This was a fun book, but surprisingly superficial. It was funny in spots, but it's almost an old-fashioned book written for teens. Don't expect anything like Wouk's later writings. It paints a rosy picture of urban life, and that artificiality makes it almost cartoon like. ( )

Wouk is best known for his Pulitzer prize winning book, The Caine Mutiny, and for The Winds of War, but this book deserves some recognition of its own. It's a sweet, funny story about a very bright 11 year old Jewish boy growing up in the Bronx in the 1920s. Herbie's story proves that the lot of little boys hasn't really changed all that much in the past 80 or 90 years. The first crush on a teacher, the first love, the desire to be known for something other than smarts, it all still exists and is just as painful today as it was then.

I'm glad I read this book when I did. I've been sick for a few days and really feeling crummy, and this book lifted my spirits. Made me smile. I bet it'd make you smile too. ( )