The Ice Cream Con [Hardcover]

Jimmy Docherty (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Danger, diamonds, and disorganized crime! This gritty, funny debut will have readers rooting for--and laughing with--the underdogs!

Jake and his buddies are over being bullied by the thugs at the housing projects he calls home. That's why Jake decides to play the goons at their own game by creating a fake gangster, the Big Baresi. But before long, the imaginary mobster seems to have taken on a life of his own! The stakes are raised when a stash of stolen diamonds goes missing. From behind the wheel of an ice cream van, Jake's got to pull off the ultimate con--while managing to keep the mint chocolate chip from a meltdown. Because, as the Big Baresi knows, revenge is a dish best served cold.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–8—Set in a tough, crime-ridden housing project in Glasgow, this novel opens with 12-year-old Jake Drake getting kicked in the groin and mugged twice in 10 minutes, losing the money meant to buy his Gran's food. Jake and his friends decide they have had enough and will fight back against the local crime bosses by creating a fake gangster, the Big Baresi. By spreading rumors of this biggest, baddest thug ever, the con works, but soon things spiral out of control. A lot is going on in this novel: Jake and his buddies steal an 18-wheeler full of sumo suits and get in a gunfire battle with corrupt police; an ex-convict looking for $3 million in diamonds returns to the project; the boys steal $20,000 that then is stolen from them; and, finally, they steal an ice-cream van. All works out in the end, with Jake being instrumental in getting the community center rebuilt so that residents young and old have a place to gather. The end is set up for the reappearance of the Big Baresi in a sequel. The theme of kids taking control and showing adults how to make things better is a good one, although the means the characters employ to do so are questionable at best. While humorous in tone, there is much that is crude and objectionable here. Preadolescent boys will no doubt giggle over Jake's flatulent Gran, whose "butt trumpeting" is renowned. But fighting, belching, and farting on nearly every page gets a bit old.—Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
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From Booklist

Scottish writer Docherty takes kids living in an urban housing project and imbues them with the power of a crime lord in this rollicking, laugh-out-loud thriller. The novel starts with a kick to the groin in a stairwell and ends with a gutsy ice-cream-truck chase through Glasgow. Holding everything together is hero Jake Drake, 13, who, refusing to be bullied out of his money, seeks protection from local crime lord Cortesi, only to discover that Cortesi is behind the stairwell muggings during which Jake lost his money in the first place. Jake and his friends then invent an imaginary protector, the Big Baresi, and use a rumor-and-flier campaign to convince everyone that Baresi is for real. When a load of diamonds goes missing, however, Cortesi comes after Baresi—and Jake and his chums are in big trouble. Punny, wry, age-appropriately gross, and great fun. Grades 6-10. --Connie Fletcher

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: The Chicken House (June 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 054502885X
• ISBN-13: 978-0545028851
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,669,184 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, December 11, 2008

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ice Cream Con (Hardcover)

Having the little money they have stolen from them is getting a little old for Jake and his buddies. The thing is, though, Jake and his gang aren't the toughest bunch of kids, so the only way to get back at these thugs is to outsmart them at their own game. To do this, the kids create a fake gangster, the Big Baresi, who soon becomes a lot more real then Jake ever anticipated.

When a stash of stolen diamonds goes missing, the community truly believes it's the Big Baresi, but as Jake and his friends know, it's not. While trying to clear Baresi's name and keeping his intimidation factor high, the kids go on quite an adventure that includes a stolen ice cream truck, sumo suits, corrupt cops, lots of mobsters, and lots of crime.

Overall, this was a good book. It was humorous and the plot was pretty darn creative. My only complaint is that the book was a real boy book (not that there's anything wrong with that!). From being kicked in the "goolies" to the talk about girlie pictures, the book was clearly meant for adolescent boys. While being a girl and not truly appreciating these topics, I did think the book was good. I found myself laughing aloud many a time and loving the adventures the kids went on.

The author definitely has a talent for making people laugh and I hope that his future novels will be just as funny. As mentioned before, I think that young teen boys will really get a kick out of this book. It would also be a great book for reluctant readers as it's not too long, but provides a substantial story.

Reviewed by: Tasha