From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5. Accustomed to all the rights and privileges attendant on the baby of the family, nine-year-old Elliot is feeling more than a little displaced by his four-year-old nephew, Jonathan. All the more so now that his sister is about to give birth to a second child, and Jonathan, who is staying with his grandparents-Elliot's parents-has been elevated to the status of Elliot's tagalong charge. Adding insult to injury, his best friend Goog's loyalties have been compromised by a girl, leaving a vengeful Elliot no recourse but to declare war. Tales of childhood rivalry have a ready-made audience, and this will be no exception. Palatini's characters are credibly and sympathetically drawn, colored by Elliot's sensibilities. Jonathan is a precocious four year old, annoying and endearing. Goog is a best friend worth fighting for, and Corinne is a rival to be reckoned with. Readers may find Elliot a bit of a whiner, his escapades less hilarious and thus less readily engaging than, say, the siblings in Judy Blume's Superfudge (Dutton, 1980) or Lois Lowry's All About Sam (Houghton, 1988). However, his sufferings are real, his attempts at revenge diverting, and his gradual, grudging appreciation of Jonathan?and even Corinne?subtly and realistically developed. Not a groundbreaking book, certainly, but a solid contribution to the genre.?Marcia Hupp, Mamaroneck Public Library, NY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
When Palatini (Moosetache, p. 386, etc.) allows the nine- year-old narrator, Elliot, to get past his penchant for name- calling and his smart-aleck, center-of-the-universe attitude, readers will find a good story in the offing, about boy-girl role reversal. While his sister has a new baby, Elliot finds himself in charge of his nephew, Jonathan, a squirmy, impetuous preschooler. To make matters worse, Elliot breaks his arm and can't participate in the usual ball games and swim meets with best friend, Goog. Enter Corrine, the new girl with a baseball- wallpapered room who effortlessly replaces Elliot on both teams and in the neighborhood while he struggles through a summer of smelly diapers and baby burps. Palatini is least effective when she employs sarcasm and too-hip dialogue, but perfectly at home evoking scenes of family warmth and camaraderie. (Fiction. 8-11) --
Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
