Synopsis
When her prim and proper grandmother shows up with a boisterous new husband, ten-year-old Molly and her mother really dislike him, but after a series of confrontations, they learn to see both him and themselves in a new light.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 1998-10-01 |
| Size | | Length: | 160 pages | | Height: | 8.8 in | | Width: | 5.8 in | | Thickness: | 0.8 in | | Weight: | 11.2 oz |
Publisher's Note
When her prim and proper grandmother shows up with a boisterous new husband, ten-year-old Molly and her mother really dislike him, but after a series of confrontations, they learn to see both him and themselves in a new light.
Industry Reviews
The exaggerated, sitcom-like tone of this slight novel is set in the opening scene, when Molly's perfectionistic, former-professor mother, Lila, faints over the news that her widowed mother has remarried. Relying heavily on clich?s and exclamation marks ("Holy moly! Mom was flat on the kitchen floor"), 10-year-old Molly goes on to chronicle how everything goes "kerflooey" after her grandmother comes to visit with her new husband, the fat, bald Jimmy Barkenfalt, seller of polyester clothing, owner of garish Hawaiian shirts, lover of Big Macs. Molly's father and her little brother, aka "the nuisance," like Jimmy well enough, but Molly shares her mother's opinion that he is a "vulgarian." She also suspects he is a drug lord, after overhearing a telephone call he makes to South America. To drive him away, Molly carries out a hare-brained scheme to aggravate his cat allergy. The plan leads to disaster, of course, and Molly is gratifyingly humbled. Freeman (Stink Bomb Mom) takes a risk in casting the not altogether sympathetic Molly as narrator (readers may agree when Molly's grandmother exclaims, "Well, if Lila hasn't raised a little snob!") and in showing Molly's adherence to her less-than-likable parents' values ("Ya got a mama acts like the Queen o'Sheba [and] a dad too scared o'her t'say boo," Grandpa Jimmy accurately observes); kids may sign off before the protagonist (and her mom) experience a change of heart. Ages 8-12. (Nov.)
White
Gr 4-6-This disappointing story about self-centered people is not a very satisfying read. When Molly's widowed grandmother brings her new husband to meet the family, Mom is unable to disguise her disdain for him and 10-year-old Molly follows suit. Jimmy Barkenfalt, a loud, crude, homely businessman, is nothing like her handsome, dignified grandfather. It is clear he will never fit in with this respectable but highly unlikable family. Mom is a gourmet cook who forces her obnoxious recipes on the family. Overachieving Molly cares only about her pedigree cat and condescendingly refers to her little brother as "the nuisance." Dad is a wimp. Grandma, who didn't show much gumption with her stuffy first husband, is reduced to giggling with Jimmy. To get rid of him, Molly stuffs cat hair into his pillow. In addition to an allergic reaction, the man suffers a heart attack after climbing a tree to rescue the cat. Molly confesses and is forgiven. Dad asserts himself by buying iceberg lettuce and Mom returns to work. While everyone should have learned to be tolerant and forgiving, the changes are superficial and Molly's calling Jimmy her "Polyester Grandpa" seems more sly than friendly. The attempts at humor fall flat, and the dialogue and depictions of each generation are not convincing. Betsy Byars's "Blossom Family" books and Robert Kimmel Smith's The War with Grandpa (Yearling, 1984) are better explorations of multigenerational family interactions.-
White
The exaggerated, sitcom-like tone of this slight novel is set in the opening scene, when Molly's perfectionistic, former-professor mother, Lila, faints over the news that her widowed mother has remarried. Relying heavily on clich‚s and exclamation marks ("Holy moly! Mom was flat on the kitchen floor"), 10-year-old Molly goes on to chronicle how everything goes "kerflooey" after her grandmother comes to visit with her new husband, the fat, bald Jimmy Barkenfalt, seller of polyester clothing, owner of garish Hawaiian shirts, lover of Big Macs. Molly's father and her little brother, aka "the nuisance," like Jimmy well enough, but Molly shares her mother's opinion that he is a "vulgarian." She also suspects he is a drug lord, after overhearing a telephone call he makes to South America. To drive him away, Molly carries out a hare-brained scheme to aggravate his cat allergy. The plan leads to disaster, of course, and Molly is gratifyingly humbled. Freeman (Stink Bomb Mom) takes a risk in casting the not altogether sympathetic Molly as narrator (readers may agree when Molly's grandmother exclaims, "Well, if Lila hasn't raised a little snob!") and in showing Molly's adherence to her less-than-likable parents' values ("Ya got a mama acts like the Queen o'Sheba [and] a dad too scared o'her t'say boo," Grandpa Jimmy accurately observes); kids may sign off before the protagonist (and her mom) experience a change of heart. Ages 8-12. (Nov.)
Publishers Weekly (11/30/1998)
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