Customer Reviews

Smiles to Go [With Headpones]

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I read the novel "Smiles to go" by Jerry Spinelli a few months ago. It was very similar to his other books but also very different. The book had great literary elements including a touching theme, out-of-the-ordinary characters, and a unique plot. Near the end of the book, the author sends a saddening, touching message to the reader. It is that all along the boy did care about his little sister, even though he didn't act this way. It only really came out when she was in danger and in the hospital. The story also had unique characters. They weren't the average kids but they were very special and important. Finally, the plot of the book "Smiles to Go" was very extraordinary. It included the average life of the young children and what might happen in their lives. It has surprises and a jaw-dropping moment that will leave you speechless. I would recommend the short novel to just about everyone for its touching theme, out-of the-ordinary characters, and a unique plot.

As a long-time Jerry Spinelli fan, I was truly excited when given the chance to review his latest, SMILES TO GO. If you loved MANIC MAGEE or WRINGER, be sure to take a look at this one.

Will Tuppence is a typical freshman. He is worried about skateboarding, his annoying little sister, and hanging with his friends, Mi-Su and BT. But, as normal as that sounds, there is another side to Will. His fascination with science gives him a serious approach to life. His idea of a fun time is spending hours stargazing at faraway galaxies, and recent news that a proton can actually die has Will constantly concerned about just how long life can go on. His concern about protons becomes the underlying thought that occupies his mind as he stumbles through his freshman year.

Other things besides the proton problem are beginning to spin out of control for Will. After witnessing a secret kiss between Mi-Su and BT, he starts to wonder why he hasn't tried to kiss Mi-Su. She is suddenly looking like more than just a mere friend. Skateboarding has always provided a great release for Will until BT manages the impossible - a death-defying ride down Dead Man's Hill. How can Will even attempt to match that? There is also the constant pestering of Will's little sister, Tabby. How can he concentrate on his school work or attempt to train for the upcoming chess tournament when she's like an annoying mosquito buzzing through his life?

With SMILES TO GO, Spinelli takes his readers into the life of Will Tuppence. In his traditional straightforward style, he presents Will's challenges and triumphs in a way that left me chuckling and teary-eyed, often at the same time. I think Spinelli recognizes that his loyal fans are now a bit older and has given them a story to match their growth and maturity.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

After my 4th grade teacher read Maniac Magee aloud to my classmates and me, I remember telling people for years to come that it was my favorite book. It wasn't until I rediscovered it in a `children's literature' class in college that I came to truly appreciate how great the book was and how incredible of a storyteller Jerry Spinelli is. Books like Maniac Magee, Wringer, Loser, and Crash have made him one of the most recognizable names in children's literature, and deservingly so. With his most recent novel, Smiles To Go, Spinelli returns to a format similar to that of his highly popular book Stargirl, to tell a story about science and wonder, friendship and jealousy, and family and love.

Ninth grader Will Tuppence is a (young) man of Science. His world revolves around physics, protons, stargazing, and Monopoly pizza parties. Upon the discovery that protons decay (meaning everything will eventually fade away) Will begins to examine the relationships in his life more carefully, especially those with his younger sister Tabby, and his two best friends BT and Mi Su.

If there's one thing I've learned about Spinelli's books, it's that characters drive his story. It's never the other way around. I can't imagine Spinelli deciding to write a novel about racism in a divided town, or bullying in schools, or the effects of the Holocaust on children, without having his characters in mind long before. With him, it always feels as if so much time was spent "getting into" his characters. Spinelli characters always come first, story second. Smiles To Go, like so many of Spinelli's stories, is essentially a character study. Will is who decides where this story goes and it responds to him.

Words come easy to Spinelli. His writing is so effortless and clear. I once told my 5th graders that Spinelli's books contain "little words and big ideas". This book is no exception. Science terminology aside, this book is very readable, yet there's a LOT going on in young Will's mind. There's jealousy toward his friend BT's cool and carefree attitude, and there's blooming, hormonal love toward Mi Su. Will's anxiety builds throughout the story and his constant planning and often annoying attention to the most minute details, makes him extremely neurotic, but very believable.

So after bragging up Spinelli's writing, I have to be honest. If Will's relationships with his two best friends would have been all this story contained, Smiles To Go would've been your average 3 star, quick read. Will's relationship with his younger nuisance of a sister Tabby, is what really gives this story its wings and allows it to become something more. Tabby is that annoying sister whose purpose on Earth is to bother her brother, or so Will thinks. She saves all the black jelly beans (his favorite) only to toss them in the trash can when he's watching. She interrupts his time with his friends, worships and adores BT (only adding to Will's jealousy), and spills embarrassing family secrets at inopportune times. There's a major age gap between brother and sister and Will chooses to fill that gap with hatred.

