Norman Tuttle on the Last Frontier

Norman is at that awkward age when his body is growing too fast for his brain to keep up. He's grounded so much he feels like a prisoner in a work-release program. He unwittingly finds it easier to offend Leonard Kopinski, class bully, than to impress Laura Magruder, girl of his dreams. Tom Bodett's 15 separate but related stories weave a tale of humor, adventure, and coming-of-age into a tapestry of one boy's journey to manhood. Bodett's laid-back narration gives the listener the feeling of a storyteller telling tales of an adolescence that was hard to live but is pleasantly warm to remember. N.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

January 3, 2005
Bodett (Williwaw
!) gives a fresh new twist to the age-old subject of growing pains in this novel tracing two excruciating years in the life of Alaskan native Norman Tuttle. In the beginning chapters when Norman is 13 years old, most of his problems are caused by clumsiness, as when he falls overboard while relieving himself off the side of his father's fishing boat. Not so coincidentally, a whole new bundle of trouble starts the moment Norman "notices" girls for the first time, an event marked by the smile Norman receives from Laura Magruder after he retrieves her dropped pencil in algebra class ("It was an innocent smile—at least it was meant to be. And it was genuine. But it was also a smile that for the first time in Norman's life he recognized as being sexy
"). Norman's subsequent efforts to impress, catch and hold Laura lead to some sticky situations that will draw both sympathy and guffaws from readers. As Norman courageously limps his way towards manhood—the "Last Frontier" (a double entendre on this rite of passage as well as his home state)—he suffers some bumps and bruises (mental and physical), lapses in judgment and numerous groundings. If Norman's maturing process is less than graceful, he still ends up hurdling most obstacles and learning some valuable lessons along the way. Readers will enjoy the ride. Ages 12-up.

March 1, 2005
Gr 5-8 -Norman Tuttle is just an average teenager living in Alaska, working on his father's fishing boat and dealing with the everyday occurrences all teens face -fights with Leonard Kopinski, the school bully who shaves; awkward growth spurts and bouts of clumsiness; unrequited romance with Laura Magruder; and scrapes with his parents and friends -in this coming-of-age novel by Tom Bodett (Knopf, 2004). Fifteen stories follow Norman from age 13 to almost 16. Norman also has adventures working on a farm in Oregon, being saved by his father after falling off his fishing boat, and having a chance encounter in Seattle with (perhaps) a long-lost uncle. Through it all, Norman muddles through his troubles and actually learns something from them. What makes this story so endearing is Bodett's wit and narration. He creates humor and sympathy for an average teenage boy with not-so-average problems. Highly recommended for middle school and teen collections. -"Larry Cooperman, Jacksonville Public Library, FL"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.