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Handbook for Boys
Reviewed by Beverly
J. Rowe, MyShelf.Com Award winning author, Walter Dean Myers, opens this novel with a preface about his faith in a mentoring program for troubled kids. Jimmy Lynch tells begins his story with a judge giving him a choice of detention in a youth facility for six months or a community mentoring program. Jimmy decides on the mentoring option. He and another troubled boy, Kevin, work in Duke Wilson's barbershop every day after school. They sweep, polish spittoons, hang pictures and dust the plants. The denizens of Duke's are a group of older men who philosophize and offer advice to the boys. Jimmy's attitude slowly changes as he begins to see the wisdom of Duke's advice, and he sees other boys in his school who could benefit from Duke's wisdom and compassion. The customers who come in are a motley group--ex-cons to millionaires. Some are successful, some are not, and some of them are destined to go back to prison. Each contributes a lesson for the boy's benefit. But then Kevin has a bad-boy relapse, and it's back to court for him. This fast-paced, at times funny, story is filled with wit and wisdom, aimed at 8 to 14 year old boys, and although a bit preachy at times, it's an easy, fun read. The characters are credible and boys will easily relate to these 16-year-olds that inhabit Harlem, and the hard life they strive to overcome. I highly recommend adding this to your boy's reading list. |
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