Gene Kemp (1926–2015)

Follows the ups and downs of a school year for Tyke Tiler, including taking care of a friend, Danny, who has much more trouble at school than Tyke, both mean and kind teachers, a hectic but loving home, and adventures in an abandoned mill.

Above-average entry in the genre of first-person school narratives. The story was fun and the characters believable; I was particularly impressed with how I was completely fooled until the very end into thinking Tyke was a boy. (I assume this was the point and not that I was just weirdly dense about it, because it *did* seem to be a purpose-filled reveal, with no indication of her gender previous to the last couple of pages).… (altro)

After the death of his father, a young boy has difficulty with his mother at home and bullies at school. When the bullies destroy his father's flute, his grandmother agrees to buy him a new one. However, once at the music shop, he is enthralled by a piccolo and must have it, against his grandmother's advice. He soon realizes that the piccolo is bent on destruction and hurting others. Will he be able to stop it?

This book was a pretty forgettable one. Honestly, I finished it two days ago and I already forgot the main character's name. The story touches upon some deep topics (particularly death) but only talks about them superficially. There was a chance for character development but it's neglected in favor of quick action. This reminds me of more recent book series as Eerie Elementary or the Notebooks of Doom in that they are "scary" (but not so scary), action-packed, and full of flat characters. Unlike those books though, this was a stand-alone title (so far as I know).… (altro)