Joy Boys, The [Paperback]

Betsy Byars (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

There is never a dull moment with these comical brothers, so join J.J. and Harry, the rambunctious Joy boys, and their faithful dog, Bono, on four rip-roaring adventures.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3?Byars, the author of the popular "Golly Sisters" books (HarperCollins), brings to life another set of siblings. Here she introduces modern ranch kids, J.J. and Harry Joy, a.k.a. The Joy Boys. The four episodes include an innocent cow ride with an abrupt ending, the boys' mom misinterpreting a friendly mud fight, a real fight, and their pet dog Bono saving them from their own wild imaginations. Though the text includes plenty of repetitive words, the dialogue reads like children talking. Remkiewicz's pencil-and-watercolor caricatures add humor, and the scenes give additional contextual clues. The "just into chapter books" crowd will enjoy meeting these brothers and will look forward to more country adventures.?Gale W. Sherman, Pocatello Public Library, ID
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

This First Choice Chapter Book features four episodes about the brothers Joy, Harry and J.J., with amiable full-color illustrations on every page. In the first chapter, the boys pretend to be cowboys and get chased by a bull. In the second and third chapters, they are grounded after a playful mud fight because their mother believes they were quarreling; sent to their room, they get into a real fight. The ``wild animal'' of the camping trip in their fourth adventure turns out to be their faithful collie, Bono. Byars (My Brother, Ant, 1996, etc.) imbues the stories with good spirits; the mud fight installments are amusing. The plots will be somewhat obvious, however, even to very new readers; obvious, that is, except in the few instances when only a careful look at the illustrations makes events comprehendible. (Fiction. 5-8) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback
• Publisher: Yearling (February 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440410940
• ISBN-13: 978-0440410942
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,817,276 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.