Scumble

Ingrid Law follows up the popular and well-received SAVVY. Each of the children in the incredible Kale family has a "gift" that presents itself on his or her thirteenth birthday. Ledger is most definitely not happy when instead of the athletic prowess he'd hoped for, he finds himself blowing up people's watches and motorcycles. David Kremenitzer throws himself into this American-style tall tale with verve and gusto, relishing the author's rollicking turns of phrase. One of the best parts is when Ledge decides it's time to "get the hay bales out of Denver." Kremenitzer's portrayal of a nosy young reporter on the trail of the scoop of a lifetime has just the right combination of dynamism and comic frustration. It's perfect family fare with plenty of humor. D.G. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

July 19, 2010
Law follows her Newbery Honor–winning debut, Savvy, with a look at another family in which "thirteenth birthdays were like time bombs." It's been nine years since Mibs Beaumont's tumultuous 13th, and the spotlight now finds her cousin Ledge Kale. Ledge's "savvy"—inadvertently (and explosively) dismantling objects—has just hit, disastrously, when his family must travel from Indiana to Wyoming for a wedding. The setting allows Law to revisit the wacky clan, from Ledge's Uncle Autry, a sort of insect whisperer, and Autry's twin daughters, Marisol and Mesquite, who can levitate things up and down, left and right, "like two knobs of an Etch A Sketch." However, Ledge's talent is "as useless as a pogo stick in quicksand," so it's up to Mibs's brother Rocket to mentor him on "scumbling," a finesse move that turns problem savvies into assets. Rocket and Ledge both have romantic entanglements, and although Ledge's is unconvincing, it figures prominently in the plot. The story's chief appeal lies in Law's talents as a yarn-spinner, and the worth-repeating message about making peace with who you are. Ages 8–12.