Winner, 2005 Parents Choice Gold Award
Calman Pulowitz is an only child with bad eyesight and sensitive nipples whose parents have been sending him to a therapist since he was six to combat the inevitable dysfunction of the contemporary American family. Now thirteen, he has reduced his suffering to insomnia, claustrophobia, fainting spells, an addiction to Pepto-Bismol, and a dependence on the Psychic Hotline. But Calman is about to have an adventure that might just change his life. In this original novel, Calman will travel out west to meet his pen pal and discover nothing is as he expects it to be. He’ll meet Simon, the nine-fingered banjo player, Eleanor, the rose-scented bartender, Tank, the fix-it man with an odd speech impediment, and Rizzy, his tall muscular pugnacious pen pal with a secret past. Out in an onion field on a windless night, he’ll contemplate death and God, and begin to understand what it means to be a man.
Reviews
“Delightfully quirky, but thoroughly believable characters make this debut novel enjoyable and thought-provoking…. Stolls manages to blend serious personal issues into her tale without bogging down the lively tone and pace. Her treatment of emergent sexuality, for example, is particularly strong in this charming coming-of-age novel. The brief passages are deftly nuanced, capturing perfectly the magically puzzling and fumbling manifestations of nascent urges. With any luck, this author will continue writing young adult novels.” – School Library Journal
“In her debut, Stolls scores with some marvelously original characterizations in a funny and touching story…. This delivers for its target audience and should supply memories that won’t soon fade.” – Kirkus
“Both Calman and Rizzy are endearing characters … [with an] authentic, satisfying relationship…. Neither becomes just perfect, but both come to greater acceptance of themselves, finding the courage to better face the world – and their parents.” – Booklist
“The mystery and the fun start immediately. From the beginning the reader, eyes glued to the page, is smiling…. It’s a marvelous read. The characters are round and real, the setting full of color and the scene fresh.” – 2005 Parents’ Choice Gold Award
“The portrait of [Calman’s] sensitive, gentle suggestibility…is credibly and warmly realized, and it will endear readers to him.” – The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Song-titled chapters mark this nicely written, non-musical story about an only child, used to order and parental aloofness, who is plopped into a loving family’s chaos and emerges from his shell. Lively pacing, quirky characters, and realistic emotions.” – VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)
“Harry Potter’s better.” – Delia, age 13, from The Ninth Wife