Every single page of this book made me laugh with unadulterated delight at the antics and adventures Jon grew up with that shaped his life and his work. It also made me extremely glad that I didn’t have to grow up with five brothers...wow, it sounds dangerous!
I don’t think anyone could come away from this book without enjoying (vicariously) growing up in the Scieszka household. His mom was a nurse with a wild sense of humor plus a determination to give her boys a good education and encourage them to excel, however hard they might try to avoid it. Their father, a principal in a school on the other side of town, was “more of a quiet joker” but had the best tool for raising a pack of boys - being a respectful listener. It was he who dubbed the pack “knuckleheads” – it was easier than saying all 6 of their names when he needed to get all six of their attentions! Jon’s life was filled with sparring, broken bones, jokes, pranks, one-upmanship, hand-me-downs, fun, learning experiences (LOTS of learning from mistakes and bad behavior!) and humorous affection.
No one who went to Catholic school, as all six of the Scieszca boys did, could come away without lots of crazy stories about nuns and their particular style of teaching. Many of them were extremely frightening, but there was one nun, Sister Helen Jude, who was convinced that loving attention works much better than fear when teaching children. Jon gets to prove that with his grateful (and hilarious) chapter on schooling.
The chapter titled “Crossing Swords” gets my vote for “most hysterical”. Six boys, finally in the car, ready for church. One HAS to go pee, (“No, urinate” says Mom, who wants her children to grow up intelligently). Of course then the next one has to go and the next and the next. O.K. so, it takes way too long for them to go one at a time, so...well you’ll have to read it to believe it...
It’s hard to describe the general hilarity of this book with my own words, so I will just entreat you - if you need to have renewed faith in the world, if you want to know what kind of a life makes a writer like Jon Scieszka, if you could just use a really good laugh, then pick up this book and read it! You won’t regret it. - Reviewed by TCPL staff
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