Awards
- Short-listed for Rhode Island Teen Book Award 2016
Overview
This heartfelt story about school, friendship, and family is perfect for readers who can't get enough of such middle grade favorites as Jerry Spinelli and Gary D. Schmidt. From acclaimed author Peter Johnson, The Life and Times of Benny Alvarez is a novel that will make you laugh, cry, and appreciate your family all the more. Everyone thinks Benny Alvarez is Mr. Negativity. According to Benny, he's just realistic about seeing the ""other side"" of things--when it comes to just about everything. But maybe there's another way to deal with the things Benny can't control--like his ailing grandfather, his wild younger brother, and the know-it-all girls at school. In this poignant novel about acceptance, Benny Alvarez will have to decide . . . is the glass half empty or half full?
Full Product Details
Author: Peter Johnson (Durham University UK)
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Imprint: Collins
Dimensions:
Width: 14.70cm
, Height: 2.10cm
, Length: 22.20cm
Weight: 0.318kg
ISBN: 9780062215963
ISBN 10: 0062215965
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 24 June 2014
Recommended Age: From 8 to 12 years
Audience:
Children/juvenile
,
Children / Juvenile
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
This friendship story will appeal to word nerds and those that tolerate them, and it may even produce some tears under cover of humor. --Kirkus Reviews
""A middle-schooler writes a kids' novel; an author writes an engaging, amiable read-and, presto, a tale about a boy nicknamed Houdini turns out magical. . . . By turns poignant and downright hilarious, Houdini's story/novel is delivered in a voice that's wonderfully authentic."" - Kirkus Reviews (starred review), about The Amazing Adventures of John Smith, Jr. AKA Houdini ""Johnson (Loserville) delivers a strong contemporary urban novel with cross-gender appeal. . . . Johnson offers solid insights into the varied well-drawn characters, and readers will appreciate Houdini's realization that 'writing makes you think very hard about things.'"" - Publishers Weekly, about The Amazing Adventures of John Smith, Jr. AKA Houdini ""A bit grittier and more believably boylike than most contemporary first-person narratives, this novel has a lot of heart as well. And while a narrator who makes lists is common enough, Houdini's are decidedly more amusing than most."" - Booklist, about The Amazing Adventures of John Smith, Jr. AKA Houdini ""This slice-of-life novel portrays Benny and his entertaining family and friends with just the right balance of angst and humor. Spot-on."" - Publishers Weekly ""This friendship story will appeal to word nerds and those that tolerate them, and it may even produce some tears under cover of humor."" - Kirkus Reviews
Author Information
Peter Johnson grew up in Buffalo, New York, at a time when they had a good football team, which seems like fifty years ago. Similar to Benny Alvarez and his friends, Peter always loved words, knowing he was going to be a teacher or a professional baseball player. Also, being from a long line of Irish storytellers, he loved reading and telling tales, and when he realized that his stories changed every time he told them, and that he could get paid for this kind of lying, he decided to become a novelist. His first middle grade novel, The Amazing Adventures of John Smith, Jr. AKA Houdini, was named one of the Best Children's Books by Kirkus Reviews, and he's received many writing fellowships, most notably from the National Endowment for the Arts.
