Box of Shocks

September 15, 2011

Oliver loves his parents, but they worry about everything.

They are even afraid of the tiny rash he found on his elbow. In desperation, Oliver comes up with a "spectacularly brilliant top-secret plan." He will seek out daring situations—doing things that would certainly shock his parents if they ever found out. In each adventure (his exploits are never too serious), he takes a memento and puts it into what he calls his Box of Shocks. But one thing throws Oliver for a loop. While he is away for the summer, his parents move into the house next door and his Box of Shocks is left behind. In multiple attempts to get the box back, Oliver learns about Diggory, the boy who now lives in his old house—and revelations of his family life are more shocking than anything the box could ever hold. Writing in an immediate first-person perspective, McMahen focuses solely on Oliver; Diggory is peripheral and vague, save for an awkward school scene late in the narrative in which hints of emotional abuse finally slip out. Diggory vanishes when his parents skip town, and readers are left wondering about his fate, but Oliver grows and comes into his own.

A light and capable read, despite (or while glossing over) some serious themes. (Fiction. 8-12)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

January 1, 2012

Gr 4-6-Spurred by annoyance with his helicopter parents, Oliver begins filling a secret wooden box with evidence of daring (or at least parent-unapproved) feats: a wrapper from a greasy fast food burger, a photo of a tarantula crawling up his arm, and a rusty bolt from an old bridge from which he jumped. A surprise household move while Oliver is visiting relatives results in his beloved box being left behind. Willing to stop at nothing to reclaim his Box of Shocks, he watches the comings and goings of the family living in his old house and returns to it when they are away. It is bare, and the refrigerator is practically empty. What started as an effort to recover his box becomes an endeavor to reach out to the boy who lives there, who is often alone and who seems to have no food. A touching story of personal growth, gratitude, and kindness, this book will serve as an excellent discussion starter.-Amanda Moss Struckmeyer, Middleton Public Library, WI

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2011
Grades 4-6 Oliver feels that his parents are way, way overprotective of him. So when he finds an old metal box, he devises a top-secret plan so brilliant, just thinking about it will make my hair burst into flames! The plan evolves and soon he's filling the Box of Shocks, as it's called, with souvenirs from a series of daredevil stuntsthings his parents would never approve of. But after a summer spent at his uncle's house, Oliver returns to find his parents have moved and his Box of Shocks has been left behind. Luckily, Oliver's former residence is nearby, and he sneaks into the house several times in vain attempts to retrieve the box. Through this process, Oliver learns about a boy named Diggory who appears to have many hidden (and sad) secrets of his own. Oliver's effective first-person narration shifts from accounts of his adventures to a growing understanding about the complicated lives of otherslives that are, often times, more shocking than anything that can be contained in a box.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)