Fort

March 9, 2015
Three pairs of buddies are the principal players in DeFelice’s straightforward story: 11-year-old Wyatt and his summer pal Augie, Augie’s Uncle Heindel and auto-parts-shop/junkyard owner Al, and older bullies J.R. and Morrie. City boy Wyatt spends summers in upstate New York with his father, whose college teaching schedule keeps him conveniently on the sidelines, giving Wyatt and Augie plenty of time for biking, fishing, hunting squirrels, and exploring the woods, where they build a fort using materials from Al’s junkyard. Protecting the fort soon becomes a challenge: is it a local mentally disabled teenager or J.R. and Morrie who are vandalizing it? DeFelice (Wild Life) smoothly advances the plot to a satisfying climax and conclusion, while engagingly developing the relationship between Wyatt, Augie, and the older men, whose low-key support provides just the right amount of guidance for this adventuresome, good-hearted, but never goody-goody pair. Wyatt is a sympathetic narrator with a realistic blend of thoughtfulness and daring; DeFelice’s secondary characters are well developed and add pleasing dimension to this summer tale. Ages 8–12.

Starred review from February 1, 2015
What preteen boy wouldn't love to build a fort in the woods?DeFelice makes that dream come true. Wyatt, on summer vacation in upstate New York with his dad, and Augie, who lives there all year round with his grandmother, hatch a plan to build a fort in the woods. Augie's neatly depicted great-uncle and his junkyard buddy provide the necessary materials. Augie's pillowy-bosomed-a trait Wyatt hilariously can't help but notice-great-aunt gives them food. Wyatt's dad offers him the freedom to explore and grow. Augie, something of a modern-day Huckleberry Finn, has ample talent as a woodsman. The very real threat from bullies J.R. and Morrie, and their abuse of mentally disabled Gerard, a good-natured neighborhood kid, provide the impetus for Operation Doom. That plan to defend the fort and protect Gerard (and even provide some justice) leads to a glorious, feel-good climax in which all the right things work out and the bad guys get their richly deserved comeuppance. Along the way, some squirrels are sacrificed by slingshot to provide good meals, and a car-parts calendar that includes photos of attractive young women adds realistic detail, both serving to enhance the authenticity of this captivating tale. Upbeat, engaging and satisfying; altogether a very fine book, especially for boys looking for a bit of believable, achievable adventure. (Fiction. 9-14)

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March 1, 2015

Gr 4-7-Two best friends build a fort in the woods and defend it from bullies in this fun, old-fashioned story that manages to be fresh and familiar. Wyatt is enjoying the freedom of a summer with his dad in upstate New York. His friend Augie lives there year-round and has many useful skills that include killing squirrels with a slingshot and cooking them over a fire. There are the expected bullies, two older boys named J.R. and Morrie, and an unexpected friend named Gerard, a socially isolated teenager with developmental disabilities. The two friends spend rapturous days building their fort, looking at a car company's girlie calendar, and other country-boy activities unimpeded by smartphones or YouTube, since Wyatt's father doesn't want him plugged into a screen all day. In a low-stakes climax, the two bullies try to destroy the boys' fort but are foiled by an ingenious series of booby-traps. The moral center of the novel revolves around Wyatt and Augie discovering how J.R. and Morrie are mistreating Gerard and how after some hesitation, they find in him a valuable ally. There is a touch of burgeoning sexuality, mostly as Wyatt notices and appreciates Augie's aunt's figure, but otherwise the tone of the novel is remarkably innocent without being cloying or unrealistic. There is a good balance of action and description and well-developed characters, though the bullies are a tad two-dimensional. VERDICT A boy-centered adventure with heart, appealing to a variety of readers.-Kyle Lukoff, Corlears School, New York City

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2015
Grades 4-7 Wyatt and Augie's friendship is strong despite the fact that they only see each other in the summer. This particular summer, Wyatt's eleventh, is told as a flashback in the What I Did on My Summer Vacation essay that he has no intention of showing to a teacher. The two boys spend their summer in upstate New York (Wyatt comes just for the season; Augie lives there year-round) the way summers are meant to be spent: fishing, hunting, and, above all, camping out in a fort they built themselves. They have a few troubles with bullies, but when those bullies target Gerard, a mentally disabled kid in the neighborhood, it's time to turn the tables. Stuffed full of clever pranks and summertime nostalgia, this is a story of kindness and adventure, and a rare breed in the middle-grade canon that doesn't rely on cheap humor to hold attention. A boisterous and poignant coming-of-age tale.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)