The Big Splash (Ferraiolo) is a mystery that only a middle schooler could love. It's a tongue-in-cheek "tough guy" mystery. Matt Stevens is a private investigator who takes a job from Vinny who runs a 7th grade organized crime organization specializing in forged hall passes, test copying, and black market candy. Vinny's former partner, Nikki, helped him come to power by taking out the bullies with well-placed squirt gun shots causing such humiliation that the bullies become social outcasts. Nikki has retired - but then she is hit. Can Matt find out who did it?Actually I really meant it when I said this is a mystery only a middle schooler could love. I had to force myself to finish it. But VOYA (Feb. 2009) named it one of the top five "Top Shelf Books for Middle School Students" and it is nominated for the 2009 Edgar Award in the YA category.
8 comments:
This sounds like the book for me! I am accused of thinking like a middle school student all the time! Seriously, it sounds fun and might be worth a read.
As an aside, I figured out how to cut and paste into the blog. I changed my browser to Firefox from Safari and it work perfectly.
Mystery lite, huh? Sounds like it could be an enticing book for those reluctant readers.
Dr, Berg, this sounds like it could be a fun read. What about the book turned you off? Was it the writing? Was it very juvenile?
Did anybody else see the movie "Brick?" Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the protagonist, it sounds a lot like this only more grown up. The film uses a lot of conventions and cliches from dark, noir detective films but it takes place in a high school. It's a pretty good flick, much more appropriate for high school students. The films website has an illustrated novella that can be downloaded though, I'll have to dig a litte to see if it can be added to a library collection...
www.rcjohnso.com/BrickScript.html
As other people have written, it sounds like a good read for middle school students. Without picking up a copy, is the book written in cartoon form? The cover gives that impression...appealing to a 7th grader?
Brian - I think it was the "potty" humor that turned me off.
Bill - this is not a graphic novel though, I agree, the cover looks like it.
I know as an author, I'm not supposed to comment on reviews (especially less than flattering ones), but I'm gearing up for some school appearances, and I'd like to flex some of my "discussion muscles." I hope I don't come off sounding too defensive :)
A couple of other adults that I've talked to shared your distaste for the "potty" humor, and I have to admit, the first time I heard it I was taken aback. This may sound weird, but to me there's very little (if any) potty humor in the book. The "potty" content is used as a vehicle for humiliation and derision, not humor. My intent was to choose something that vividly portrayed middle school as a weird limbo between childhood and adulthood. I wanted to make it juvenile enough to be easily dismissed by kids (if they really wanted to) or adults (if the kids got caught). The issue is that the kids have decided (with a little "help" from Vinny and his goons) to take it seriously. I was careful to state that the kids knew the pee wasn't real but laughed anyway--
"Why? There's no easy answer to that. Middle school is tough. Everyone's got a reason to be insecure. If someone else is getting laughed at, then that means nobody's laughing at you. And most kids feel like they're always one step away from being the class joke."
I learned pretty quickly that this book was going to walk the fine "potty humor" line, and that despite my intent, I couldn't fully control what the readers took away from it. Which is why I actually like these reviews/discussions...they challenge me to be a better writer, force me to work harder to get my exact meaning across.
So thank you for reading and discussing The Big Splash, Dr. Berg! I hope one of my future books strikes your fancy a bit more...although right now, I'm writing a sequel to The Big Splash. So hang on...it might be awhile...:)
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