The Zigzag Kid: A Novel [Paperback]

David Grossman (Author), Betsy Rosenberg (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 28, 1998

Nonny Feuerberg's father is the world's greatest detective, wholly dedicated to the war on crime. Nonny trains himself to follow in his father's footsteps, but to his father's dismay his wild side keeps breaking out. Then Nonny finds himself traveling on a train with the magnetic, elegant Felix Glick, international outlaw extraordinaire. Not until Felix has hijacked the locomotive and whisked Nonny off on a quest for the trademark purple scarf of the great actress Lola Ciperola does Nonny realize that he is in the hands of a kindly and fascinating kidnapper—and that although he himself knows almost nothing about his own mother, who died when he was a baby, both Felix and Lola seem to know a lot about her.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Noted for both his provocative journalism (e.g., The Yellow Wind, LJ 4/15/88) and his fiction (e.g., The Book of Common Grammar, LJ 4/15/94), Israeli writer Grossman here offers an imaginative new tale whereby the rebellious son of a detective is whisked away by a friendly kidnapper on the trail of the trademark purple scarf of actress Lola Ciperola.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

"Zigzag kids" don't fit into the symmetrical worlds of school and society. Nonny, son of a by-the-book Jerusalem cop and a free-spirited mom, is one such kid, and as he approaches his Bar Mitzvah, Nonny's life undergoes its grandest zigzag yet. Embarked on a train trip to Haifa and knowing that a birthday surprise has been arranged by his father, Nonny is not particularly shocked when the charismatic Felix appears to stop the train at gunpoint and whisk him away in a limousine. Part of the surprise, he figures. Wrong. The kidnapper is his father's nemesis, a master thief who just happens to be Nonny's grandfather. Felix takes Nonny on a picaresque coming-of-age journey into the boy's past--and that of his long-dead mother, whose crime-tainted history has been buried by Nonny's father. Despite a too-elaborate premise and a few moments that strain credibility, Israeli novelist Grossman's inventive tale is a rollicking delight, combining on-the-road adventure with meaty reflection on what it means to be happy. Bill Ott --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1st edition (November 28, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374525633
• ISBN-13: 978-0374525637
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,548,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Grossman was born in Jerusalem. He is the author of numerous works of fiction, nonfiction, and children's literature. His work has appeared in The New Yorker and has been translated into thirty languages around the world. He is the recipient of many prizes, including the French Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the Buxtehuder Bulle in Germany, Rome's Premio per la Pace e l'Azione Umitaria, the Premio Ischia-- International Award for Journalism, Israel's Emet Prize, and the Albatross Prize given by the Günter Grass Foundation.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely, May 19, 2000

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Zigzag Kid: A Novel (Paperback)

Let me start by applauding an excellent translation (from the Hebrew) by Betsy Rosenberg. Only once or twice in reading this humorous coming of age tale did I recall it was a translation, which is always a good sign. The novel is written from the perspective of a 12-year-old boy just about to have his Bar Mitzvah in late '60 or early '70s Israel. Nonny is an only child, raised by a workaholic policeman father and his secretary girlfriend. At first we know little more than this, as the boy is placed by himself on a train to Haifa. Then, some odd events occur which had me worried that the book was headed into magical realism. Fortunately, this is not the case, but the boy is involved in a wild several days where it is not clear what is truth and what is deception. The boy's character and the mystery of his mother is unveiled with in tantalizing tidbits. For me the tension mounted and mounted all the way to the end, when the boy fully learns and understands his past. Very nice.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, December 1, 2002

By 

B. Fleischer "moderate-thinker" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Zig Zag Kid (Paperback)

Though I read it in the Hebrew, the story was so rich and intriguing that the translation sure transmits the wonder and excitement of this book. Through style and story, Zizag Kid is a success.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, Joyful coming of age novel set in Israel, July 14, 2006

By 

Diana Black Kennedy "Educational Therapist" (San Anselmo, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Zig Zag Kid (Paperback)

I teach 8th grade literature at a Jewish Day School, so I am always looking for high quality literature that will speak to 13 year olds, and if it has some Jewish content, all the better. This is by far my students' favorite book of the year. We read it at the end of the year as they are getting ready to transition into high school, and it offers great discussion opportunities. But it is by no means a children's book--I loved reading it in its own right, as did my principal. In fact, another teacher walked into the Teacher's Lounge and saw it and said, "Oh, you're reading that! He's one of my favorite authors!" She was surprised to learn I was teaching the book. What a joy to find a book that speaks to young adults and adults alike!