From Publishers Weekly
In this simultaneously funny and poignant sequel to Regular Guy, Weeks returns to the life of 13-year-old Guy Strang. His parents have now separatedAhis father has moved to California, and his mother has been dating "geeky types," including his science teacher and a fellow who can play three kazoos at one time ("one in his mouth and one in each nostril"). Worse yet, she has begun painting her fingernails green ("Looks like you stuck your fingers into something nasty, like a giant's nose," quips Guy) and is threatening to pierce her navel. When Guy's best friend, Buzz, urges him "to quit moaning about your dad being gone and do something about it," together they type a letter on his mother's stationery, in which she apologizes to her husband and asks him to come home. The boys sign it with a lipstick kiss (after a hilarious scene in which they coat their lips and practice on scratch paper), then fax it to Guy's father. The missive does not, of course, produce the desired results, but sends a clear message nonetheless. Better grounded than its predecessor, this novel is similarly outr? in its humor but contains a number of genuinely affecting passagesAincluding Guy's reflections on his parents' split and his father's absence. Its deft balance of comedy and pathos and its credible characters will hit home. Ages 8-12. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-In this sequel to Regular Guy (HarperCollins, 1999), Guy Strang's life has been turned upside down by his parents' separation and his father's subsequent move across the country. When his mother decides it is time to start dating, he decides to take action to reunite his parents. Encouraged by best friend Buzz, the seventh grader poses as his mother and writes a letter to his father, urging him to come home. Then a classmate, Autumn, invites him to the movies. He sort of likes her, but doesn't know how to tell Buzz, who thinks that girls are an alien species. Embarrassed, Guy denies that he likes her and inadvertently hurts her feelings, after which her best friend extracts a merciless revenge. All is realistically resolved-Guy's parents remain separated with no reconciliation in sight, but his father does plan to move back to be closer to his son. And it turns out that Buzz just might like girls after all. Weeks captures the intense feeling of a 13-year-old who is trying to deal with the process of growing up-which is bad enough-and then is thrown into turmoil by the actions of his parents. Readers who like Betsy Byars's "Bingo Brown" books (Viking) will enjoy Guy Time.
Terrie Dorio, Santa Monica Public Library, CA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
