Josh Berk

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 show more 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.... show less

From reading his blog and following him on Twitter, I was expecting Josh Berk’s book to be funny and amusing. It was, in fact, funnier and more amusing than I thought it would be. Berk is like that guy in, oh, let’s say, your government class who, no matter what he was talking about, managed to infuse it with The Funny.
This is a quick read, but don’t think that means that it’s predictable. Will and Devon, with the help of Will’s ex-“girlfriend” Ebony, actually manage to uncover show more clues that the police have missed. Likely? I don’t know. Entertaining? Definitely. Through an anonymous (and hilariously written) tip to the police, the guys turn the police investigation on it's head. The fact that almost every character in the book is a suspect makes following the clues fun. And I love the idea that it's actually because of, rather than despite, his deafness that Will figures out a lot of what he does.
But what I really like about this book is that, even though it’s full of humor, it’s not just superficial entertainment. Through a history assignment, Will discovers a family connection to the coal mines in town, and wonders how he’s never heard this part of his past. It forces him to see another side of his parents, one he didn’t expect. But it's not mushy; dudes needn't fear they'll go soft. I told my husband to recommend the book to his 7th grade students, both male and female, and for the record, I don't do that very often.
I’m always excited to find new authors with a unique voice, and Josh Berk is definitely one of them. I'll definitely be picking up his future works. show less

[Originally published in 2014]

I hadn't expected to like this book - I have absolutely no interest in sports - but I picked it up off my backlog to read because I was looking for more middle grade mysteries (in expectation of the return of 80 5th graders next year, all clamoring for mysteries). To my surprise, I found it funny, engrossing, realistic, and just all-around fun.

Lenny and his two best friend, Mike and Other Mike, are looking forward to a leisurely summer and Lenny enters an show more "armchair announcer" contest for the Phillies, never expecting to win. But he does! Lenny is living the dream, meeting his heroes, getting ready to actually announce an inning...when a promising young baseball player drops dead. What really happened? Lenny and the Mikes, as well as their new friend Maria, are determined to find out.

There's plenty of sports information for the die-hard fan, but just as much mystery and humor for any other reader included as well. The characterization of the Lenny and his friends is spot-on hilarious, from Lenny's traumatic last baseball game to his more athletic friend Mike, and Other Mike's obsession with fantasy and computers. Maria is a great addition to the team with funny and awkward interactions between the kids as they try to figure out how to relate to this girl who's just as big a fan as them and is turning out to be nothing like they expected.

There's a great mystery, not too graphic but definitely not too little-kids-ish for the audience. There's awkward preteen boys interrogating librarians. There are mustaches. There's a tough girl who isn't ashamed of liking baseball. There's interesting things you can learn in books, like safecracking. And, of course, lots of baseball trivia.

Verdict: The sports mysteries I bought for teens have been gathering dust on the shelf, but this one will definitely be a popular choice for middle school readers who are interested in sports or mysteries. I am delighted to see it's going to be a series and the sequel, Say it ain't so! will be published next week.

Revisited: This has never been quite as popular as I think it should be, but it does circulate reliably when I booktalk it. It ended up being a trilogy and the first one, at least, is still available in prebound and paperback.

ISBN: 9780375870088; Published 2013 by Alfred A. Knopf/Random House; Review copy provided by the publisher; Purchased for the library show less

I loved Will's snarky inner commentary; he's a great character. I have mixed feelings about the mystery plot line, but I did enjoy the Hardy Boys jokes. Overall, a really fun read with some deeper nuggets of insight into life as a teenager tucked inside.