The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine (Hardcover)

by April Lurie (Author)
Key Phrases: Dead Musicians Society, Jonathan Reed, Washington Square Park (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Sibling relationships form the core of Lurie's (Dancing in the Streets of Brooklyn) busy novel, but with so much diffuse action and so many half-sketched characters, readers might have trouble finding a focal point. Dylan Fontaine, the 15-year-old narrator, lives in chaos: his mother has moved out to live with Dylan's art teacher; his older brother, Randy, gets stoned all the time and might drop out of school to tour with his band, The Dead Musicians Society; his father, an obstetrician, is never around, making their Brooklyn house the 24-hour gathering place for the band and, maybe, a spot to stash drugs. Dylan also struggles with girls-the one he wishes were his girlfriend has tapped her ex-boyfriend to help her shoot a documentary about Dylan, and the one in the band flirts with both Dylan and his brother. By the time Dylan steps out of the little brother/sidekick role to take center stage in his own life, the author wraps up remaining conflicts so tidily that she seems to cheat (Why would the boys have thought their mother had left for another man? Didn't they know the art teacher was just a friend?). Ages 14-up.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up—This story opens with 16-year-old Dylan Fontaine in a Brooklyn police station being held for shoplifting a package of tighty-whities underwear while holding a bag of marijuana in his pocket for his older brother. The shoplifting was merely an accident; Dylan ran out of the store when he thought he saw his mother, who left their family weeks ago. Though he wants to get bailed out of jail, what he really wants is for his mother to come home (she ran off with her art teacher), his brother to act responsibly, and his dad, a doctor, to begin living at their home instead of the hospital. As Dylan reels from the effect of all these events, his best friend and love interest, Angie, decides it is the perfect time to make him the subject of her summer school movie project, capturing the teen's struggle with chaos and control with a quirky, film-school flair. Lurie tells this story from Dylan's point of view, in the voice of a responsible, but confused, teen. As he sorts through his issues with his brother, father, mother, and Angie, he gains confidence and courage, and his voice becomes stronger and more defined. Brooklyn and Manhattan's West Village settings are appealing. The story successfully walks the fine line of blending humor and drama, and the cinematic ending is sure to please.—Emily Anne Valente, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (May 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385731256
• ISBN-13: 978-0385731256
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #677,320 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, May 13, 2008

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

Life is not easy for Dylan Fontaine. He gets good grades. He is a talented basketball player with a shot at varsity next year. He is a good guitar player and a gifted artist. Basically, he is an All-American, boy-next-door type, so when he is arrested for shoplifting underwear and carrying marijuana in his pocket, it gets people's attention. However, once he explains the weird set of circumstances that led up to that arrest, Dylan finds himself with a mere 20-hours of community service, and then it's back to the usual routine of cooking and cleaning for his father and his older brother, Randy.

Although things may seem normal, Dylan's life is in turmoil. His artist mother recently left to pursue her art and possibly her artist lover. His father, an ob/gyn, spends every waking hour at the hospital delivering babies and taking care of other families. Older brother Randy is no help either, since he spends his time getting high and hanging out with the losers in his band. That leaves Dylan with no one.

Recently there does seem to be the possibility of a love life for Dylan. His best friend, Angie, has just returned from a summer film-making class and, since the breakup with her boyfriend, perhaps it is time for Dylan to make his move. After all, she is making him the subject of the short film she's making for her class. Then there is also the gorgeous new member of his brother's band, Chloe. She is around all the time and pays a lot of attention to Dylan. Is it possible he might have a chance with her, too?

Dylan Fontaine is a fascinating character. Author April Lurie writes about his crazy life in a way that will have readers flipping pages to see how things turn out. The mix of down-to-earth, wholesome Dylan and his brother's fast, risk-taking lifestyle make THE LATENT POWERS OF DYLAN FONTAINE a book with something for everyone.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

3.0 out of 5 stars Almost, but not quite., July 1, 2009

By	John Mcconnell (Helen, GA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Lurie, A. The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine. New York: Delacorte Press, 2008. 208 pp.

Dylan's mother has left the family to run away to Paris with her art mentor, his workaholic father is never home, and his older brother Randy is always getting high with the losers in his band. To make matters worse, his best friend Angie only wants to be just that, his friend.

Dylan Fontaine, basketball star, guitarist, artist, all-around-good kid, needs something to shake up his life and get him headed in a more positive direction. Unfortunately, his humiliating arrest for shoplifting (two pairs of underwear) and marijuana possession (his brother's stash) is not it.

Then aspiring director Angie steps in, with her detestable boyfriend/ex-boyfriend Jonathan, and forces him to star in a movie about himself: The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine.

Author April Lurie seeks to make the movie the device that finally brings Dylan out of his rut. With the camera rolling, Dylan tries things he once would never have dared: being a juggler's assistant, playing no-holds-barred New York City street basketball, kissing Angie. Everything begins to go Dylan's way far too quickly to be believable. Faintly drawn characters don't help the reader keep interest. The housekeeper is a stereotypical European martinet, his dad a stereotypical job-obsessed M.D. and Randy's bandmates are all so similar that it is hard to tell them apart.

The novel, Lurie's third, after Brothers, Boyfriends & other Criminal Minds and Dancing in the Streets of Brooklyn, could have been a better story with deeper characters and less formula, and Dylan, while likable, is not credible as a character, and it is hard to find empathy with him. The author's curious point that sudden spontaneity is all that is needed to bring happiness stretches the reader's credulity to the breaking point.

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent leisure read for middle school readers, October 11, 2008

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

April Lurie's THE LATENT POWERS OF DYLAN FONTAINE tells of a broken family, a female best friend who only wants to be Dylan's buddy - and Dylan, who stars in his best friend's movie only to discover life is evolving in different directions for him. An excellent leisure read for middle school readers.