Melonhead [Hardcover]

Michael de Guzman (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

A road novel for young readers

Twelve-year-old Sidney T. Mellon has an unfortunate name considering that his head is round and much too large for his body, his red hair stands straight up in a long crew cut, and his expression is perpetually flushed. A cantaloupe is what usually comes to mind. So does the nickname Melonhead.

What chance does Sidney have, looking like this, yo-yoing back and forth between Seattle and Los Angeles, living part of each year with each of his divorced parents? He is disconnected from both distracted parents; he is disconnected from his own distracted self. No wonder he gets on a bus in Los Angeles one day and heads for New York City, making up ridiculous names and stories about himself at the drop of a hat whenever he meets somebody new. But each of the people Sidney meets on his diesel-powered journey across America contributes something to his understanding of who he is and where he's going. What he will do when he gets there, what he will discover about the unhappiness in his life, he has no idea. He just knows that he has to find out.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Teleplay writer de Guzman's polished first novel for children centers on 12-year-old Sidney Mellon, whose uncommonly large head and unfortunate name earn him the eponymous moniker. After being bounced between Los Angeles, home of his unsuccessful, self-centered salesman father, and Seattle, where his weak-willed mother won't stand up to her bullying second husband, Sidney decides to run away. Traveling cross-country by bus, he fabricates a series of aliases (Nestor Beachnut, Edsel Bellringer, Larry Luckman) and aspirations (to become a circus clown, actor, jockey). These he shares with the idiosyncratic characters he meets, among them a 101-year-old Native American on a mission to a pawn shop to retrieve a piece of turquoise that once belonged to his mother, a Pennsylvania couple intent on abducting him to replace their dead son, and an Irish man dying of prostate cancer. Beneath the surface eccentricities, Sidney's quest to find a home for himself has strong emotional resonance. The most poignant moments occur when Sidney, alone, mulls things over; sitting at a restaurant counter, for example, he muses that he isn't "particularly happy" about being on his own, "but he wasn't sure he knew what happiness was anyway." Young readers whose own problems seem, like Sidney's head, too large to bear will identify with this unlikely hero. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-Sidney T. Mellon's enormous round head covered in red hair, combined with a perpetually pale complexion, brings him unwelcome stares from strangers and taunts from bullies. The 12-year-old lives in Seattle with his mother, his emotionally abusive stepfather, and his cruel stepbrother. His mom is too manipulated by her husband to give her son the support he needs. De Guzman's depiction of these dysfunctional family dynamics is outstanding. Sidney spends part of his time with his father in Los Angeles but the man has little ambition for anything, including being a dad. Sidney decides to take a bus trip across the country to get as far away as possible from his parents and stepfather, inventing several identities for himself on his journey. He encounters a host of odd, memorable characters, including a man dying of cancer who picks his pocket and a couple who tries to adopt him. In New York City, he is mugged and beaten by a gang of kids. Sidney then heads for Boston but impulsively gets off in the town where his grandmother lives. At first she is annoyed at him for upsetting her routine, but the two develop a deep emotional bond that both discover has been missing from their lives. Melonhead is a poignant story of a disconnected boy searching for a place where he feels loved and wanted. At times emotionally wrenching, the story is also entertaining and ultimately satisfying. Readers will identify with Sidney's emotional struggles and succumb to his charm.
Edward Sullivan, White Pine School, TN
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (October 29, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374349444
• ISBN-13: 978-0374349448
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,403,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After writing five novels for middle readers that were published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, I am publishing my new book on my own. GROWING UP RITA is the story of twelve-year-old Rita Martinez, who was born in the United States to Alicia, who came here illegally from Mexico. When her mother is swept up in an immigration raid, Rita is left alone. She must find the courage and resourcefulness to survive while she tries to find her mother and get her back. Like my other books, this one is about a kid who populates the margins of society, who has something big to face, who takes action on her own behalf, and who is aided by adults who live on the margins themselves. A coming together of the world we live in and the world inside my head. My wife and I live in Seattle.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Head on his Shoulders!, January 10, 2003

By 

Rachel Hofmeister (Mt Home, ID USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Melonhead (Hardcover)

I, for one, am glad that Sidney T Mellon was born with such a large head. Sidney needs that extra room to store his in-depth thought processes (and dual identities), his witty and articulate dialogue, and in order to maintain such a well developed sense of self and humanity. I loved this book. I have given it to friends (young and old) and they have all been touched by Sidney's sense of humor and his pain. Everyone has been inspired by his journey. That was one cross country trip (and book)I didn't want to see come to an end.

4.0 out of 5 stars Melonhead, January 25, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Melonhead (Hardcover)

Melonhead
In the novel, Melonhead,By Daniel De Guzman. Sidney is a 12 year old boy that is caught up between two of his divorced parents. Sidney decides to run away. He decides to travel across the country to get from Seattle Washington, to New York City. On the way he meets new people and learns different lessens from all of them.

I like this book because it teaches me new lessons. One lesson I learned from the book was a man that Sidney meet on the bus named Moses Longfellow. He taught Sidney to always conceal his money in a safe place. In the book Sidney got mugged by some older kids and they stole his money. Luckily he kept $50 in his underwear. To this day I still keep money in a secret place just in case. In the book I also like how the book keeps you wanting to read more. I hope you like the book.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Depressing - NOT for pre-teens, April 11, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Melonhead (Hardcover)

The 12-year-old protagonist is a loser, with miserable parents and cruel companions. The author sends him on a journey populated with unpleasant, scary characters. Each episode offers another bout of misery. Perhaps a 15-year-old reader (in the midst of adolescent angst) would identify with this pathetic soul -- but what 15-year-old wants to read about a suffering 12-year-old ? No pre-teen should be subjected to this depressing tale, no teen would be interested, and this adult found the book tedious and needlessly violent. Give it a miss.