From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6-With a zany style and deep insight into the secret lives of boys, Cumyn tells a series of connected stories about young Owen Skye and his two brothers, Andy and Leonard. Their adventures are, by turns, funny, frightening, and genuinely dangerous. All are fully engaging, although at times readers might wonder where reality stops and fantasy begins. Are there really aliens that can be contacted by radio from Dead Man's Hill? Does the Bog Man really suck out the juice from cattle? Is their archenemy the giant squid doing more evil deeds? But beyond the supernatural, Owen is bewildered by ordinary things, including his sudden attraction to Sylvia, which leads to a Valentine's Day fiasco and a visit to the dreaded principal. The boys have hilarious conversations about many subjects, including God: "Well, if God is everywhere, then he must be in toilet paper too! And cheese broccoli soup." Cumyn's prose is lively and liberally sprinkled with sparkling turns of phrase: "On that march home the cold slipped inside the boys' snowsuits and drained away all their heat like a plug had been pulled from the bathtub." The characters are fresh and genuinely fascinating, from Owen's clueless parents and his strange but wise Uncle Lorne, who lives in the dank basement, to kindly Nurse Debbie and others who enter the lives of these unruly siblings. This book is very funny, and it would be a splendid read-aloud or read-alone choice.Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WICopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
Three brothers find fun - and puppy love -in this wise, witty novel for young readers. Owen Skye lives in a small village with his brothers Andy and Leonard, their parents, and their weird Uncle Lorne. The Skye boys have a knack for turning innocent events into full-blown escapades. An argument about girls and God leads to a ruckus, and Leonard loses his glasses in the river. This induces the boys to skinny-dip, and they are promptly discovered by girls who chase them home. There they break out in a mysterious rash that confines them to bed for a week and subjects them to their mother's homemade poultices. Another time, the boys sneak out on a winter night to listen for aliens on the crystal radio in their snow fort, which necessitates a rescue by Uncle Lorne. On another occasion, a plan to sell old comics leads to a melee with bullies, a boxing lesson from their father, and an eerie moment of truth at the site of a tragic train accident. Owen's days are magical and full of adventures with his brothers as they observe the curious world of adults and ponder the secret mysteries of life, death, and love.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

For Owen Skye, everyday life is full of danger and mystery. The deadly Bog Man lurks in the nearby fields, aliens send mysterious messages, and pesky girls practice being surgeons by trying to take out your liver with a butter knife. And then there's Sylvia, the girl with eyes like the summer sky made into a jewel. Thank goodness for Andy and Leonard. When life gets crazy, it's good to have brothers on your side.

FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature - Beth Guldseth

Like The Speed of Light, this is a story about boys playing on their own, mostly unobserved by adults. But this gentle, humorous, and innocent story is for much younger readers. It is set in rural Canada, perhaps in the 1950s. Cumyn remembers how the mind of the young boy works and has great respect for his subject. He has a writing style all his own that is a delight to read. Some scenes are hilarious and I laughed till I was breathless; other scrapes are dangerous and frightening. See "Spoil the rod and spare the child," in which their father inadvertently breaks the paddling ruler. Or bashful Uncle Lorne who arrives late to his own wedding because his feet are too big for his shoes, or the brothers jumping out of the way of a speeding train just in time. This would make a good family or classroom read-aloud. 2003, Groundwood, Ages 7 to 10.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-With a zany style and deep insight into the secret lives of boys, Cumyn tells a series of connected stories about young Owen Skye and his two brothers, Andy and Leonard. Their adventures are, by turns, funny, frightening, and genuinely dangerous. All are fully engaging, although at times readers might wonder where reality stops and fantasy begins. Are there really aliens that can be contacted by radio from Dead Man's Hill? Does the Bog Man really suck out the juice from cattle? Is their archenemy the giant squid doing more evil deeds? But beyond the supernatural, Owen is bewildered by ordinary things, including his sudden attraction to Sylvia, which leads to a Valentine's Day fiasco and a visit to the dreaded principal. The boys have hilarious conversations about many subjects, including God: "Well, if God is everywhere, then he must be in toilet paper too! And cheese broccoli soup." Cumyn's prose is lively and liberally sprinkled with sparkling turns of phrase: "On that march home the cold slipped inside the boys' snowsuits and drained away all their heat like a plug had been pulled from the bathtub." The characters are fresh and genuinely fascinating, from Owen's clueless parents and his strange but wise Uncle Lorne, who lives in the dank basement, to kindly Nurse Debbie and others who enter the lives of these unruly siblings. This book is very funny, and it would be a splendid read-aloud or read-alone choice.-Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews