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.

September 1, 2012
Can a one-legged pigeon create a connection, however tenuous, among disparate residents of a sleepy South Carolina town? Sherman has literally flown the coop, leaving Mr. Mineo heartsick. He is, after all, the caretaker of his brother's small flock of homing pigeons, which have, surprisingly, begun to provide much-needed fulfillment for the lonely man. Meanwhile, a whole group of Meadville inhabitants would like to catch that pigeon, for a variety of different reasons just as individual as they are. The children: Spunky Stella desperately wants a pet; Gerald, slow moving and passive, just wants to satisfy Stella, his only friend; bully Levi and his sidekicks seem to want the bird mostly to frustrate the others; Mutt wants him because that danged pigeon landed on his head more than once, but no one believes him. The others: a small, lonely brown dog seeking companionship; Amos and Ethel Roper--one more thing to cheerfully bicker over. O'Connor weaves the fabric of her tale from each of these separate threads, moving back and forth among points of view, sympathetic to nearly all (except Levi and company). As in The Small Adventures of Popeye and Elvis (2009), she condenses long summer days down into their essence, quiet but humming with an undercurrent of childhood energy. Yes, a one-legged pigeon can satisfyingly link even these quirky characters together. (Fiction. 9-12)

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Starred review from November 1, 2012

Gr 3-6-Nestled in the scenic South Carolina countryside is a quiet town called Meadville. Summers are ordinary, but wonderful, filled with bike rides, swimming lessons, and the antics of imaginative children. Stella is eager for adventure and longs for a pet to be her constant companion. She spends her days with her best friend, Gerald, on the roof of his garage conjuring up "good ideas" that usually bring some type of misfortune on him. One typical day, an unexpected visitor arrives-a one-legged pigeon that sets Stella on a mission to catch it and claim it as her own. However, she is not the only person eager to catch this fickle rogue. There are many others, equally as determined to snare the elusive bird. This heartwarming tale of a town coming together in an unexpected way will delight readers. Children will eagerly follow the twists and turns in this story of friendship and loneliness, giving and receiving. O'Connor sets the stage beautifully from the very beginning, painting the small town in brilliant colors with her descriptive imagery. Older elementary students will easily relate to the nuances of the relationships between older and younger children as well as the angst of sibling rivalry. The theme of everyone working together to achieve a common goal is strong, and the ending is touching and satisfying.Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2012
Grades 4-6 From the moment she sees it, Stella wants to capture the one-legged pigeon and make it her pet. Enlisting the reluctant help of her neighbor Gerald, she begins planning how she might catch the bird, which she has already named Harvey. Trouble is, her older brother Levi and his friends also want to get ahold of the pigeon, along with a host of others; in fact, it seems the entire population of tiny Meadville, South Carolina, has designs on that pesky pigeon. Who will catch it? Will it wind up as a pigeon pie? And what does a little brown dog have to do with everything? Life is slow in Meadville, and O'Connor is equally slow and deliberate in telling her story. But that's part of this novel's whimsical charm, and, fortunately, it's laced with just enough suspense to keep readers awake and happy on a dozy afternoon.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)