Hiding Out at the Pancake Palace

February 25, 2013
After completely choking during the live televised finals of an American Idol–type show, 11-year-old musical prodigy Elvis Ruby (who was heavily favored to win) hides from the paparazzi at his Aunt Emily’s humble pancake restaurant in New Jersey’s Pinelands. Though he cuts and dyes his trademark black curly hair and introduces himself to the townsfolk as Aaron, his identity is quickly uncovered by Cecilia, a friendless seventh-grader undergoing a musical crisis of her own. Marino’s (Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle and Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me) affection for New Jersey’s coastal preserve shines through in her descriptions of its natural beauty, not to mention the way the pancake house showcases its natural resources with its red (cranberry), white (plain), and blueberry stacks. But a subplot about the legendary Jersey Devil, also famed to be hiding in the Pine Barrens, doesn’t add enough to warrant its inclusion, and until the paparazzi finally arrive, not a lot happens. That said, the warmth and humor of the story will help carry readers through to its satisfying conclusion. Ages 8–12. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio.

Starred review from February 15, 2013
A pair of not-yet-teenagers finds common ground searching for their personal music in New Jersey's Pinelands. Pop culture, Pinelands' folklore, the power of music and the short-lived nature of secrets are the ingredients of this satisfying story, told by an omniscient narrator. According to her loving parents, the scrubby pine trees sang when Cecilia was born. Now nearly 11, awkward and out of sync with classmates, she searches the woods for that song. When a new boy comes to stay with the owner of her small town's only restaurant, she learns his secret and enlists his help. Aaron is actually superstar musician Elvis Ruby, hiding out after freezing on national television during what was supposed to be his winning performance on the TweenStar reality show. Aaron truly is a musical talent with star qualities, straining to pass as an ordinary kid; Cecilia can't carry or recognize a tune and has no rhythm, but she, too, would like to be more like the other young people she knows. No secret can be kept forever, but before Wares Grove is overwhelmed with paparazzi looking for Elvis, there is time for both of these appealing preteens to become more comfortable in their own skins. That this author knows and loves this part of her state is clear. Her audience will eat it up. (Fiction. 9-12)

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Starred review from May 1, 2013

Gr 5-8-Internationally known, super-famous Elvis Ruby gets stage fright and freezes up in front of millions of people, on live TV. Where can he hide? Marino deposits the 11-year-old in the Pinelands of New Jersey at a family friend's small breakfast diner, where he hopes to get the anonymity he needs and a break from the relentless paparazzi who follow his every move. Elvis cuts his trademark locks, dyes his hair a mousy brown, and goes incognito as Aaron. However, when you have that sparkle in your eyes and that pizzazz in your personality, incognito can be a difficult place to be. And a chance meeting with a girl named Cecilia threatens to disrupt the very calm that Aaron needs. Family legend has it that on the night she was born, the trees sang. Cecilia is desperate to hear that song again, to know that it really happened, and that even the nonmusical people of the world really do have a song hidden within their soul. Can Aaron help her regain hers at the same time that she inadvertently helps him regain his, without blowing his cover? Marino has written a timely and expertly executed novel about what it means to discover yourself. Aaron and Cecilia are both likable and flawed at the same time. Their desire to find themselves as they stumble through the shadows of the trees late at night is a wonderful metaphor for adolescence. Put this book in the hands of both the girls who follow every moment of the latest teen celebrity's life and the quiet boys and girls who stand on the sidelines, listening for their song.-Lisa Kropp, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2013
Grades 3-6 In the latest novel by the author of Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle and Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me (2009), Elvis is alive and well and living in Wares Groves, New Jersey. Elvis Ruby, that is. The aptly named 11-year-old singing sensation is looking to escape the spotlight after blowing his shot to win the television competition Tween Star. The plan is to go incognito at a family friend's restaurant, where he learns to make amazing pancakes and gets to know Cecilia, a local misfit. Exploring the surrounding Pine Barrens, the pair hear music in nature, create their own tunes, and bond . . . until the paparazzi track Elvis down and things go back to, well, basically the same as before. Lacking the real charm and truly quirky characters usually expected from a stranger-comes-to-town stories, this book is about unkept secrets and how both celebrities and loners have real feelings. If not exactly earth-shattering news, these issues, along with the interwoven legend of the Jersey Devil, make for an entertaining read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)