How I Survived My Summer Vacation: And Lived to Write the Story (Hardcover)

by Robin Friedman (Author) "Out of all the things I could have done that morning, who would have guessed that waking up was the worst choice..." (more)
Key Phrases: great opening line, computer camp, swim club, Frog Hollow, Kelly Phillips, Cyrus the Virus (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In Friedman's humorous first novel, 13-year-old aspiring writer Jackie Monterey plans to spend his summer writing a novelAbut can't get past the opening line. It doesn't help that he keeps getting distracted: his pals Garus and Nick persuade him to join the swim team, then drag him along to hunt for a Playboy magazine or explore a sewer pipe; his best friend, Mallory, falls for a poetry-reciting member of the rival swim team; and when his "first-ever girlfriend" comes over for dinner, his New Age book publishing parents scare her off with their inedible soy-based menu and a bestselling author guest who recites an "ancient circle of prayers." After a few dozen attempts at film noir and science fiction, Jackie finally takes his dad's advice to "write what you know" and trades in his unfinished novels for an essay about his summer vacation, which he quickly cranks out, and it wins first prize in an essay competition. The book's funny moments and tender lessons occasionally get buried beneath stilted characters, such as Garus, who uses a forced English accent, or Mallory, who speaks in clunky abbreviations ("I'm s.h.i.c.e.a.h.," she says, meaning "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse"). But Friedman's comic timing along with her insights are what readers will remember. Ages 12-up. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9-Thirteen-year-old Jackie Monterey has vowed to write the great American novel this summer. He's certain he will succeed despite the fact that he didn't finish that short story last year or that essay the year before. Unfortunately, he can't seem to get past the first sentence. His parents, who run a New Age publishing house, are always distracting him with their strange friends and clients. His friends keep doing things that get them all in trouble and further distract him from his goal. It doesn't help that he keeps changing the genre of his novel from film noir to SF to western to humor. His parents offer advice, but they are too "weird" to know anything worthwhile. His best friend, Mallory, tells him he's too rigid. It takes his being dumped by his shallow first girlfriend, winning a swim meet, and seeing his parents in a new light to realize that Mallory was right. This amusing, entertaining book travels some of the same ground as Rob Thomas's Rats Saw God (S & S, 1996) without the depth and Jack Gantos's Jack's Black Book (Farrar, 1997) without the edgy humor. Some readers might become annoyed with Jackie's friend Nick, a lothario, or his sidekick Garus, who speaks with a fake British accent, but all in all the characters and situations are realistic and Jackie's awakening is believable if a little slow in coming.
Timothy Capehart, Leominster Public Library, MA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 173 pages
• Publisher: Front Street; 1st edition (June 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812627385
• ISBN-13: 978-0812627381
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #988,779 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique, totally engaging, thoroughly entertaining., August 16, 2000

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

Jack Monterey is trying to write a novel before school starts up again in the fall. His zany friends, New Age Publishing house parents, and some totally unexpected experiences are complicating his literary efforts no end! This hilarious novel for young readers ages 12 and up revolves around adolescent writer's black and the distractions of summer. How I Survived My Summer Vacation: And Lived To Write The Story is a unique, totally engaging, thoroughly entertaining, superbly written novel that will prove an instant favorite for any kid who has ever aspired to write a story of his or her own!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Robin Friedman's Book Is A Winner!, August 6, 2000

By	"msdabs" (Edison, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

"How I Survived My Summer Vacation: And Lived to Write the Story" is a delightful book that kept me interested in the lives of normal kids trying to survive a typical boring summer vacation. Ms. Friedman captured the spirit of each character. I particularly enjoyed her characterization of Jackie Monterey, the protagonist of this story. For anyone who has had writer's block from a simple business letter to a major term paper, this is a book for you.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Summer fun, June 8, 2000

By	Xeneri - See all my reviews

Poor Jackie! He's caught up with the ambition to write a novel before he begins highschool but had no idea how difficult it would be. His friends are no help as they are caught up with their own summer obsessions: his best freind Mallory, a theme park fanatic, is trying to win a contest so she can go to the Kingdom of Magic, Nick is too busy checking out girls, and Gary is too busy idolizing Nick (when he's not trying to perfect his english accent). Things get even more complicated (and fun) when almost everyone gets involved with new romances. So how is Jackie ever going to finish -- much less start -- his novel?

This is a funny, sometimes realistic, sometimes wacky book about the changes that take place between grade school and highschool. I enjoyed the reliving some of my own escapades and confusions of tis time of life. Jackie Monterey and his friends are a hoot. This is a delightful book perfect for some light over-the-summer reading...and it may even inspire a novel or two from your own kids.