Review by New York Times Review
"THEIR TALES ARE full of sorcerers and ogres / Because their lives are," the poet Randall Jarrell wrote in "Children Selecting Books in a Library." No wonder fantasy books are popular with kids: Middle-grade readers, in particular, are not far removed from a time in their lives when the real and the fantastic were often indistinguishable - toddler meets light switch, to give just one example. Therefore, the standard for the suspension of disbelief in children's novels is both lower and more exacting. Young readers enter imaginary worlds eagerly and effortlessly. An invisible train platform accessible only by walking into a brick wall? No problem. But the jelly beans sold on that train better come in every flavor - every flavor, including earwax and sardine. These kinds of details buttress the sense of realness and wholeness in fantasy worlds. Stories containing only a single fantastical element pose an authorial challenge: How to make the unreal real without the help of other fantasy minutiae. Amy Sarig King faces that challenge in "Me and Marvin Gardens," her heartfelt middle-grade debut (she has written many acclaimed young adult novels as A. S. King). King introduces us to the sixth grader Obe (pronounced OH-bee) Devlin and his rural Pennsylvania environs with a sure hand. The acreage once owned by Obe's family (presumably white, with a mention of German-Irish ancestry) was sold off a bit at a time by his alcoholic greatgrandfather, and is now being turned into housing developments. Phases 1 and 2 are complete, with Phase 3 creeping ever closer to Obe's home. The family has managed to hang on to a tiny parcel of land that includes Devlin Creek, Obe's special place, where he discovers an unfamiliar animal: "His back end was dog, except for the nubby tail. His front end was porcine. . . . His hooves were weird because he had toes." Obe names the creature Marvin Gardens, after the Monopoly property. Marvin is slimy: Touching him is "like petting algae." He eats plastic and produces toxic scat. What will Obe do to protect Marvin from Phase 3? Like most young firstperson narrators, Obe is self-aware and sensitive, with the portrayal of his interior life unusually nuanced. His concern and uncertainty both drive the plot and are the reason for the story's success: The realness is contained within Obe himself. We believe him, so by extension, we believe his world - which includes an animal whose favorite food is milk-jug caps. Most chapters begin with the phrase "There was . . . " or "There were. . . . " Chapter 1: "There were mosquitoes"; Chapter 45: "There was science." This strategy initially seemed to me a risky one: I've often asked writing students if they really want to start a chapter with two completely empty words. But I admire writers who intentionally use poetic technique to amplify prose. And that repetition is reinforced by occasional chapters titled identically "One Hundred Years Ago," telling how Obe's greatgrandfather lost the family land. Like a poem or song with motif and chorus, all the repetition becomes another element propelling the story forward even as it explores the past. A GOOD CHILDREN'S NOVEL always contains opportunities for learning - which is not the same as didactic moralizing, since story takes precedence. Here readers can learn about land use, ecology and plastic; there are also subplots about bullying and consent. Most of the secondary characters are adroitly drawn - Obe's mother and sister; a terrific teacher; two friends. Obe's father is somewhat flatter, though he's partly redeemed by his Monopoly obsession, which inspires the name of Obe's animal friend. A final quibble: It strains credibility that Marvin Gardens, a peculiar and good-size animal unafraid of humans, is undiscovered until Obe happens on him. But as with any story, not just fantasies, we readers skip lightly over small cracks in the plot when the book's world is constructed with such skill and passion that we can get lost in it, as we do along Devlin Creek. LINDA SUE PARK is the author of "A Single Shard," "A Long Walk to Water" and many other books for young readers, including her most recent, the first two novels in the Wing and Claw series.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [January 1, 2017]
Review by Booklist Review
Sixth-grader Obe Devlin doesn't run with the popular crowd. He's more concerned with keeping his creek clean, finding rocks for busmate Annie Bell's collection, and not having nosebleeds all over his clothes a consequence of said unpopularity. Housing developments are rapidly, and upsettingly, encroaching on the acres of land that once belonged to the Devlin family, and Obe's one friend chooses to hang with the new kids. On a routine creek visit, Obe discovers a capybaralike animal that only eats plastic, which he names Marvin Gardens. Obe keeps Marvin a secret until neighborhood vandals threaten the creature's safety, prompting Obe to tap into his Devlin fierceness and take a stand. This is acclaimed YA author King's first foray into middle-grade territory, and it's no surprise that she adeptly handles issues like bullying, compromised friendship, complex family dynamics, and the tedium of homework. Obe's connection to the land courses through the book and is firmly rooted in Devlin family history. Drawing upon the tradition of Carl Hiaasen's Hoot (2002), this eco-focused story will tug at readers' consciences and heartstrings.