Book review: Bonnie and Clyde, by James Buckley, jr.

Buckley, James Jr. Bonnie and Clyde. (History’s Worst). Aladdin, 2018. $18.99. 147p. ISBN 978-1-4814-9549-3. Ages 9-12. P7Q5

For three years, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow traveled throughout Texas and Oklahoma, robbing people and killing when they were cornered until they died in an ambush at the ages of 23 and 25. Buckley chronicles the childhood of the perpetrators, their meeting, their adventures, and the ending. A final chapter describes the media attention for the following 80 years.

Verdict: Earlier books in the series include Adolf Hitler and Jack the Ripper; this subject doesn’t fit with them as the Worst. Better choices for criminals in the 1930s might be Al Capone or Baby Face Nelson. Colloquial language and out-of-date slang intended to entice younger readers feels inappropriate. No index and incomplete list of resources according to those mentioned in the text. Cover artwork is distorted and unpleasant, and Buckley’s comparison to current times is sometimes inaccurate.

January 2019 review by Nel Ward.

Book review: Genuine Fraud, by E. Lockhart

Lockheart, E.  Genuine Fraud.  Delacorte Press, 2017.  ISBN 978-0-375-99184-4.  $10.99.  262 pages.  Ages 14 and up.  P7Q8

Jule moves through her life as though she is the female Jason Bourne or James Bond.  Their lives are so exciting and those two can do whatever they want, right?  Don’t they always kill the bad “guy”, aren’t people in awe of them, and don’t they always get the “girl”?  What happens when Jule finds out life isn’t a Bourne movie and that she is very much responsible for her actions?

I really like how the author sets this story up.  In the first chapter we know Jule is running from someone, probably the police, and she seems to have an endless supply of money.  Every chapter thereafter we travel back a little further in time to see what transpired prior to create the previous chapter’s cliffhanger, ending with the answer to why she’s on the run and where and how she got the money.  What I don’t like is we never find out why Jule is the way she is.  This is consistent with the charade Jule plays the entire novel and if Jule wants to pretend, then why should we know the reality?  I imagine this is intended by the author, but still frustrating.

Verdict:  An action packed novel with more than a touch of sadness.  Mental illness is real.  The actual recommended age range is 12 and up, but due to some explicit violence I recommend for high school and public libraries.

September 2018 review by Terri Lippert.

Book review: Greetings from Witness Protection!, by Jake Burt

Burt, Jake. Greetings from Witness Protection! Feiwel and Friends, 2017. $16.99. ISBN 9781250107114. 359 pages. Ages 10-14. P7 Q7

Trying to outwit the criminals and do something different, the witness protection decides to add a family member to a family they are hiding. Nicki who has spent most of her life in foster families and a group home finds herself with the opportunity to use her street smarts to help a family. The federal agents want the family to appear “normal” and have a plan for them to follow. Along the way, Nicki makes friends, but will she lose them in the end? Does she have the wit to outsmart the criminals? The brother-sister rivalry and family life is believable. Her dad, who she thought was in jail, shows up towards the end of the story and Nicki has to decide to whom she will be loyal. You root for the girl, hoping through the adventure she will find a permanent home.

Verdict: Middle school libraries and public libraries will benefit from this engaging, quick paced chapter book. Tweens and teens will relate to Nicki and what she goes through with her new-found friends.

February 2018 review by Tami Harris.