Pool Boy

Michael Simmons

ISBN 10 : 0807223239 ISBN 13 : 9780807223239

Editeur : Listening Library, 2004

Synopsis

Fifteen-year-old Brett Gerson is the kind of kid you love to hate. He's smug, arrogant, rude, and filthy rich. When his dad is jailed for insider trading, his family loses everything and Brett has to face life without the mansion, the Mercedes, and his beloved $5,000 stereo. But his attitude begins to change when he's forced to take a summer job assisting Alfie Moore, the seventy-year old guy who used to clean his swimming pool . . .Told in the first person and set in a fictional California town, POOL BOY marks the debut of a gifted young writer, Michael Simmons, and of one of the most engaging and infuriating anti-heroes since Holden Caulfield. MICHAEL SIMMONS lives in New York City. Pool Boy is his first novel for young adults.

A propos du livre

Commentaires

Grade 7 Up–Michael Simmon's novel (Roaring Brook, 2003) is an engaging "riches-to-rags" story narrated by a California teen whose father goes to jail for insider trading, forcing his family to radically adjust their standard of living. Brett, his mother, and sister Hannah must sell their house and belongings and move in with Aunt Mary. Bitter and angry, 15-year-old Brett Gerson can barely speak about his father without sarcastically blaming him for the family's new-found hard luck. Despite his spoiled rich kid facade, Brett is sensitive to sister Hannah's insecurities and appreciative of Aunt Mary's easy-going nature and hospitality. After short-lived employment at Fast Burger, Brett is befriended and offered a job by his family's former pool cleaner, an older man named Alfie. Predictably, Alfie becomes a father figure and sympathetic ear to Brett's self-pitying tirades. When Alfie becomes ill, Brett realizes the importance of family bonds and eventually reconciles with his own father. Actor Chad Lowe is a great fit for the voice of Brett, capturing the sharp edges of his personality as well as his vulnerable interior. The first-person point of view works well here, moving the story. Lowe deepens and softens his voice for the thoughtful and sage-like Alfie. The sappy but satisfying ending will not leave listeners dry-eyed.–Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY
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Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Listening Library
• Date d'édition: 2004
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0807223239
• ISBN 13: 9780807223239
• Reliure: Unknown Binding
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible