Synopses & Reviews
Its the summer of 1969—the moon landing, Woodstock, the Vietnam War—the world is changing fast. But none of that matters right now on Ramble Street, because Muscle Man McGinty has done the unthinkable. Hes bragged that he can beat the ENTIRE block in a game of kickball. On Ramble Street, tough talk about kickball cannot be ignored. For Tamara Ann Simpson, this is great news. Now shell finally be able to prove to everyone what a wormy little liar Muscle Man really is. Theres just one problem: What if everyone takes his side anyway?
Review
“It is rare to have a story told with sympathy from the viewpoint of a bully. This debut novel, set in upstate New York in the summer of 1969, does just that with wit and a light touch that never denies the storys sorrows.” —
Starred, Booklist“Marino paints a detailed portrait of the seeming gulf that surrounds a person after loss and the surprising companionship one discovers in the face of desolation.” —Starred, School Library Journal
“A lovingly portrayed look at life during a memorable time in American history; it deserves to be on your childs summer reading list.” —BookPage
“Marinos novel brings a true voice to the pre-teenage girl of the 1960s. Tamara is both lovable and naïve, yet Marino creates a strong young woman who is set in her principles and unrelenting in achieving justice during a historic summer in America.” —ALAN Online
“The authenticity of the time and the voice combine with a poignant plot to reveal a depth unusual in such a straightforward first-person narrative.” —Kirkus Reviews
Review
“It is rare to have a story told with sympathy from the viewpoint of a bully. This debut novel, set in upstate New York in the summer of 1969, does just that with wit and a light touch that never denies the storys sorrows.”—Booklist, Starred Review “Marino paints a detailed portrait of the seeming gulf that surrounds a person after loss and the surprising companionship one discovers in the face of desolation.”—School Library Journal, Starred Review “A lovingly portrayed look at life during a memorable time in American history; it deserves to be on your childs summer reading list.”—BookPage “Marinos novel brings a true voice to the pre-teenage girl of the 1960s. Tamara is both lovable and naïve, yet Marino creates a strong young woman who is set in her principles and unrelenting in achieving justice during a historic summer in America.”—ALAN Online “The authenticity of the time and the voice combine with a poignant plot to reveal a depth unusual in such a straightforward first-person narrative.”—Kirkus Reviews
Review
“It is rare to have a story told with sympathy from the viewpoint of a bully. This debut novel, set in upstate New York in the summer of 1969, does just that with wit and a light touch that never denies the storys sorrows.” —
Starred, Booklist“Marino paints a detailed portrait of the seeming gulf that surrounds a person after loss and the surprising companionship one discovers in the face of desolation.” —Starred, School Library Journal
“A lovingly portrayed look at life during a memorable time in American history; it deserves to be on your childs summer reading list.” —BookPage
“Marinos novel brings a true voice to the pre-teenage girl of the 1960s. Tamara is both lovable and naïve, yet Marino creates a strong young woman who is set in her principles and unrelenting in achieving justice during a historic summer in America.” —ALAN Online
“The authenticity of the time and the voice combine with a poignant plot to reveal a depth unusual in such a straightforward first-person narrative.” —Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
"Muscle Man McGinty is a squirrelly runt, a lying snake, and a pitiful excuse for a ten-year old......the problem is that no one knows it but me. In the entire town of Massapequa Park, only I can see him for what he really is. A phony. It's the summer of 1969, and things are not only changing in Tamara's little Long Island town, but in the world. Perhaps Tamara could stand to take one small step toward a bit of compassion and understanding? A terrific debut novel with truly vivid characters and a wonderful voice.
Synopsis
It's the summer of 1969, and things are not only changing in Tamara's little Long Island town, but in the world. Perhaps Tamara could stand to take one small step toward a bit of compassion and understanding?
Synopsis
A tender story about a tough-as-nails girl forced to take one small step towards understanding during the summer of 1969.
Synopsis
Tamara Ann Simpson is determined to expose Muscle Man McGinty, a foster boy new to her neighborhood, for the liar that she knows he is. Muscle Man tells the other kids his uncle is Neil Armstrong and he even has the audacity to challenge the entire block to a kickball game. So, why is Tamara the only one who can see through this kid? Its the summer of 1969 and things are changing in Tamaras little town of Massapequa, Long Island, and in the world. Perhaps Tamara can take one small step towards a bit of compassion and understanding.
About the Author
I grew up in a suburb on Long Island, New York. Even though it was only a short train ride away from New York City, during the 1960s/70s, Massapequa Park had the feeling of a small town. People knew their neighbors. They shared recipes, cups of coffee and stories.
Summers were filled with kickball games and backyard barbeques. Each year brought something special. One year my older sister got a job driving an ice cream truck. Sometimes she took me on her route and let me be the official bell ringer. I was paid handsomely in swirly cones. That summer of endless ice creams was also the year of the first moonwalk. On a night in July we all crowded round the black and white television to watch Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin take those first steps.
Massapequa Park was a fine place to grow up, but I was always looking for a way out. I was a daydreamer. And I wanted what I had in my dreams. I spent a great part of my childhood searching for secret passages and magical places.
My quest was endless. My friends and I combed through the woods near our house. We built a secret tunnel in the yard. We found a crawl space behind the back closet and inched around the rafters, while my unsuspecting parents drank tea in the kitchen below. I climbed the highest trees and spent way too much time on the top of garage roofs.
The only secret passages I found came through reading. I wandered through Prince Edward Islands in Anne of Green Gables. I danced with the Fossil girls in Ballet Shoes and solved mysteries with Nancy Drew. I read anything I could get my hands on. Fortunately I got my hands on some pretty incredible books.
Like any good daydreamer, there were a lot of things I wanted to do when I grew up. Actress. Journalist. Diplomat. Writer. Lawyer. Chef. Architect. Somehow, I ended up in library school.
It was so quiet in the technology lab where I worked as a graduate student that I could hear the lectures from the childrens literature class in the next room through the air vents. Even though I was planning on becoming an adult services librarian, I listened, especially when they talked about books Id read. One day, I found a bunch of books from that class on a table in the library. I picked up the skinniest book in the pile, Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan. By the end of the first sentence, I was hooked. After that, Ive never stopped reading middle grade books.
Eventually I started to write my own stories. Instead of magical places and secret passages, I wrote about, of all things, Massapequa. Only after I grew up and moved away, did I decide that Massapequa in the 60s/70s had a unique and dare I say magical quality of its own. In my first novel Neil Armstrong is My Uncle And Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me, I mixed in details of my own childhood. Kickball games. The neighbor who sang at barbeques. Hiding out on garage roofs. Watching the first moon walk. Even names of family members found their way into the story.
I love writing. Its the perfect occupation for daydreamers. You can stare out the window. You can imagine. And you can share your dreams.
Nan Marino has Masters degrees in library science and in education. She lives with her husband and a very large dog in New Jersey, where she writes and works as a librarian.