Synopses & Reviews
Love blossoms on Thanksgiving eve in New York City, under the benevolent gaze of the Bullwinkle balloon. "Don't get your shorts in a knot!" protests Uncle Max (imagine George Burns minus the cigar). "I just told him you were smart and witty and a pleasure to behold." Joy is a boyfriend-less high-school freshman and her great-uncle an unwilling, unwanted addition to the household while he recovers from a stroke. Her best friend, Maple, has just met weird Wade and is deliriously happy, but Joy is alone (or as alone as it gets, bunked in with her younger brother, his drum set, and his mice, and forced to baby-sit Uncle Max and his equally high-maintenance dog, Sarge). Alone, that is, until Uncle Max, who's used to making things happen, decides to take a hand -- a heavy hand -- in finding Joy a match. And then screening any likely contenders. A tense situation produces a hilarious and ultimately touching comedy of ill tempers and good intentions. More matches than one are eventually made, and there's a happy ending for all, extending beyond the apartment to school, to the streets of New York, all the way to Florida -- "Fine," opines Uncle Max, "if you like spongy bagelsÖ"
Review
Cast with likable, well-meaning characters, driven more by cheers than tears, this tidily resolved New York City tale will please Frank's fans, and send newcomers to her earlier books. (Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 1999)
Review
This is a warm, humorous tale about the ups and downs of relationships with family and friends. (Kliatt, September 1999)
Review
Lucy Frank is adept at showing the lighter side of sensitive issues--like self-esteem and first love--while still maintaining a deep respect for young people and their feelings. (amazon.com, September 28, 1999)
Review
Frank, who has a real gift for characterization, has written a funny, downright joyful story about first love, family feelings, and the surprises and rewards of cross-generational friendship. (Booklist, January 1 & 15, 2000)
Review
High school freshman Joy is being good-natured about giving up her room in her family's crowded New York City apartment to her elderly Uncle Max, but she's having a little trouble with his constant well-meaning interference in her love life--or lack thereof. In addition, her best friend Maple has fallen hard for a punk musician and has pretty much forgotten Joy is alive, and Joy's younger brother (with whom she now shares a room) doesn't know the meaning of the word "boundary". Joy does some well-meaning interfering herself, resulting in her uncle getting together with his old friend, Rose, and she manages, without Uncle Max's help, to wind up with a very nice boyfriend of her own (the scene where she and he bond is a hilarious one involving two escaped hamsters and a terrier). Granted, things tie up very neatly: Uncle Max moves to Florida with his new romance, Joy and Maple finally make up, and Joy's family gets to move into Uncle Max's much bigger apartment. Frank takes her time, though, setting up her plot carefully, exploring the feeling of the aging Uncle Max, and even depicting Joy's relationship with her brother as an exasperated dance of affection. Distinct characterization is a strength here, as is a careful sense of place (New York City doesn't overwhelm the plot, but it definitely flavors it). This is a well-constructed piece of fiction with well-conceived characters and a wholesome little romance--two wholesome little romances, if you count Uncle Max and Rose. (Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October 1999)
Review
Pithy observations from a 14-year old narrator and full-blooded characters make this latest from Frank a laugh-out-loud tale of teen angst. (Publishers Weekly, Starred Review, Dec. 13, 1999)
About the Author
Lucy Frank is the author of I Am an Artichoke and Will You Be My Brussels Sprout? She lives in New York City, where apartments are often small and hearts are often, happily, large.