The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine

May 12, 2008
Sibling relationships form the core of Lurie's (Dancing in the Streets of Brooklyn) busy novel, but with so much diffuse action and so many half-sketched characters, readers might have trouble finding a focal point. Dylan Fontaine, the 15-year-old narrator, lives in chaos: his mother has moved out to live with Dylan's art teacher; his older brother, Randy, gets stoned all the time and might drop out of school to tour with his band, The Dead Musicians Society; his father, an obstetrician, is never around, making their Brooklyn house the 24-hour gathering place for the band and, maybe, a spot to stash drugs. Dylan also struggles with girls-the one he wishes were his girlfriend has tapped her ex-boyfriend to help her shoot a documentary about Dylan, and the one in the band flirts with both Dylan and his brother. By the time Dylan steps out of the little brother/sidekick role to take center stage in his own life, the author wraps up remaining conflicts so tidily that she seems to cheat (Why would the boys have thought their mother had left for another man? Didn't they know the art teacher was just a friend?). Ages 14-up.

September 1, 2008
Gr 9 Up-This story opens with 16-year-old Dylan Fontaine in a Brooklyn police station being held for shoplifting a package of tighty-whities underwear while holding a bag of marijuana in his pocket for his older brother. The shoplifting was merely an accident; Dylan ran out of the store when he thought he saw his mother, who left their family weeks ago. Though he wants to get bailed out of jail, what he really wants is for his mother to come home (she ran off with her art teacher), his brother to act responsibly, and his dad, a doctor, to begin living at their home instead of the hospital. As Dylan reels from the effect of all these events, his best friend and love interest, Angie, decides it is the perfect time to make him the subject of her summer school movie project, capturing the teen's struggle with chaos and control with a quirky, film-school flair. Lurie tells this story from Dylan's point of view, in the voice of a responsible, but confused, teen. As he sorts through his issues with his brother, father, mother, and Angie, he gains confidence and courage, and his voice becomes stronger and more defined. Brooklyn and Manhattan's West Village settings are appealing. The story successfully walks the fine line of blending humor and drama, and the cinematic ending is sure to please."Emily Anne Valente, New York Public Library"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 9, 2008
Sibling relationships form the core of Lurie's (Dancing in the Streets of Brooklyn) busy novel, but with so much diffuse action and so many half-sketched characters, readers might have trouble finding a focal point. Dylan Fontaine, the 15-year-old narrator, lives in chaos: his mother has moved out to live with Dylan's art teacher; his older brother, Randy, gets stoned all the time and might drop out of school to tour with his band, The Dead Musicians Society; his father, an obstetrician, is never around, making their Brooklyn house the 24-hour gathering place for the band and, maybe, a spot to stash drugs. Dylan also struggles with girls-the one he wishes were his girlfriend has tapped her ex-boyfriend to help her shoot a documentary about Dylan, and the one in the band flirts with both Dylan and his brother. By the time Dylan steps out of the little brother/sidekick role to take center stage in his own life, the author wraps up remaining conflicts so tidily that she seems to cheat (Why would the boys have thought their mother had left for another man? Didn't they know the art teacher was just a friend?). Ages 14-up.

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2008
According to a girl he hopes his brother will date, 15-year-old Dylan is angry and insecure. But he has good reasons. His mother has left the family to live in Greenwich Village with her former art professor, his obstetrician father is always at work, his talented older brother is inhaling a steady diet of marijuana, and his best friend, Angie, doesnt share his romantic feelings. Worse, she wants to make a movie starring him. The strong first-person narrative opens in a Brooklyn police station, where Dylan, the familys good boy, has landed after a shoplifting incident. Over the following five months, he learns to take chances with his food, his art, and his relationships. The banter among Dylan, his brother, and their friends is believable without being obscene, although readers may be surprised by Dylans fathers willingness to be addressed by his kids as Vagina Head. Other characters are sufficiently developed, and the healthy doses of humor balance this well-crafted story of a family in pain and a boys self-discovery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)