Jack Gantos

“A gothic tale of the love of one’s mother beyond all reason, as told by Ivy Spirco.”

Ivy and her mother live in a hotel across the street from the Rumbaugh Pharmacy. The Rumbaugh twins run the pharmacy and Ivy has known them all her life. But she makes a discovery that reveals an unusual side to the brothers. The deep feelings they show for their mother and that Ivy can rationalize makes sense to her, as she also has a great love for her mother.

The Rumbaugh twins are identical to the point it is hard to tell who is Abner and who is Adolph. Raised by their mother in a strict religious environment, they have never married. Ivy’s mother worked for the twins and their mother at the pharmacy before Ivy was born, hence the long friendship. The twins have a hobby of taxidermy, which they had learned from their father. They create dioramas using the stuffed figures to populate the scenes. They have taken many awards for their work. This is something Ivy takes up and also excels at.

On Ivy’s 16th birthday, her mother reveals something about Ivy’s heritage that is totally unexpected and is life changing. Also why there is a possibility she may have inherited the “Rumbaugh curse.”

A book more for the 12 and up age group. The writing is good and descriptive but does lag in spots. Otherwise it is an very interesting read of the unusual!… (mehr)

Joey is told by everyone in school and at home that something is wrong with him, that he is wired wrong. But when he is on his meds everyone thinks he is perfectly fine. In this book we see Joey go through the process of getting diagnosed and new medicine given to him so he can sit still and pay attention in class without putting himself or others at risk. I would use this book in a 4th or 5th grade classroom, and maybe in middle school. The book is very interesting with a sense of humor in it and can be helpful to understand more of how someone with ADHD operates and also just to shed life on different life experiences.… (mehr)