I will always think of this book as The Story that Lacked Pronouns. None of the kids in this book use personal pronouns when they talk about themselves. To give you an idea of what this is like, I will now write my review in the style of Maks...

Liked it okay. Thought it lagged a little in places, but was fun. Wasn't impressed by the audiobook narrator-- the mug read without really seeming comfortable with the rhythm of the language. Know that Avi is a great writer, so of course it's good, but not up there with Charlotte Doyle. ( )

Wonderful historical fiction with a great sense of place. Avi knows how to make details interesting and how to create characters who are believable and whose voices ring true to their character and place in the past. ( )

solidly written, historically accurate (as far as I can tell) and fun. 3.5ish but I'm rounding up since I'm not the intended audience. ;) really good kids book. ( )

3.5 stars. Vividly paints a picture of life in New York City in the late 1800s. Lots of adventure and excitement. I didn't love the rough. clipped language the person who is telling the story used. I listened to this book, and the narrator handled this as well as he could have, I imagine. I'm not sure if this would have come off differently on paper. ( )

children's/teen/middlegrade fiction; historical (1890s NYC). It wasn't bad, I just didn't think I could read a whole book written in Maks' "newsies" vernacular: "Don't forget: I'm telling this story. And don't count on gettin no break from me for a long time. At least not til I meet Willa. She's a girl." (*ok, I'm exaggerating here, but that's about how much I got annoyed after the first 13 pages or so--I couldn't even make it to 50 pages.) ( )