Guy Langman, Crime Scene Procrastinator

Guy Langman doesn’t let much ruffle him. He’s your typical smart-boy slacker: he just doesn’t care all that much. But when his best friend Anoop convinces him to join the school’s forensics club in order to meet some girls, Guy decides to go for it. What results isn’t what they necessarily thought they were going to get: there’s a real dead body, a bunch of valuable stolen coins, and the fact that Guy can’t stop thinking about his recently-deceased father. Like it or not, Guy’s going to have to use all his new forensic skills to figure some stuff out.

It’s difficult to walk the line between humor and grief. It’s even harder to blend the two so perfectly, but that’s exactly what Josh Berk does in this funny, heartfelt novel about a slacker kid who’s starting to figure out his life. Vivid characters, truly funny observations about life and love, and a memorable plot make this a standout in the mystery genre this year.

Berk nails Guy’s voice from page one, and in doing so guarantees that he’ll hook even the most reluctant reader (this one was convinced). Guy is too smart for his own good, bored by school, and apathetic about most things, but it becomes clear early on that he’s really struggling with the death of his father. There’s some character growth here, but it’s subtle, and Berk goes for the laughs as often as he does the tears.

A brilliant supporting cast make this one a total trip to read. All of the characters who populate Guy’s world are interesting, quirky, and undeniably human. The hijinx Guy and his friends find themselves up to are completely entertaining, and the novel’s quick pacing keep the games afoot (or a-thumb, as the case may be).

Overall a really fun read with a surprising amount of depth. Highly recommended, but especially for those who like their humor a little dark and their wit a little edgy. One of my favorite reads of the fall, for the laughs alone.

Guy Langman, Crime Scene Procrastinator by Josh Berk. Knopf Books for Young Readers: 2012. Library copy. Read for 2012 Cybils Round 1 Panel. ( )

What a fun book! (Although it does perhaps give a little too much information about the thought process of teenage boys for those of us who aren't and never have been one to feel totally comfortable with. Especially if you work in close proximity to them every day and/or happen to live with one.) I didn't go into it expecting a big crime mystery (he is the crime scene procrastinator, after all) so I wasn't at all disappointed that the actual crime was such a small part of the book. Instead it was a witty, funny (again, teenage boy-style witty and funny, but still...) book about a boy who lost his father and is trying to figure out both his place in the world and how to cope with his mother's and his own grief. It had me laughing out loud one minute, cringing at his truly bad and tasteless jokes the next. I think every high school class out there has at least one Guy Langman in it, so anyone who's ever been to high school can identify with this book at least a little. Crime drama it isn't. Looking for a quirky coming-of-age story, though? Case closed.

Though, honestly, do teenage boys really toss around all those "your mother" jokes? As the mother of a teenage boy, it's more than a little disconcerting.... ( )

Love, love Guy's voice in this book! I chuckled at many of the lines. Hopefully we get to see Guy as a senior or in college. Good read. ( )

Guy Langman's father was really old; Guy is the child of a second marriage late in life for his dad. When his dad dies, Guy begins keeping a journal for his grief (in reality it's for his bawdy, inappropriately crude humor) at the request of his psychologist. The book is the journal entries. At school, his friend Anup drags him to a new forensics club in hopes of getting to know girls better. However, when a real-life murder takes place, Guy and his club members decide it's up to them to solve the mystery.
The novel is written at about a third or fourth grade level, but the incessant locker room language, plus a little of the subject matter, put this one off limits for most students likely until 8th grade. Essentially, it's a high interest low level novel that might find traction with some reluctant readers. I was a bit turned off by the stupid puns and the incessent locker room talk, but that might be what draws some readers to the book more than the CSI angle. ( )

Book review by Carlos A., posted by CA Library:

"Guy Langman Crime Scene Procrastinator by Josh Beck is a realistic fiction that is told in 3rd person. The protagonist of the book is a teenage boy named Guy Langman. The setting of the story is in North Ridge, New Jersey

Guy Langman is a normal high school kid with high school problems until his dad dies. When his father passes, it is very hard for Guy. He is told to join the forensics squad in school.

Guy joins the forensics squad and they will be responsible for working together to find their (fake) murder victim and weapons etc., when Guy comes across a very real dead corpse.

Although not done with the book, I was fully satisfied with Josh Beck’s phenomenal writing. He had me pulled in right from the start of the book. If I had to give the book a rating out of 5 stars it would be 4.5 I would rate the book that because it lost me in points of the book, it made me lose focus. I would recommend this book to people 10 or older also for people that enjoy a good read." ( )