Review – Sour Apples by Paul Jantzen
Synopsis
Imagine, if you will, an eleven-year-old boy with an imagination so powerful that he uses it like others would use a compass. Our hero, Jimmy Hamilton, loses his fort on three separate occasions all in the span of one summer. He must battle both his wits and unwanted squatters. He comes to discover each new unwanted tenant proves more difficult to evict than the last. His plans have a modicum of success but each come with unintended consequences. Adding to the mix of that imagination and his antics to win back his fort, the prettiest girl his age, a baseball diamond, a groundhog, a snapping turtle, and the town vagrant and Jimmy soon finds his summer adventure is more than he bargained for.
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Review
People will react differently to the same book due to age, place in life, mood, and so on. Reading this book as an adult, I will have a different outlook or see certain themes that a younger person may not see.
Jimmy is a curious young man. He is full of energy, loves baseball, and loves his tree fort. He does not like to go to the library and get books to read. I must commend his mother for at least trying to get him to enjoy reading. He is an adventurer, and I love that all the kids in this book are outside playing and not inside, glued to a computer or television. Jimmy and his friends have some summer adventures, and he even snags a girlfriend. Or as much as one might be boyfriend and girlfriend at 10-11.
Several themes run through the book: friendship, homelessness, and trust. I appreciated how Jimmy was able to befriend a homeless man, who, in turn, teaches him how to be a better pitcher. There are even some moments where I found myself chuckling out loud. Kids will be kids.
There is a moment of sadness at the end of the book. It is a life lesson for Jimmy and his friends, too.
I do think that Jimmy’s mom was a bit of a helicopter parent when she forced his tree fort to come down. I understand the desire to keep kids safe, but you can’t wrap them in bubble wrap. The tree fort could have been made safer with better sides and railing. However, had they done that, another fort would not have been made in the woods, and part of this story couldn’t have happened.
I think any young boy (or girl!) would enjoy reading this book and the adventures within the pages.
We give this book 4 paws up.
About the Author
Paul Jantzen grew up in typical Americana. If you asked him what town he grew up in, he’d say Anytown, USA. He has a proclivity towards anything nostalgic. That disposition led to his writing novels. His award-winning debut Novel is titled Sour Apples: A Novel For Those Who Hate To Read.
