<i>Project Sweet Life</i> (review)
2009; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 62; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.0.0761
ISSN1558-6766
Autores ResumoReviewed by: Project Sweet Life Karen Coats Hartinger, Brent. Project Sweet Life. HarperTeen, 2009 [288p]. ISBN 978-0-06-082411-2 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 7–10 Dave and his friends Victor and Curtis believe that the summer you’re fifteen is your last hurrah—the last summer when you can savor the sweet life before you’re tied down to the responsibilities of work. Their dads have other ideas, namely, that the three boys get jobs. The fathers lay down the law and take away their sons’ allowances, but the boys refuse to go quietly and instead hatch a plan: figuring that they would collectively earn seven thousand dollars if they each did get a job for the summer, they decide that they will fake jobs and earn the money some easier way. Project Sweet Life, however, experiences more than a few setbacks until the boys manage to unravel a mystery and discover a treasure that exceeds their goal by well over a million dollars. Meanwhile, they learn more about the unsavory past of their hometown, Tacoma, and discover depths in their own characters and friendship. Marked by sly wit and a certain old-fashioned jauntiness, this tale of three chums on a quest for indolence strikes many a wish-fulfillment fancy, particularly as the details of their already sweet life unfold, their ridiculous ploys to keep their families from finding out about their faux jobs actually work, and they are aided and abetted by Dave’s uncle and his partner, who know how to keep their mouths shut. Hartinger blends urban legend with the actual history of Tacoma’s routing of its Chinese community (author’s note included) to craft an irresistible setting (who wouldn’t want to explore lost tunnels under a city in search of treasure?), humorous episodes tinged with mild danger, and a light-hearted mystery well worth the requisite suspension of disbelief. Copyright © 2009 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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