Book : Son Of The Mob - Korman, Gordon

-Titulo Original : Son Of The Mob

-Fabricante :

Little, Brown Books For Young Readers

-Descripcion Original:

Review Vince Luca, 17, has a problem. His wealthy family runs the, uh, vending machine business in New York, and Vince is determined not to be part of it. Especially after a hot date is ruined when he finds that his older brother Tommy has conducted some business with Jimmy the Rat and hidden the messy and temporarily unconscious body in the trunk of Vinces car. His dad, the King of the Mob, is reasonable, sensible, lots of fun, gives great presents to his kids--and his name strikes the hearts of other mobsters to stone. Although Vince keeps a low profile at school, his family connection brings him unwanted advantages, like the birthday Porsche that gets him arrested on stolen vehicle charges, or the football game in which he makes touchdown after touchdown because word has gotten around and nobody is willing to tackle him. Even private conversations at home have to be carried on in the basement because the FBI has bugged the house and an agent is always listening. Vinces life is inextricably tangled up with the family business, no matter how hard he tries to stay out of it. How can he show them hes serious? Then he meets Kendra, and when she innocently reveals that her fathers an FBI agent--that FBI agent--its a match made in heaven. He thinks. Gordon Korman, author of (No More Dead Dogs) and over 30 other witty YA novels, is at his best in this Sopranos-style spoof about a teens home life with the Mob. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell Vince Luca is just like any other high school guy. His best friend, Alex, is trying to score vicariously through him; his brother is a giant pain; and his father keeps bugging him to get motivated. There is just one thing that really sets him apart for other kids-his father happens to be the head of a powerful crime organization. Needless to say, while Vince’s family’s connections can be handy for certain things (like when teachers are afraid to give him a bad grade), they can put a serious crimp in his dating life. How is he supposed to explain to a girl what his father does for a living? But when Vince meets a girl who finally seems to be worth the trouble, her family turns out to be the biggest problem of all. Because her father is an FBI agent-the one who wants to put his father away for good. From Publishers Weekly The Sopranos (minus the vulgarity and violence) meets Leave It to Beaver (minus the aw-shucks tone and dated sensibility) in Kormans (No More Dead Dogs) brassy, comical caper. With its razor-sharp dialogue and bullet-fast pace, this tale could fly on either the small or big screen, yet it makes a page-turner of a novel. Korman shapes a believable and likable crew-despite the less than reputable profession of some. Many of the novels conflicts revolve around the fact that the affable narrator, 17-year-old Vince Luca, refuses to become involved in the family vending machine business. But of course, since his father is the Mob boss, and his older brother serves as their fathers loser lackey, Vince cannot avoid being tainted (e.g., he lands in jail because my sixteenth-birthday present [a Porsche] turns out to be hot). Mom turns a deaf ear to the shady goings-on, cooking up a steady storm in the kitchen and willing to serve a sit-down dinner for fifteen guys at four in the morning with ten minutes advance notice. Things heat up when Vince begins dating-and eventually falls in love with-the daughter of the FBI agent determined to bring down Vinces father. The boy also gets sucked into the maelstrom when he loans money to one of his fathers underlings for whom he feels sorry. Funny and unexpectedly affecting, this will grab-and hold onto-even the most reluctant of readers. Ages 12-up. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal Grade 7 Up-Vince Luca, 17, has always been concerned, embarrassed, and fearful about his crime-family background, though he has sworn never