Elvira Lindo

(this review is of an ARC received from the publisher)

Manolito Four-Eyes is a refreshing addition to the world of middle grade fiction. Set in Carabanchel, Spain, a suburb of Madrid, the Manolito Four-Eyes series, gives the American reader a hilarious glimpse into the life of a 10-year Spanish boy. While many aspects of young boyhood are universal - bullies, practical jokes, and general shenanigans, Manolito's adventures (or misadventures!) take place amidst a backdrop of

afternoon siestas, show more
"Anyway, the Bozo and I began going down to Luisa's to watch cartoons while my grandpa and my mom snored in unison upstairs. We'd take off our shoes, we'd have a deadly cheese fight, and then we'd lay down to watch the cartoons. Since there were only two or three cartoons, after a week we knew them all by heart, and I could fall asleep halfway through and then wake up right before the end. I highly recommend this experience. You only need: a couch, a VCR, and a cartoon you've seen fifty times."

overly dramatic women,
""I can't live without you, my babies, my Cata, my grandpa Nicolas. . . . You're my real family." Our Nosy Neighbor Luisa took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped away a tear that none of us really saw. She must have wiped it away before it came out her eye. "Nothing is more silly than getting mad over a video, Cat, I want you to accept a Reconciliation Dinner next week." My mom wiped away her own invisible tear and said, "We'll be there." When Luisa left, my mom changed to her police inspector face and thought out loud, "I wonder what she wants me to do this time?""

and an outdoor fiesta for St. Peter's Day with grandpa,

"The first ones in all of Carabanchel on the dance floor were my grandpa, me and the Bozo. I did it partly for the singer: it's sad when no one dances to the song you're singing. Luckily, by the third song other people started to dance, and I could go back to my place at the food stand and keep drinking Coke with Big Ears, who was sitting on one of the stools. Every once in a while, my grandpa and the Bozo would leave the dance floor and come over to have more Coke and "the usual." I don't know how many trips they made. There are some versions of the story that say ten - others, twelve. And the Bozo isn't even allowed to have Coke! ... What happened next is still being talked about in Carabanchel."

In this installment, Manolito's family is staying home for the summer, and while other families flee the city for vacation, Manolito notes that,

"like every summer, we were the only ones left on this side of the Mazanares River... Summer in Carabanchel is like everywhere else in the world: there's a swimming pool, there's ice cream, there's siesta time, and there's a time when it's cool out. Me and my grandpa and the Bozo go down to Hangman's Park every afternoon, we buy a super-duper ice-cream cone, and we flop down on the bench until it gets dark and my grandpa says, "Your mom doesn't realize it, but there are times when we live like millionaires.""

Yes, they do.

Manolito has the wry eye of a Greg Heffley, but a bit more of a conscience. Occasional sketches add humor to an already funny dissertation. It appears that Caroline Travalia has done a fine job of translating the text from its native Spanish. This is The 3rd Volume of the Great Encyclopedia of My Life. Manolito Four-Eyes is a "whole lotta cool" and a whole lotta funny! Highly recommended.
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I have not laughed out loud so hard in ages. Manolito is a grandiose character, and even reading his story in translation leaves me feeling like I've been visiting his in his apartment in Madrid. I'd give this to anyone who remembers being 10, who loves language, or who has a sense of humour. It's nicely episodic, would work well read aloud, and has millions of fantastic bit to read for a quick book talk. Hilarious!

Chronicles the adventures of a boy living in Madrid with a cast that includes school his friends, his little brother, and his eccentric grandpa. This one didn't really work for me. I suspect that it's a difficult thing for an author writing from the 1st person POV of a child to find just the right balance between sounding too precocious and turning kid dialect into a poor caricature. I'm afraid Lindo misses the mark here for me and veers way too far into caricature land, although to be fair, show more it could be a matter of cultural difference or a not-great translation. At any rate, it won't make any of my Favorites lists. show less

Manolito returns in "the 2nd volume of the great encyclopedia of my life." Funny, gross, warm, and exuberant, Manolito opens the window to another culture while showing how some things stay the same; school, family, and getting into trouble.

The Manolito stories are hugely popular in their native Spain and there are some parallels to the Wimpy Kid books - cartoon-style drawings and some snarky humor. But Manolito lacks the self-awareness of Jeff Kinney's characters and his somewhat innocent, show more naive approach to life is closer to the French Nicholas of Goscinny. These books will definitely have a more limited appeal than the Wimpy Kid stories, but there's plenty of humor to attract young readers.

ISBN: 978-0761454700; Published April 2009 by Marshall Cavendish; Borrowed from the library show less