Also Known as Elvis

April 28, 2014
This thoughtful conclusion to the Misfits series begins with Skeezie as an adult, an expectant father reflecting on his summer between seventh and eighth grade. Skeezie's letters to his young self, aka "Little E," are sprinkled throughout the narrative, providing moments of quiet wisdom. At age 13, as Skeezie's friends take off in different directions to exciting vacation destinations, he stays put with drearier prospects: babysitting his younger sisters while his single mother works two jobs, as well as finding employment of his own to help make ends meet. Skeezie could do worse than landing a part-time job at the Candy Kitchen, his favorite hangout. There, he finds a mentor and confidante in a 19-year-old coworker, Steffi. She helps him sort out his feelings about his father, who makes an unexpected reappearance in Skeezie's life. In return, Skeezie offers advice on her relationship with a boy who wants to marry her and settle down. Once again, Howe shows uncanny understanding of adolescent concerns and vulnerabilities, painting a realistically complicated portrait of a boy's coming of age. Ages 10â14. Agent: Amy Berkower, Writers House.

May 1, 2014

Gr 5-8-In this final book in the series, Skeezie Tookis looks back 12 years to the summer he was 13, when his mother, struggling to raise him and his two sisters alone, insists he get a job to help out. Skeezie hires on at the Candy Kitchen, favorite hangout of the Gang of Five, forming a special friendship with 19-year-old waitress Steffie, who nicknames him Elvis. Slicking back his hair and wearing his deadbeat dad's black leather motorcycle jacket are Skeezie's way of holding on to him, even as his anger over his father's desertion consumes him. When his dad turns up in Paintbrush Falls, Skeezie must face his ambivalent feelings head on: while his mother and sisters are hoping for a reconciliation, his father's plan is to seek a divorce so he can remarry and take Skeezie with him to his new life in Rochester. With his three best friends away on vacation, Skeezie is on his own as he grapples with his decision to stay or leave. Howe skillfully blends humor and pathos, effectively conveying the protagonist's conflicted feelings, even through his wisecracks, and his characterization is robust and nuanced. Skeezie narrates the story to his soon-to-be-born son, and readers learn at the outset, as they did in the conclusion of The Misfits (S. & S., 2001), how things turned out for the Gang of Five, but knowing doesn't lessen the impact of this compelling story. A most fitting and satisfying conclusion.-Marie Orlando, formerly at Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2014
Over a decade has passed for readers since The Misfits (2001) introduced the Gang of Five, four seventh-grade outsiders who've got one another's backs; for Bobby, Joe, Addie and Skeezie, a year's gone by. It's Skeezie's turn to tell the story. Seventh grade is over. While his friends scatter on family vacations, Skeezie looks after his clingy, younger sisters. His father's never paid child support, his mom works two jobs, and now Skeezie needs one too. He's kept the stress and fighting at home a secret from the gang. Joe, out and proud, and Addie, smart and determined, have intact, supportive families; Bobby and his widowed father live in a trailer park, but they're doing fine, too. Addie's sometime friend Becca has a crush on Skeezie--or does she? Skeezie enjoys the job he's landed at the Candy Kitchen, working with pretty Steffi, who calls him Elvis and has family and boyfriend problems herself. When his dad shows up out of the blue, Skeezie's life changes again, and he's torn between the possibility of a new life and loyalty for the one he knows. Skeezie tells his story from two vantages, interspersing his present-tense account with occasional interjections from his 12-years-older self. If it lacks the spare, lyrical power of Addie on the Inside (2011), Skeezie's story shares the series' strengths. With its companions, it's a powerful affirmation of friendship, compassion and the right to be accepted for who we are. (Fiction. 10-14)

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April 15, 2014
Grades 5-8 Schuyler Skeezie Tookis is stuck in Paintbrush Falls for the summer while his three best friends, Bobby, Joe, and Addie, are off on adventures of their own. Life is hard enough working at the Candy Kitchen to help pay the bills, watching his ornery little sisters, and mixing the signals he's getting from popular Becca. Then his dad shows up after a two-year absence with big news, and Skeezie needs his friends. Howe complements the strong first-person voice with tweets, texts, and dialogue transcripts as he tackles themes of bullying, family, and independence. Skeezie's story swells with the same earnest humor and after-school-special sweetness as the other Misfits books. Indeed, this is a fitting final installment in the series. Each of the books has a distinct voice, reflecting the individual protagonist's personality, yet they fit together perfectly, just like the friends themselves. A framing device, as Skeezie relates his story to his soon-to-be born son, 12 years later, includes successful eventualities for the gang.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)