Monday, March 17, 2008

YA Review: "The Neddiad" by Daniel Pinkwater (rated 3 stars)

by Daniel Manus Pinkwater

Neddie, the main character, had to move to Los Angeles because his father is that kind of man. His father just spontaneously does something and this time it’s a move to L.A.

On the way there, Neddie is given a turtle. The turtle is special. The shaman, whose name at this point is Melvin, tells him to take care of it. On the way to L.A., Neddie has some mis-adventures: he misses a train, he meets an actor and his son and ends up at the Grand Canyon, more interesting adventures ensue.

I did not particularly enjoy this book. However, I do think it is a good boy book for a 6th – 7th grader. There a lot of little anecdotes about Los Angeles history, an introduction to a Native American creation tale, trains, bullies and saving the world. It is fun and a lot of our students enjoyed it and for this one, I would take their word over my own.

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