When Spinelli brings this relationship to the forefront in a horrible turn of events, which forces Will to examine some of his sister's actions a little more carefully, he learns that maybe he's been in the wrong, in never truly giving his sister a chance. This section of the book is heartbreakingly powerful and when Will, this boy of science and reason, turns to his sister's 6 year old admirer, Korbet, for advice on love and life, we know we're reading something special.

The beginning of this story is very slow and dull, this even coming from an avid Spinelli fan. But if you stick out all the proton and stargazing talk and hang around for the great finale in which Will and his sister Tabby are put under the microscope, you'll be in for a treat, and glad you made the effort. Heck, you may even watch more closely the next time your little sibling tosses your favorite jelly beans in the trash.

"And smiles to go before I weep."
"You're smart enough to know you don't have all the answers, that's all." "I'm god-awful at not being sure." ..."You're a kid trying to figure out the world you were born into, that's all."

Will loves astronomy, has a crush on his friend Mi-Su, is annoyed by his slacker best friend BT, hates his obnoxious little sister, and loves chess as much as skateboarding. When Will learns that protons can die, his world is completely upset. Nothing is forever. The very things that he thought he could always count on suddenly are up in the air. His future, which he once had mapped out for the next fifty years, suddenly is a complete mystery. And Will doesn't like it. Not to mention, he can't seem to define his relationship with Mi-Su. When something further shatters Will's world, will he finally just be able to carpe diem, to live in the now, to love the people around him? Though this novel isn't as strong as some of Spinelli's others, once again, he proves himself the unparalleled master of adolescent (and human) character/psychology and the literary young adult novel. Will is a character that anyone could identify with (particularly many high-strung teenagers, and, yes, they exist, though they rarely show up in literature): one afraid of the unknown, one too sure of one's own world, and one that sadly neglects many of the joys of life. His story is told with beautiful attention to theme (time, death, life, love), symbols (clocks, toys, chess), character, drama, and all interplayed with fascinating science. A beautiful, wonderfully written, engaging book. Grade: A+

A cynical reader might say that Jerry Spinelli's latest book is simply another coming of age book or a "you-don't-appreciate-your-loved-ones-until-they're-almost- gone" book--but it's a lot more than that. It is a skillful portrayal of how an adolescent can become so obsessed with his own thoughts, dreams, and plans that he can miss what is going on in his own family. As Will Tuppence, the main character discovers, he doesn't have to live life the same way in which he plays chess - seeing every move laid out on the black and white squares in front of him. Unexpected events happen, providing a way to help you see your life, your family, and even your best friends in a totally different way.
I am a fan of Jerry Spinelli's books. I loved Stargirl, blogged about Eggs, enjoyed Maniac McGee, and refer to Milkweed when I discuss creating an historic setting or character at teachers conferences. I even had the opportunity to meet him and his author wife, Eileen, at the Keystone Reading Association meeting last fall. I appreciate how Spinelli's characters are believable and how he delicately and precisely weaves figurative language into a book for middle school boys and girls. But I have to admit, I was bothered about two things in Smiles to Go: the science fiction inclusion of dying protons and little flashes of light which mysteriously appear and disappear. As I mentioned in my blog about 47, an author has the responsibility to ensure that his book makes sense. I kept waiting for the flashes of light to be explained which they weren't. And although protons dying make an interesting backdrop to this story, the novel is not science fiction and my concrete mind desired an explanation for these alleged "facts."
But in the end, Spinelli is a masterful storyteller and I would recommend this book for middle school readers. Since Will is a freshman in high school, some high school readers will also enjoy it. Spinelli obviously wants to make a point about time--appreciating the past and cherishing the present. Smiles to Go will hopefully help young readers appreciate the gifts that have been given: family and friends who stand by you and accept you for who you are, and finding your place in a universe that is out there to be admired, enjoyed, and respected.
As a mother, one of my favorite lines from the book came from Will's mother. "Sometimes you get so wrapped up in your own little world that you don't see what's right in front of you." That's advice that all of us can benefit from. (Harper Collins, 2008)

In Jerry Spinelli's Smiles to Go, 15-year old Will Tuppence is a break from many young adult protagonists in being not at risk, not struggling in school or with making friends, not in conflict with rules or authority, no troubled home life or unorthodox parenting, or many of the other troubles associated with adolescence. Instead, Will proves that average young people struggle with important issues in the adult world, such as taking counsel from fear and worrying about the nature of existence, worrying that his peers are leaving him behind. Wondering about his future and losing opportunities, Will has always seemed like an adult to himself and to his peers; a forty-year old in a teenager's body. Yet, an adult or educator would do well to learn that like Will, many quiet, unassuming and well-behaved young adults have a great need for reassurance and adult mentoring and the aspiring young astronomer in 3rd period who sits on the second row, may be desperately wondering where to go from here.

