On the Road to Mr. Mineo's

September 3, 2012
A one-legged pigeon stirs up summer excitement in the town of Meadville, S.C., in this characteristically atmospheric story from O’Connor (The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester). Spirited Stella is the first to spy the pigeon, and she is determined to make him her pet (something her parents have refused her in the past). She enlists the reluctant help of her best friend Gerald, who prefers quiet card games to Stella’s elaborate and generally ill-advised adventures. But with Stella’s older brother, Levi; his “scabby kneed, germ-infested friends”; and Mutt Raynard, Meadville’s version of the boy who cried wolf, also on the
pigeon’s trail, the hunt is on. O’Connor’s understated third-person narration moves languidly among the children (and some adults) in town—including Mr. Mineo, the homing pigeon’s actual owner—in a story that beautifully captures the feel of a small Southern town and its residents. Friendship and sibling dynamics get heated at times, but O’Connor’s light touch keeps the story buoyant, leading up to an ending as satisfying as a cold glass of iced tea on a hot summer afternoon. Ages 8–12.

It's a lazy summer in Meadville, South Carolina, and one of Mr. Mineo's homing pigeons--one-legged Sherman--is on the loose. Listeners hear the interwoven pursuits of eight quirky townspeople as they scheme to take home the pigeon. Will it be narrator Stella with sidekick Gerald; her annoying brother, Levi, and fellow punks; town liar and bully Mutt; or someone else? Suzy Jackson's brisk pace necessitates careful listening to take in the story's quick shifts from one location to the next and Connor's many descriptions of small moments, such as rain that is "weighing down the Queen Anne's lace." Jackson's enunciation is clipped and precise. She's convincing as young Stella, skillful as the scheming boys, ever resigned and helpful as Gerald--all with a just the right touch of Southern twang. A.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine