Fourteen year old April Lundquist
lives in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, a
colorful neighborhood populated
by the Mafia. When "Soft Sal"
Luciano approaches April and her
best friend Brandi for a favor, the
girls can't exactly refuse. Soon,
they're finding hundred dollar bills
in their schoolbooks and when
April's discovers that her brother
is dating a crime boss's daughter,
she's in way over her head.
lives in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, a
colorful neighborhood populated
by the Mafia. When "Soft Sal"
Luciano approaches April and her
best friend Brandi for a favor, the
girls can't exactly refuse. Soon,
they're finding hundred dollar bills
in their schoolbooks and when
April's discovers that her brother
is dating a crime boss's daughter,
she's in way over her head.
When a story makes me laugh out loud, I love it. And so, I
love this novel...Lurie gets all the conversations right...just
as she writes so accurately about the feelings between
siblings...April is finding her own voice and is one of YA
fiction's most memorable narrators. KLIATT starred review
...Lurie has written a delightful book about growing up in
Brooklyn's Mafia-dominated 1970s ... A classic
growing-up-in-America story with a twist, this is lighthearted
yet complex, with just enough gut-wrenching love and
suspense to make it an obvious hit with the girls and a
potential sleeper with the guys. Booklist
...Lurie's first person narrator makes this novel come alive.
VOYA 4Q 4P
love this novel...Lurie gets all the conversations right...just
as she writes so accurately about the feelings between
siblings...April is finding her own voice and is one of YA
fiction's most memorable narrators. KLIATT starred review
...Lurie has written a delightful book about growing up in
Brooklyn's Mafia-dominated 1970s ... A classic
growing-up-in-America story with a twist, this is lighthearted
yet complex, with just enough gut-wrenching love and
suspense to make it an obvious hit with the girls and a
potential sleeper with the guys. Booklist
...Lurie's first person narrator makes this novel come alive.
VOYA 4Q 4P
| Reviews |
April Lurie |
For thirteen-year-old Judy Strand, summers in the Norwegian community of
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, are filled with games of stickball, visits to Coney Island,
and her family's yearly trip to the Catskill Mountains. But in July, 1944, Judy's
innocence is shaken when she discovers that the man she's always called Pa
isn't her real father. Even more shocking, Judy learns that the father she
doesn't remember was an alcoholic who abandoned his family. That's why
Judy's mother emigrated from Norway to America. Now, Judy is jumbled
inside. When Jacob Jacobsen tries to be more than friends she wants nothing
to do with him. But will Jacob be the person to help Judy learn how to forgive?
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, are filled with games of stickball, visits to Coney Island,
and her family's yearly trip to the Catskill Mountains. But in July, 1944, Judy's
innocence is shaken when she discovers that the man she's always called Pa
isn't her real father. Even more shocking, Judy learns that the father she
doesn't remember was an alcoholic who abandoned his family. That's why
Judy's mother emigrated from Norway to America. Now, Judy is jumbled
inside. When Jacob Jacobsen tries to be more than friends she wants nothing
to do with him. But will Jacob be the person to help Judy learn how to forgive?
Brothers, Boyfriends & Other Criminal Minds
Dancing in the Streets of Brooklyn
(Delacorte/Random House, 2007)
(Delacorte/Random House, 2002)
| Reviews |
A fresh engaging novel ... Lurie beautifully captures an adolescent's voice and concerns as well as a nostalgic
Brooklyn childhood filled with stickball, candy stores, and trips to Coney Island. School Library Journal
[Dancing in the Streets of Brooklyn] makes for interesting if not arresting reading. A competent debut that captures
the time and place. Kirkus
Judy's crisis, romantic and domestic, are thoroughly believable ... middle-school readers may find themselves wishing
they lived on Judy's street. The Bulletin
The richly drawn setting is the Norwegian community in Brooklyn, New York, in 1944. First-novelist Lurie does a great
job of showing how Judy's hurt and anger make her act like a jerk. But at the same time, her first-person narrative
reveals how bad she feels about the terrible things she says to those she loves. Booklist
Middle-schoolers will find themselves accurately and sympathetically represented at Lurie's hand. Houston Chronicle
Brooklyn childhood filled with stickball, candy stores, and trips to Coney Island. School Library Journal
[Dancing in the Streets of Brooklyn] makes for interesting if not arresting reading. A competent debut that captures
the time and place. Kirkus
Judy's crisis, romantic and domestic, are thoroughly believable ... middle-school readers may find themselves wishing
they lived on Judy's street. The Bulletin
The richly drawn setting is the Norwegian community in Brooklyn, New York, in 1944. First-novelist Lurie does a great
job of showing how Judy's hurt and anger make her act like a jerk. But at the same time, her first-person narrative
reveals how bad she feels about the terrible things she says to those she loves. Booklist
Middle-schoolers will find themselves accurately and sympathetically represented at Lurie's hand. Houston Chronicle
(Delacorte/Random House, 2008)
The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine
Coming in May 2008!
A mother who split for another man.
A father who works 24/7.
An older brother who excels at everything—and smokes a lot of weed.
A best friend—of the feminine persuasion, who only wants to be a friend,
and who’s shooting a film set in cool Greenwich Village, New York.
For fifteen year old Dylan Fontaine, life around him seems to be
spiralling out of control. But when he stars in his best friend’s movie
short, he’ll discover that sometimes life’s big shake-ups force you to take
risks--and to step out into the limelight.
A father who works 24/7.
An older brother who excels at everything—and smokes a lot of weed.
A best friend—of the feminine persuasion, who only wants to be a friend,
and who’s shooting a film set in cool Greenwich Village, New York.
For fifteen year old Dylan Fontaine, life around him seems to be
spiralling out of control. But when he stars in his best friend’s movie
short, he’ll discover that sometimes life’s big shake-ups force you to take
risks--and to step out into the limelight.
A fresh engaging novel ... Lurie beautifully captures an adolescent's voice and concerns as well as a nostalgic
Brooklyn childhood filled with stickball, candy stores, and trips to Coney Island. School Library Journal
[Dancing in the Streets of Brooklyn] makes for interesting if not arresting reading. A competent debut that captures
the time and place. Kirkus
Judy's crisis, romantic and domestic, are thoroughly believable ... middle-school readers may find themselves wishing
they lived on Judy's street. The Bulletin
The richly drawn setting is the Norwegian community in Brooklyn, New York, in 1944. First-novelist Lurie does a great
job of showing how Judy's hurt and anger make her act like a jerk. But at the same time, her first-person narrative
reveals how bad she feels about the terrible things she says to those she loves. Booklist
Middle-schoolers will find themselves accurately and sympathetically represented at Lurie's hand. Houston Chronicle
Brooklyn childhood filled with stickball, candy stores, and trips to Coney Island. School Library Journal
[Dancing in the Streets of Brooklyn] makes for interesting if not arresting reading. A competent debut that captures
the time and place. Kirkus
Judy's crisis, romantic and domestic, are thoroughly believable ... middle-school readers may find themselves wishing
they lived on Judy's street. The Bulletin
The richly drawn setting is the Norwegian community in Brooklyn, New York, in 1944. First-novelist Lurie does a great
job of showing how Judy's hurt and anger make her act like a jerk. But at the same time, her first-person narrative
reveals how bad she feels about the terrible things she says to those she loves. Booklist
Middle-schoolers will find themselves accurately and sympathetically represented at Lurie's hand. Houston Chronicle