Even Will's friends depart from type-casting; they are unusual usual high school freshmen like B.T., the class clown and social deviant who reads classics and recites poetry, and doesn't have anything to prove. Will comes to see that there is joy in watching things go counter to plan. IN his worry about his future, Will finds he loses sight of the precious people and events of the present, and though he can't hold on to the present forever, he discovers that he can always live in the now. I was pleasantly surprised with a book directed towards a generation so eager to grow up, which warmly advises them that in that journey it is important to be where you are. The reason why is written with a wink on the front cover. When it comes to the future, "it's the not knowing that counts."

Jerry Spinelli writes in fast-moving prose filled with images that really speak. Smiles to Go is a delightful novel, an interesting read about very real characters. It will resonant with the majority of young, mainstream, middle class America who might wonder if they are a little too vanilla or unexciting to get the attention of peers and teachers, but may need a book that is about them, too.

When high school freshman Will Tuppence was five or six years old, he learned from a science-savvy neighbor that protons are "unsmashable" and last forever. Since that revelation, Will has been obsessed with astrology and believes that, because he is made up of zillions of protons, he, too, is unsmashable.

But on Saturday, September 26th at 10:15, Will's world changes after he hears a report of a telltale flash that signals the death of a proton. Since that day, his calendar begins with PD1 --- the day he hears about the Proton's Death. For Will, the death of the proton means that nothing --- including him --- lasts forever.

When Will is not in school, practicing on his skateboard or trying to avoid his annoying little sister, Tabitha (Tabby), he looks forward to playing Monopoly with his best friends, Mi-Su and Anthony Bontempo (BT). On special occasions, he and his pals --- sometimes with Tabby tagging along --- attend star parties, where they line up behind high-powered telescopes and gaze in wonder at the stars.

Will is, by nature, a sensible planner who follows the rules. BT is the exact opposite, a risk taker who lives for the moment. While BT is the first to skateboard down Dead Man's Hill, Will is reluctant to even try.

Will is curious about girls but unsure how to handle his first kiss. Always the planner, he writes down the details and rehearses his conversation to ask a girl to the freshman dance, only to find out that another boy has beaten him to it.

When it's time for Will to defend his chess title, he trains with his dad and focuses on winning, but Tabby does her best to distract him. She messes with his chess trophy and is determined to try out his skateboard, the Black Viper. At the championship tournament, he is poised to win in the semifinals, when his orderly world comes crashing down and he wonders if his life will ever be the same.

Once again, Newbery Medal winner Jerry Spinelli shows why he is such an accomplished and acclaimed author. This story flows along like a lazy river on a sunny afternoon, and then out of nowhere, storm clouds form and whitecaps threaten. SMILES TO GO is a thoughtful and moving book about families and friendships and what's really important in life.

--- Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt

i thought this book was very well written. what i liked the most about it was that it brought things that were said in the beginning to the end of the story. I love this book and would recommend it to anyone!

Smiles to Go is wonderful book for middle schoolers and above. The plot is a little hard to understand so it is not suited for everybody. I recommend this book to 7th graders.

A book that is filled with action and exciting events but lacks character development simply bores me to tears. The best books have interesting characters and a great plot. But a good plot doesn't have to complex.

This is one of those books with a simple story line about people and their relationships with other people... teenagers, their friends, and their family members. As an adult reading a book about teenagers and for teenagers I found myself smiling at the memories of being one myself, but I enjoyed it on another level... human emotion is very powerful, whatever your age or the age of those you read about.

There is nothing offensive, but since the narrator is a teenager who begins to have romantic feelings toward his best friend, a girl he has known since kindergarten, there is some kissing and drama of that type that should probably be avoided by younger children. Also, there are some pretty intense emotional moments, and a tragic accident that could be frightening. The subject matter is definitely for older children and teens. Adults will enjoy it too.