The Struggles of Johnny Cannon

July 15, 2015
In the sequel to The Troubles of Johnny Cannon (2014), Johnny Cannon's life in little Cullman, Alabama, is anything but peaceful. What Johnny would like more than anything is a "happy ending" (a kiss, that is) with seventh-grade schoolmate Martha Macker. But their relationship is up and down, and she resents being treated differently from Johnny's best friend, Willie, just because she's a girl. Willie's friendship is more consistent and steadfast, anyway, and comes in quite handy when Johnny's life is in danger. See, it turns out that Johnny has a Havana Mafia boss as a lifelong enemy, a man out to kill Johnny to avenge the death of his wife. It's complicated, a story with roots in the Bay of Pigs invasion, organized crime, the Cosa Nostra, and the CIA. So, Johnny is figuring out how to stay alive, stay in love, and stay friends with Willie, whose African-American community, the Colony, seems always threatened. Campbell's over-the-top tall tale is, at its heart, a story of friendship, happy endings, and happy beginnings. And, though this installment seems very much like the first volume, readers with a taste for a folksy Southern yarn laced with a good deal of deadly Mafia machinations will find themselves swept once again into Johnny's oddball world. A sprawling, good-hearted adventure-pure fun. (Historical fiction. 8-12)

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October 1, 2015
Grades 5-8 Operation Happy Ending isn't going well, but Johnny is soon distracted from wooing Martha. Sora, a young, pregnant Korean American woman, appears at his brother's tombstone, claiming to carry Tommy's child. Johnny's pa embraces Sora, but Johnny is suspicious and begins poking around the edges of the adults' stories. The plot quickly escalates into madcap adventure as Johnny tangles with the Cuban Mafia, confronts racism, gets schooled by Martha on gender roles, and covers for a runaway. With the help of his best friend, Willie, he deciphers a coded letter from Tommy, sent during the events covered in The Troubles of Johnny Cannon (2014). As they begin untangling the many deceptions, the action builds, culminating in explosions and a dangerous chase on top a moving train. More tall tale than historical fiction, this incorporates events of 1961, particularly race relations in the Deep South. In his vernacular narrative, Johnny's casual sexism and racism often grate, but as the story develops, so does Johnny, and his good intentions and heart steadily endear him to the reader.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)