Michael Springer
Autor von The Bootlegger's Secret
Werke von Michael Springer
Getagged
Wissenswertes
Für diesen Autor liegen noch keine Einträge mit "Wissenswertem" vor. Sie können helfen.
Mitglieder
Rezensionen
This review first appeared on my blog:
http://jewelknits.blogspot.com/2010/12/bootleggers-secret-by-michael-springer.ht...
I must first admit to a bit of "bad cover" antipathy towards this one; which is why it took me so long to get to it. I really need to start following the "never judge a book by it's cover" rule as I've read some books with wonderful covers (or tried to read them) that were just bleh! and some with horrid covers that were fabulous (like this one).
This isn't a "lyrical and evocatively written" book; it's a book with a great solid reading style that will put you in mind of Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn and the like.
It's 1941 - Meet Mark and Swede, two tweens from different sides of the social spectrum, yet fast friends. Mark's father owns an insurance agency, and his mom works as a nurse at the local hospital. Swede's mother apparently suffers from a depression that leaves her bed-ridden, and his father is a violent drunk. Mark has two siblings; Swede has none.
Swede is the kid your parents warn you to stay away from - he nips from his father's gambling winnings while his dad is passed out at the kitchen table; he doesn't appear to have much of a moral conscience, and his future abode appears to be the juvenile detention center.
Mark, on the other hand, has a solid family, good values, and a HUGE crush on his former neighbor Cathy, whose big brother George is a sideways bully (the kind that pushes and instigates on the sly and then cries when he gets pushed or hit back).
Mark and Swede are spending time at the swimming hole when they come across a long-submerged Packard. In an attempt to get the hood ornament, Swede dives under the water and ends up going inside the car, where he finds a silver cigarette case. Even though he was unsuccessful in retrieving the hood ornament, he and Mark take their new treasure to an abandoned treehouse which has become their hangout spot. Inside is a picture of someone named Grace, which Swede attaches to the clubhouse wall, and some smokes, which he and Mark light up and try. Mark, coughing, puts his out right away and heads home.
The next day, as the boys are going to the swimming hole, there are police and a tow truck there pulling the Packard out. A body is found inside, which is eventually identified as that of Eddie Knowland, a bootlegger who disappeared eight years ago. The boys deny knowing anything about it, and there the story begins.
Who are the two men following them? Are they the federal agents or the bad guys? Who ransacked their treehouse? When the cigarette case and Grace's photo come up missing, who took them? When Swede disappears, where did he go? Did he leave on his own or did someone take him? Whose body is found in the trunk of the bad guy's car that was abandoned at the police station?
This is such a really good book; I'm going to re-read it with Bebe Boy James, who really liked Huckleberry Finn; it will be our next read-together book.
There are twists and turns and some unexpected surprises, all written in a fashion that makes you want to keep right on reading. I highly recommend this as a good middle reader, especially for reluctant boy readers.
QUOTES:
Fifty cents entitled them to see everything: side show, animal menagerie, and Big Top, where the opening spectacle - or spec - began at two-fifteen. They were so excited that they didn't notice the two men in dark suits and hats who were following them.
Swede wore a long-sleeved shirt to hide the red welts on his arms where his pa had whipped him with a belt - just because the old man had a hangover.
How did a man choose killing for his life's work? Mark imagined Steffano's son or daughter being asked by classmates, "What's your dad do for a living?" And they'd say, "Oh, he kills people".
BOOK RATING: 5.0 out of 5 stars… (mehr)
http://jewelknits.blogspot.com/2010/12/bootleggers-secret-by-michael-springer.ht...
I must first admit to a bit of "bad cover" antipathy towards this one; which is why it took me so long to get to it. I really need to start following the "never judge a book by it's cover" rule as I've read some books with wonderful covers (or tried to read them) that were just bleh! and some with horrid covers that were fabulous (like this one).
This isn't a "lyrical and evocatively written" book; it's a book with a great solid reading style that will put you in mind of Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn and the like.
It's 1941 - Meet Mark and Swede, two tweens from different sides of the social spectrum, yet fast friends. Mark's father owns an insurance agency, and his mom works as a nurse at the local hospital. Swede's mother apparently suffers from a depression that leaves her bed-ridden, and his father is a violent drunk. Mark has two siblings; Swede has none.
Swede is the kid your parents warn you to stay away from - he nips from his father's gambling winnings while his dad is passed out at the kitchen table; he doesn't appear to have much of a moral conscience, and his future abode appears to be the juvenile detention center.
Mark, on the other hand, has a solid family, good values, and a HUGE crush on his former neighbor Cathy, whose big brother George is a sideways bully (the kind that pushes and instigates on the sly and then cries when he gets pushed or hit back).
Mark and Swede are spending time at the swimming hole when they come across a long-submerged Packard. In an attempt to get the hood ornament, Swede dives under the water and ends up going inside the car, where he finds a silver cigarette case. Even though he was unsuccessful in retrieving the hood ornament, he and Mark take their new treasure to an abandoned treehouse which has become their hangout spot. Inside is a picture of someone named Grace, which Swede attaches to the clubhouse wall, and some smokes, which he and Mark light up and try. Mark, coughing, puts his out right away and heads home.
