Brothers, Boyfriends, & Other Criminal Mindsby Lurie, April
Syndetic Solutions - [Book Review for 9780385731249] Book Review : School Library Journal
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Gr 7–9—Set in Brooklyn, NY, in the late 1970s, this is the coming-of-age story of 14-year-old April Lundquist and her brush with the Mob. When she and her friend Brandi agree to escort the mentally challenged, 14-year-old son of Salvatore "Soft Sal" Luciano to and from school, they don't realize that they are now "in" with the Mafia—until money starts magically appearing in their books. April uses her connections with Mr. Luciano, however, to help save her older brother when he gets into big trouble because of his relationship with the daughter of another Mafia boss. Although the novel is slow-going at first, the pace picks up, and the colorful characters, including a bad-boy rocker type with whom April is enamored, make this a thoroughly enjoyable read. It may be the guys who cause all the problems in the neighborhood, but it's up to April to save the day while coming to terms with who she is and discovering a thing or two about guys and love. This is a fun, thoughtful story.—Robyn Zaneski, New York Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Syndetic Solutions - [Book Review for 0385731248] Book Review : BookList
: From BookList, , 2007, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission. : Fourteen-year-old April Lundquist lives in the colorful neighborhood of Dyker Heights, where many of Brooklyn's most dangerous mobsters live. She and her best friend, Brandi, can hardly refuse when Soft Sal requests that they escort his mentally handicapped son, Larry, to and from high school. April thinks that her service might buy a bit of protection for her older brother, Matt, who has fallen in love with a mobster's daughter. Lurie has written a delightful book about growing up in Brooklyn's Mafia-dominated 1970s. Colorful characters-Soft Sal, Gorgeous Vinny Persico, Frankie the Crunch-hold ever-present but largely benign control over the neighborhood. Against this rather sinister backdrop, April enters high school, learns to play a mean game of tennis, babysits for her younger brother, and falls madly in love with bad-boy rocker, Dom. A classic growing-up-in-America story with a twist, this is lighthearted yet complex, with just enough gut-wrenching love and suspense to make it an obvious hit with the girls and a potential sleeper with the guys. Bradburn, Frances. : | distributed by Syndetic Solutions, LLC.: |
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