooklyn's Mafia-dominated 1970s. Colorful characters—Soft Sal, Gorgeous Vinny Persico, Frankie the Crunch—hold ever-present but largely benign control over the neighborhood. Against this rather sinister backdrop, April enters high school, learns to play a mean game of tennis, babysits for her younger brother, and falls madly in love with bad-boy rocker, Dom. A classic growing-up-in-America story with a twist, this is lighthearted yet complex, with just enough gut-wrenching love and suspense to make it an obvious hit with the girls and a potential sleeper with the guys. Bradburn, Frances

Review

“A classic growing-up-in-America story with a twist, this is lighthearted yet complex, with just enough gut-wrenching love and suspense to make it an obvious hit with the girls and a potential sleeper with the guys.”—Booklist


From the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (June 12, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385731248
• ISBN-13: 978-0385731249
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,964,087 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. I now live in Austin with my husband and four kids. Yes, four. Crazy, I know. I went to Hunter College in Manhattan, and worked several years as a NICU nurse. I began writing for teens in my mid- thirties and have been doing it ever since. It's the best job in the world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this Novel, August 17, 2007

By 

YA Reader (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brothers, Boyfriends & Other Criminal Minds (Hardcover)

This novel has one of the best first lines I've ever read in a YA novel. It has an emotionally rich story that is laugh-out-loud funny. The setting is seventies Brooklyn in a neighborhood where mafia characters such as Soft Sal and Frankie the Crunch live. Against this backdrop we follow the main character, April, as she struggles to keep her brother out of trouble, deal with her own romantic difficulties, school, parents, and, of course, the neighborhood mobsters. It's a wonderful coming-of-age story. This is great read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Books I Have Ever Read, April 2, 2008

By 

YaleGrad2017 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brothers, Boyfriends & Other Criminal Minds (Hardcover)

This book has everything, witty characters, hot teenagers, young romances, and also some important life lessons. This book had many plot twists and so many things going on at once, it would be hard not to enjoy it. It is filled with humor and also some serious subjects, but the author makes them all seem lighthearted and entertaining. This is a must read for a reader who enjoys any type of funny book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars awesome, June 21, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Brothers, Boyfriends & Other Criminal Minds (Hardcover)

the book Brothers, Boyfriends and Other Criminal Minds has been one of the funniest books I have read in a long time. i really loved the part about April and Dom. i seriously never knew what was going to happen next!