James W. Fuerst

3.5 Entertaining audio book for adults, but with a kid narrator. Genie Smalls is stuck in the summer between 6th and 7th grade. He is IQ brilliant, but troubled with rage and behavioral issues that give him a hard time socially, not to mention his name and his size (small) and the fact that he doesn't have a Dad (he walked out) and his single mom and older sister Nicey (short for Denise) are raising him - though supportively. His beloved Grandma Tootsie is in a nursing home and his only friend is a stuffed Ninja Turtle he calls Crash. Genie (who has begun calling himself Huge) fancies himself a detective, which his Grandma encourages and he is currently trying to solve a case of property vandalism at the nursing home. He is the most foul-mouthed 12 year old I've encountered, but also kind of endearing in that he thinks things through (sometimes too much) and really has a fierce love and loyalty for these women in his life. The story takes place in a Jersey shore suburb in the 80s, and the references to that era are almost worth the read alone: Steak-ums, Jams shorts, and the iconic banana seat bike. The cruiser, as Huge calls it, is his main transport around town and he covers a lot of ground in his detective work, but what he learns is greater than whodunnit: he figures out the girl he likes (Staci) likes him back, his mom and sister and Grandma are his greatest supporters, he can learn to control his impulses and anger, and he can have a fresh start when he starts Jr. High in the Fall. Kind of like a junior Holden Caulfield, Huge has a journey with important episodes along the way - he gets roughed up, he has moments of triumph at a high school party, he learns compassion and shades of gray, he fights with his own anxiety and insecurity and he emerges toward growing up.… (mehr)

Eugene Smalls is hitting his teens during the 1980s in New Jersey. He may have a high IQ, but it is his bad reputation that everyone knows about.

Channeling the characters from Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, 'Huge' takes on his first real case solving the mystery of who tagged the Seniors' Home sign. And along the way learns a little more about himself and growing up.

Written in the noir style jargon and interweaving the teen talk of the era, Fuerst gives the reader an enjoyable ride on this wild adventure of a boy coming of age. His prickly relationships with family and schoolmates, and his own emotions of dealing with situations. All done with a sense of humour and action.… (mehr)

A thoroughly entertaining coming-of-age/whodunnit that often put me in mind of Curious Incident.

The protagonist, Eugene (aka "Huge") is a 12-year-old outcast with "acting-out" issues and an unhealthy obsession with the noir writings of Hammet, Chandler, Cain, and the like. He decides to bring the scum that defaced the sign at his Grandmother's nursing home to justice with the help of his imaginary muscle ("Thrash") and his sweet Schwinn Stingray ("The Cruiser").

The 1980s New Jersey suburbs are hilariously depicted warts-and-all and Huge himself is a pretty unforgettable character.

It's written for adults (there are a couple of "adult themed moments"), but should have no trouble finding an appreciative audience among the high school set.

Fun and satisfying.… (mehr)