--Smith, Julia Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Obe Devlin, 11, lost his only friend when new kids moved into subdivisions named for the things their homes displaced-Pheasant's Nest, Oak Trail, the Orchards-on farmland that once belonged to his family. A perceptive narrator, Obe finds solace at the creek that runs through the slice of property his parents still own, which is where he first spots a strange animal whose most notable feature is his diet: plastic litter. Obe, whose father employs a win-at-all-costs strategy during family Monopoly games, names the critter Marvin Gardens but keeps him a secret-which turns out to be an especially wise move once he realizes that the animal produces highly noxious (and possibly toxic) scat. King (Still Life with Tornado) leavens a story replete with brutal environmental facts with a magical friendship between a boy and his "pretty gross pet." A provocative exploration of human action and interaction on both local and global levels, as well as the interplay between past, present, and future, King's novel will leave readers pondering how we treat each other and the planet. Ages 8-12. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-7-Eleven-year-old Obe Devlin lives in the Pennsylvania farmhouse his family built 100 years ago. Unfortunately, his great-great-grandfather mortgaged more and more of the acreage that surrounded the house to pay for his alcohol addiction. On the small portion of land on which the house sits runs a creek surrounded by a wild area. In the habit of picking up trash from the creek, Obe comes across what he is sure is a new species of animal-a creature with a snout like a boar's, a body and tail like a dog's (yet with no fur or hair), and slimy algaelike skin. Marvin Gardens, Obe's name for the creature because of his dad's love of the board game Monopoly, eats only plastic. Obe soon discovers his new friend's poop may be toxic to the land on which new homes are being constructed. Intermingled with the obvious environmental message are the topics of betrayal and bullying, gender expectations, consent, and true friendship. King writes from personal experience, crafting a coming-of-age novel with a fully developed and authentic protagonist. VERDICT An emotionally rich read for a wide audience, especially those interested in keeping the planet alive and well for future generations.-D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
The middle-grade debut of YA novelist A.S. King (Still Life with Tornado, rev. 9/16) was bound to be a little weird--and it is. It's also a smart, environmentally conscious underdog story with a lot of heart and a little sci-fi. Sixth-grader Obe lives with his parents and older sister at the edge of a massive housing development being built on land that once belonged to his mother's family, the Devlins. Obe is an outcast at school, nicknamed "the hippie" and bullied by his former best friend Tommy's new crew. While picking up trash from Devlin Creek, Obe spies a strange creature: "It was definitely not a dog. It was definitely not any animal I ever read aboutWhat was this thing?" Obe soon befriends the "animal/ creature/monster/thing" and names it Marvin Gardens. Marvin's favorite food is plastic, and its scat is toxic. When Tommy's gang gets wind of the creature, Obe realizes it's up to him to protect Marvin. Interspersed chapters flash back a century to the story of Obe's great-grandparents (his great-grandfather "drank 175 acres of Devlin land"), helping contextualize events. To a person (and a creature), the characters are rewardingly complex. Through Obe, King asks the Big Questions ("One hundred years from nowwould people live a different way--a way that helped the planet?") alongside the smaller, more personal ones (can Tommy be trusted?) in a way that will likely have readers doing the same. elissa gershowitz(c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
King, who writes as A.S. King for teens, offers a mystical, fablelike tale for a younger audience.Obe (rhymes with lobe) has grown up on the only remaining creekside sliver of the century-plusold Devlin family farm, most of which his great-grandfather lost to his drinking habit 100 years before, a tale thats sketched in brief chapters that alternate with the white boys story. Alone by the creek, he discovers a remarkable creature, beagle-sized, hooved, and winsome. He calls it Marvin Gardens. Marvins most remarkable trait is what he eatsonly plastic. Since his best friend betrayed him months ago, Obe has mostly been on his own, and he keeps his discovery secret, although the subdivision thats being developed around the creek imperils Marvins safety. Its only after the animal is spotted by others, then shot with a paintball, that Obe confides in a trusted and kindly teacher. Although the environmental theme is pounded home with a somewhat heavy hand, the gently nuanced fantastical elements gain a neat believability as related in Obes genial, observant, and sweetly introspective narrative voice. Its just right for a sensitive sixth-grader with a growing self- and world awareness trying to navigate the troubled waters of uncertain friendships and demeaning bullying. A finely wrought, magical coming-of-age tale with a convincing message. (Fantasy. 9-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
