Son of the Mob

October 28, 2002
The Sopranos
(minus the vulgarity and violence) meets Leave It to Beaver
(minus the "aw-shucks" tone and dated sensibility) in Korman's (No More Dead Dogs) brassy, comical caper. With its razor-sharp dialogue and bullet-fast pace, this tale could fly on either the small or big screen, yet it makes a page-turner of a novel. Korman shapes a believable and likable crew—despite the less than reputable profession of some. Many of the novel's conflicts revolve around the fact that the affable narrator, 17-year-old Vince Luca, refuses to become involved in the family "vending machine business." But of course, since his father is the Mob boss, and his older brother serves as their father's loser lackey, Vince cannot avoid being tainted (e.g., he lands in jail "because my sixteenth-birthday present turns out to be hot"). Mom turns a deaf ear to the shady goings-on, cooking up a steady storm in the kitchen and willing "to serve a sit-down dinner for fifteen guys at four in the morning with ten minutes advance notice." Things heat up when Vince begins dating—and eventually falls in love with—the daughter of the FBI agent determined to bring down Vince's father. The boy also gets sucked into the maelstrom when he loans money to one of his father's underlings for whom he feels sorry. Funny and unexpectedly affecting, this will grab—and hold onto—even the most reluctant of readers. Ages 12-up.

November 1, 2002
Gr 7 Up-Vince Luca, 17, has always been concerned, embarrassed, and fearful about his crime-family background, though he has sworn never to become involved or to let it keep him from upstanding behavior. During his senior year, all he wants is romance, friendship, and to get through school, just like any normal guy, but things don't go as planned. His new girlfriend turns out to be the daughter of the FBI agent who is bugging his house; his older brother has figured out how to use his New Media class Web-page project for a bookmaking scheme; and he decides to save two lowlifes who owe big bucks to his father from the pains of mob revenge. The novel's quick pace and Korman's recognizable, upbeat style balance the contrived and predictable elements that infiltrate the story. Vince is a believable character; there are moments when he realizes that his name gives him power and he has to remind himself that he has chosen a different path. Susan Beth Pfeffer's Most Precious Blood (Bantam, 1991; o.p.) deals with a teenage girl whose father belongs to a crime family, but it is more serious. Readers who perceive the frightening meaning of organized-crime activity will best appreciate the tension and edgy humor that permeate this book, and will cheer when Vince finally stands up to his father.-Diane P. Tuccillo, City of Mesa Library, AZ

November 1, 2002
Gr. 6-8. " The Sopranos" meets " Romeo and Juliet" in this briskly comic romance, costarring a crime kingpin's son and an FBI agent's daughter. Tony and Kendra are mad for each other, but that doesn't mean that Tony is ready to tell Kendra who his father is--especially after his horrifying discovery that " her" father is on the listening end of the bugs and wiretaps scattered through his house. Realizing that it wouldn't be wise for either dad to find out what's what, Tony has to do some fancy footwork to keep the fathers, and Kendra's suspicions, at bay--a task considerably complicated by his unwilling involvement with a pair of petty hoodlums. Stubbornly battling to preserve his illusion that the family "business" has nothing to do with him, Tony presents a winning mix of good instincts and innocence that will have readers cheering him on as he weathers a succession of amatory and ethical crises, to emerge at the end of this expertly plotted escapade with relationships, self-respect, and even conscience more or less intact.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)