Johnny on the Spot [Hardcover]

Edward Sorel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1998 | Age Level: 6 and up

Every day, Johnny listened to his favorite radio program, "Don Winslow of the Navy." Someday, he would travel the world and have adventures, just like Don Winslow. But then the radio, which had been growing fainter, went dead altogether -- and Johnny's parents couldn't afford to buy a new one. Johnny refused to give up hope. Maybe Mr. Zaga, who lived in the basement apartment and was supposed to be an inventor, could help.

Mr. Zaga's apartment was full of weird machinery. He was interested in time travel, not in repairing radios, and he believed that with powerful electrostatic magnetism he could project himself into the future. But perhaps an electric charge from his machinery could fix the radio. Sure enough, the radio played again, but before long Johnny and Mr. Zaga discovered that the radio was giving tomorrow's news. It was a day ahead in time!

The adventures Johnny has then -- at a nearby bank robbery, a local fire, and with Mr. Zaga at the racetrack -- fill this funny and exciting book and will delight young readers. Full-color pictures rendered by a distinguished author/illustrator capture the big-city scene and a small boy's dreams of glory to perfection.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Vigorous illustrations of 1920s scenes animate this uneven melodrama, a blend of nostalgia and science fiction. Johnny, a youth wearing knickers and argyle socks, follows broadcast adventure serials. When his beloved radio gives up the ghost, Johnny takes it to an inventor for repairs. The man doesn't know much about appliances: "My specialty is time travel," he says. But he applies "a small charge of electrostatic magnetism," and the radio revives. Better yet, it now announces the news a day in advance (a la TV's Early Edition). Johnny earns his "on the spot" nickname by showing up at the scene of a bank holdup and a fire (and helping out), but the lure of easy money threatens on a day at the races ("It's not gambling... We know which horse will win," the inventor begs). Sorel, known for his New Yorker cover art, constructs an enticing cinematic world of brownstones and sepia-tinted interiors. His gestural scribbles of ink, applied in darting and sweeping zigzags, give the impression of rapid progress, while his earth-tone watercolor palette suggests budding technology. Yet the plot fails to ignite, then wraps up too neatly. The time-travel genre cliches (the boy, the eccentric inventor, the discovery, the abuse of power) recall the convoluted plots of radio shows, but Johnny's moral dilemma is solved too readily when his parents junk the "broken" Zenith and buy a Philco. Ages 5-9.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5-Sorel's ebullient yet relaxed line sweeps across the pages, propping up his subdued colors and propelling this 1930s story into a splendid science-fiction adventure. Johnny, a radio devotee-especially of the "Don Winslow of the Navy" series-is distressed when his machine gives out. With the hope of getting the radio fixed, he takes it to his eccentric neighbor Mr. Zaga, an inventor who dabbles in time travel. The radio responds to a charge of "electrostatic magnetism," but not in the way the boy had imagined: now it reports tomorrow's news! With this foresight, he becomes a hero by photographing a bank robbery in action and rescuing a child trapped in a fire. The local newspaper then dubs him Johnny-on-the-Spot. Mr. Zaga, however, has bigger dreams and involves the boy in a get-rich-quick scheme at the local race track. The plan nearly backfires, giving Johnny concern about his prophetic radio. Sorel deftly ties up the story with a couple of surprise twists, providing a well-conceived ending that sits well with this lighthearted, into-the-future romp.
Barbara Elleman, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689812930
• ISBN-13: 978-0689812934
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,003,407 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Elementary-Level Read Aloud, December 17, 2011

By 

Stacy Sanders (brooklyn, ny) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Johnny on the Spot (Hardcover)

Johnny on the Spot is an engaging story about a Depression-Era city kid whose radio receives broadcasts from one day in the future. It raises some interesting points about how this could be used for good or misused entirely. I read it to my fourth-graders every year, and they enjoy debating about what Johnny does with this gift. The book has a lot of funny moments as well as some lovely artwork. I highly recommend it.