Kingdom of Kevin Malone [Hardcover]

Suzy McKee Charnas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1993 | Age Level: 11 and up

While mourning the death of her cousin, Amy goes roller-skating in New York's Central Park and bumps into a former nemesis, Kevin, who leads her into the fantasy world that he created to escape his abusive father.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9-Chasing Kevin, a bully from her old neighborhood, teenaged Amy skates under an archway in Central Park and finds herself in the Fayre Farre, a fantasy land that the boy has created to escape his ugly "real" life. There, he is no longer Rotten Kevin, but Kavian Prince, the Promised Champion, destined by prophecy to free his people from the evil sorceror Anglower. Charnas plays the Fayre Farre as both real and metaphorical. Anglower, when he appears for the Final Battle, is the phantom of Kevin's abusive father; after a brisk fight, he is ultimately defeated in a tangle of thorny roses. Several subplots, including Amy's struggle to cope with a favorite relative's sudden death, and frequent shifts of mood or scene, give the story a crowded feel, but the author's sly digs at the heroic fantasy genre are on the mark, and Kevin makes an unusual hero. He's whiny, sullen, and self-centered, but also a tragic figure with a nascent sense of responsibility-he elects to stay in his newly liberated kingdom, and is last seen worrying about the ethnic strife developing between the elves and the semihuman Branglemen. Readers can sift through the whimsy for serious themes, or not, as they choose.
John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Amy, 14, is roller-skating in Central Park when Kevin, a tough Irish kid from her old neighborhood, suddenly runs by and pins onto her jersey a trinket he took from her long ago. Running after him, she passes through an arch and into the kingdom that Kevin has created to escape his father's brutality. There, Amy is drawn into Kevin's struggle with his archenemy Anglower, returning to the real world to bring Kevin a magic sword. In the end, Kevin defeats Anglower, who turns out to be a reincarnation of his brutal, drunken father. Amy returns home, but Kevin stays in his kingdom. Charnas blends tough, gritty young New Yorkers who have real problems--Kevin's dad, Amy's recent loss of a beloved cousin--with the standard elements of troll-and-mole fantasy. The mix is uneven, but it does make an engrossing story. (Fiction. 12+) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Hardcover: 211 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books (J); 1st edition (April 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152007563
• ISBN-13: 978-0152007560
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,532,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Disagree strongly with "Distressed Teenager's" pan...why??, June 1, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Henderson, NV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kingdom of Kevin Malone (Paperback)

Had I had this novel available when I was working with "Distressed's" counterparts and teaching English some years ago, I would have been a happy camper! This little jewel of a novel makes a believably realistic case for the role that well-written and highly perceptive fantasy can play in helping teens deal with very real problems of death, loss, abuse and separation. Amy, trying to cope with the death of a much-loved cousin escapes by magic into a fantasy kingdom created by a former childhood bully. She rescues him and learns a much-needed lesson in tolerance and understanding while doing so. The issues are real; the fantasy aspects, extraordinarily well-conceived; and it seems to me that Ms. Charnas has done an absolutely superb job of helping teens "walk in another's moccasins" to see and gain valuable insight into real-life problems. As an adult, I loved this book! And I've shared it with young friends of "Distressed's" age who found it equally meaningful. I'm delighted to see it back in print for all ages to read and ENJOY!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I abosoluetly loved this book., July 13, 2011

By 

reviews150 - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kingdom of Kevin Malone (Paperback)

Amy is your average 14 year old girl. One day while her family is sitting shiva for her dead Couisn Shelly, Amy escapes the house to go rollerskating. As she's wobbling around borrowed skates, who does she bump into--literally--but her old neighborhood bully Kevin Malone. When he pins her old rhinstone rose onto her sleve, she chases after him. He leads her under one of Central Park's many stone arches, and into a patchwork of other worlds from many fantasy novels--the Fayre Farre, Kevin's Kingdom, where Kevin has dubbed himself the Promised Champion of his dark and dangerous world.

But every hero has to have a villian. Anglower, a very real villian from Kevin's past, threatens to throw the Fayre Farre into turmoil--unless Kevin can defeat him first. And he needs Amy's help.

The thing is, Amy doesn't trust him or his starnge world. She doesn't even like him. But if she doesn't help Kevin, it could mean the end of the Fayre Farre.

When I first got my hands on this book, I couldn't put it down. I was sucked into the Fayre Farre as much as Amy was. Being a 14 year old girl, I could really relate to Amy. When Kevin appeared, I shared Amy's mixed feelings of doubt about him. What makes this book so believeable is that all of the characters are like someone we know (or at the very least have heard of), but they've been plunked into an incredibly difficult and seemingly impossible situation. Even our heroine Amy doesn't believe that it's completely real for much of the book.

The Kingdom of Kevin Malone is one of my favorite books. For me, it's right up at the top of the list with Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Artemis Fowl, and Ender Wiggin.

If you're a fan of fantasy novels, get your hands on this book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars And Just What IS Reality?, April 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Kingdom of Kevin Malone (Paperback)

Amy was in Central Park skating with her best friend when she spotted him. Kevin Malone was a bully from Amy's childhood. She followed him into a tunnel and straight into the world of the Fayre Farre. Kevin had not just run away from an abusive father all those years ago. Instead, Kevin MADE Fayre Farre and disappeared from reality into his own world. A world as real as Amy's.
But Fayre Farre has changed since Kevin's childhood. Now it is in dire need of a hero...him, of course. However, it seems Amy and two of her girl friends are part of Kevin's prophacy too. Only with their help can Fayre Farre be saved. But in order to save his world, Amy must first save Kevin...and she does not even like him.
***Oh, it was so much fun to read this one! It brought back memories of how much I loved Young Adult books when I was twelve and up. In fact, I decided to keep this fantasy always. (*wicked grin*) Teenage ladies will love this one!!!***