Replay

Christopher Burns brings a large, boisterous Italian family to life. The plot weaves the past and the present, a school play, and the main character's imaginary world into an insightful coming-of-age story. Thirteen-year-old Leo is known as "Sardine" because he is positioned between an older sister and younger brothers. His sister also calls him "Fog Boy" because he's often lost in a daydream, casting himself as a hero as he replays his life. Burns embodies Leo's growing self-awareness with a simple, perfectly enunciated "Huh!" every time comprehension dawns. Papa says, "Leo, you make gold from pebbles." This little story is filled with golden pebbles, including a full-cast rendering of the school play to end the production. N.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

September 5, 2005
Written with the kind of warmth, understanding and economical prose that has characterized Creech's previous novels (Walk Two Moons
; The Wanderer
), this story features a middle child growing up in a large, boisterous Italian family. Using a surgeon's precision, the author cuts beneath Leo's surface layer to reveal his concerns about the future and his desire to be someone special. At home, the boy sometimes feels lost in a mob of people (when he was little, he once lamented "I'm just a little sardine, squashed in a tin"), but he does have a wonderful fantasy life, in which he always manages to rise above the crowd and emerge a hero. The 12-year-old lands a part in a school play and is finally able to live out his dream of taking the spotlight (even if he is playing the minor role of an "old crone"—how he warms up to the role makes for some comical scenes). Leo also discovers a journal written by his father at age 13. The journal, structured as an autobiography, reveals family secrets and provides Leo with insight into his father, who has become quiet and cautious since suffering a heart attack. Some readers may be disappointed not to see more development of the relationship between Leo and his father. But the author artfully weaves together dreams, memories and minor crises that occur at home and onstage, to create a tapestry of images and voices that celebrate both the imagination and family. Ages 8-12.

November 14, 2005
The play's the thing in this uneven audio adaptation of Creech's latest novel. Though he has a grand imagination and big dreams, young Leo often feels invisible in his large Italian family. None of his accomplishments seems to measure up to his siblings' efforts and he is the only one excited about his winning a role in the school production of drama teacher Mr. Beeber's play. Along with learning his lines, Leo spends much of his time rewinding and replaying scenes from his life, of course, dramatically fashioned to his liking. But fantasy and reality dovetail nicely at the end as Leo learns more about his family and his role in it. The elements of the play-within-the-novel device and the inclusion of Leo's frequent daydreams make the story's transition to audio a bit rough. At the recording's outset, readers hear a lengthy listing of Leo's extended family members as well as a recitation of the cast list for the play. These components may prove helpful in print, but are overwhelming and somewhat confusing on audio. Throughout, Burns reads with an often halting rhythm, rarely allowing readers to catch the beat of the tale, or of some of the more poignant or humorous bits in the writing. His deep voice frequently sounds like an old-fashioned radio announcer, which sometimes detracts from the youthful underpinnings here. Unfortunately, a full-cast reading of the bizarre school play at the end is an exercise in patience. Ages 8-12.

September 1, 2005
Gr 6-8 -Meet Leonardo. His family calls him -sardine, - as he often feels smashed between Contento, his moody older sister, and his two younger brothers, Pietro and Nunzio. His life is filled with possibilities; he's a dreamer (which gains him the additional nickname of -fog boy -). But two events converge in unexpected ways, leading to new understanding, growth, and insight. Leo finds a journal written by his father at age 13 and is chosen for a part in a play written by the drama teacher entitled -Rumpopo's Porch. - To his dismay, he is given the role of the Old Crone and the journal presents a person whom Leo doesn't know. Gradually, however, the Old Crone comes to appreciate Rumpopo just as Leo begins to see glimmers of the 13-year-old boy who matured into his now-frazzled father. Life, like plays and replays, has a cyclical nature. A rift in Leo's large, noisy, and completely realistic family begins to heal after a near disaster when Nunzio is injured, just as a hole created by loss can heal. Leo's fantasies intertwine with actual events, adding humor and insight. Characters are brilliantly delineated by their actions, reports of Leo's observations, and short dialogues presented in both conversations and in screenplay form. As Leo matures, nuggets of wisdom emerge from the simple text in this beautifully crafted novel. The script of -Rumpopo's Porch - is included to further clarify parallels. For in the end, -all the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players. -" -Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at Washington DC Public Library"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2005
Gr. 4-7. Both uproarious and tender, this story of Leo, 12, captures his big, noisy, extended Italian family with pitch-perfect dialogue that will sweep readers right to the end of the story. Creech's short yet layered chapters are filled with parallels to think about (including an awkward contrivance when Leo stumbles on his dad's journal, written when Dad was Leo's age) but nothing slows down the action. Leo has wild, private fantasies of himself as a hero and a genius. Meanwhile, he is thrilled to act in the school play, even if his role is the Old Crone, and great scenes capture the joy and the awful mess-ups of rehearsals and the final performance (the short play appears as an optional read at the end of the book). The compelling drama is the family story, some of it told as a play--the farce of fights, grudges, and putdowns in Leo's crowded home and across generations, and also the anguish of family secrets. Who is the Rosaria Dad writes about in his journal? Why is Dad sad and angry? What changed him during the last few years? There are no easy resolutions, only haunting questions about growing up.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)