The Amazing Adventures of John Smith, Jr. AKA Houdini | Books Inc.

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The Amazing Adventures of John Smith, Jr. AKA Houdini (Hardcover)

By Peter Johnson

$15.99

Books Inc. in Laurel Village
1 on hand, as of May 20 10:54am (CHILDRENS-MIDDLE READERS)

On Our Shelves Now

Description

When an author comes to speak to his class in a rundown area of Providence, Houdini decides to make money by writing his own novel.

Rule #8 for Writing a Kid’s Novel: Try to include a few lists in your novel. Kids like lists.

Houdini is way more interesting than the kid the author wrote about.

Rule #6: You have to like your characters or the reader won’t care about them. (How can I not like myself?)

Houdini chronicles his life as he and his friends start a leaf-raking business, befriend Old Man Jackson, a Vietnam War veteran with a seriously intimidating dog, and get even with the neighborhood bully, Angel. But it’s hard to find a way to write about his dad losing his job or his brother, Franklin, who is first reported missing in action in Iraq and then still seems to be missing when he comes home.

No matter what, Houdini and his friends rely on one another to figure out how to do the right thing. And Houdini discovers that writing and thinking about his friends and family lets him get to know them in completely new ways.

About the Author

Peter Johnson is the critically acclaimed author of several collections of poetry, short stories, and novels, including Miracles & Mortifications, winner of the James Laughlin Award, Eduardo & “I,” Pretty Happy!, Love Poems for the Millennium, Rants and Raves: Selected and New Prose Poems, I’m a Man, and two young adult novels: Loserville and What Happened, a Paterson Prize winner that ALA Booklist called the “most gorgeously written YA of 2007.” Johnson is the recipient of two creative writing awards from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He teaches creative writing and children’s literature at Providence College in Rhode Island, where he lives with his wife, Genevieve, and two sons, Kurt and Lucas.

Praise for The Amazing Adventures of John Smith, Jr. AKA Houdini…

A middle-schooler writes a kids’ novel; an author writes an engaging, amiable read-and, presto, a tale about a boy nicknamed Houdini turns out magical....By turns poignant and downright hilarious, Houdini’s story/novel is delivered in a voice that’s wonderfully authentic.
-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Johnson (Loserville) delivers a strong contemporary urban novel with cross-gender appeal...Johnson offers solid insights into the varied well-drawn characters, and readers will appreciate Houdini’s realization that “writing makes you think very hard about things.”
-Publishers Weekly

A bit grittier and more believably boylike than most contemporary first-person narratives, this novel has a lot ofheart as well. And while a narrator who makes lists is common enough, Houdini’s are decidedly moreamusing than most.
-Booklist