The next day, as the boys are going to the swimming hole, there are police and a tow truck there pulling the Packard out. A body is found inside, which is eventually identified as that of Eddie Knowland, a bootlegger who disappeared eight years ago. The boys deny knowing anything about it, and there the story begins.
Who are the two men following them? Are they the federal agents or the bad guys? Who ransacked their treehouse? When the cigarette case and Grace's photo come up missing, who took them? When Swede disappears, where did he go? Did he leave on his own or did someone take him? Whose body is found in the trunk of the bad guy's car that was abandoned at the police station?
This is such a really good book; I'm going to re-read it with Bebe Boy James, who really liked Huckleberry Finn; it will be our next read-together book.
There are twists and turns and some unexpected surprises, all written in a fashion that makes you want to keep right on reading. I highly recommend this as a good middle reader, especially for reluctant boy readers.
QUOTES:
Fifty cents entitled them to see everything: side show, animal menagerie, and Big Top, where the opening spectacle - or spec - began at two-fifteen. They were so excited that they didn't notice the two men in dark suits and hats who were following them.
Swede wore a long-sleeved shirt to hide the red welts on his arms where his pa had whipped him with a belt - just because the old man had a hangover.
How did a man choose killing for his life's work? Mark imagined Steffano's son or daughter being asked by classmates, "What's your dad do for a living?" And they'd say, "Oh, he kills people".
BOOK RATING: 5.0 out of 5 stars… (mehr)
This book starts us on our journey in the summer of 1942, its wartime in America and everyone is doing their part, including Mark Penn and his buddy Swede Larson. They buy war stamps with their spare money and participate in collecting scrap rubber for the war effort. Mark's mom even has a victory garden planted which Mark has to work in, everyone is very patriotic and doing what they can for the war effort, or so it seems.
While Swede is stuck each morning in summer school, Mark has taken to wandering the hills with his trusty Daisy Air Rifle playing war. While playing he sees a Japanese family living in an old house up on the ridge, he starts creeping around the house and sees that their 39 Ford has California license plates. Mark automatically thinks they either must be spies or they have escaped from camp because he knows President Roosevelt had ordered all Japanese on the west coast into internment camps as potential wartime enemies. He knows he has to get out of there and tell someone, but who ?
I love the way this story is written, you just know that this story could have happened in small town America during WWII. Mark and Swede have the typical problems of boys their age. Mark has girl trouble, his girlfriend has moved away, and Swede has just discovered that the opposite sex isn't so bad. Mark is bat boy for the Aces, and Swede's job on the team is to return foul balls and home runs to the field. For all the fun these two boys have tragedy hits home for them when one of their own is killed at war.
Labeled action/adventure this story has mystery, periods of suspense, young love, and history, a real page turner that holds your interest until the last sentence. If you love stories that take you back to the good old days, reminiscent of Mayberry or Tom Sawyer your going to love this book, and even though it is a second in a series it can easily be read alone. While geared toward pre-teens to young adults I found it quite enjoyable and hope the author continues to write more about these two adventuresome lads.… (mehr)
While Swede is stuck each morning in summer school, Mark has taken to wandering the hills with his trusty Daisy Air Rifle playing war. While playing he sees a Japanese family living in an old house up on the ridge, he starts creeping around the house and sees that their 39 Ford has California license plates. Mark automatically thinks they either must be spies or they have escaped from camp because he knows President Roosevelt had ordered all Japanese on the west coast into internment camps as potential wartime enemies. He knows he has to get out of there and tell someone, but who ?
I love the way this story is written, you just know that this story could have happened in small town America during WWII. Mark and Swede have the typical problems of boys their age. Mark has girl trouble, his girlfriend has moved away, and Swede has just discovered that the opposite sex isn't so bad. Mark is bat boy for the Aces, and Swede's job on the team is to return foul balls and home runs to the field. For all the fun these two boys have tragedy hits home for them when one of their own is killed at war.
Labeled action/adventure this story has mystery, periods of suspense, young love, and history, a real page turner that holds your interest until the last sentence. If you love stories that take you back to the good old days, reminiscent of Mayberry or Tom Sawyer your going to love this book, and even though it is a second in a series it can easily be read alone. While geared toward pre-teens to young adults I found it quite enjoyable and hope the author continues to write more about these two adventuresome lads.… (mehr)
Statistikseite
- Werke
- 11
- Mitglieder
- 23
- Beliebtheit
- #537,598
- Bewertung
- 4.7
- Rezensionen
- 3
- ISBNs
- 19
- Sprachen
- 1
Two boys on summer vacation Mark Penn and Swede Larson find a 1931 Pierce-Arrow. Inside is the body of a once notorious bootlegger as well as his cigarette case. Curious, the boys take the cigarette case and it leads them through a series of misadventures that help to unveil the truth behind the bootlegger's death.
The book isn't just about the bootlegger though. It's part of the atmosphere of a historical novel. There's also mention of the circus coming to town and 4th of July celebrations and other typically American summertime activities. This mixture of nostalgia with adventure gives The Bootlegger's Secret a Ray Bradbury sort of feel to it.
I received this book for review from the author.… (mehr)