John Lekich

I let one of my students read this before I brought it back home to read this summer. I didn’t know why they felt the kid was stupid. When I asked their reasoning all they would say was that no “real” crook had a conscience. I do hope he wasn’t speaking from experience. When I picked up the book I understood a little of what my student was talking about. Henry was forced into a life of crime simply by living with his uncle Andy. Later he continues just to survive. However, he cleans up after himself, never takes too much and tries to help out in other ways. This is not your normal criminal. When he is caught he gets sent to Snowflake Falls to live with a family that is extremely different. That is all I will say about this. I think more of my students will find a place in their reading lives for this book, especially since I teach sixth grade and they will be able to identify with Henry in some ways. This was not one of my favorite books, but it was still a good book.
I won a copy of this book from LibraryThing.… (more)

This coming-of age story is about a young boy named Henry Holloway, who is being raised by his Uncle Andy. Problem is, Uncle Andy is a small-time crook and spends a great deal of the novel as a guest of Corrections Canada. Exceptionally bright, Henry has picked-up an impressive range of B&E skills. Henry is no ordinary burglar. He steals responsibly and even goes so far as to clean houses and contribute to the birthday gift fund of one of his victims. Trouble eventually finds Henry and he is sent to a Second Chance program in the small community of Snowflake Falls. The book is sweet-tempered and hugely enjoyable.… (more)

Henry Holloway lives by himself in a treehouse in an old lady's back yard. He is on his own because his sole guardian, Uncle Andy, is currently in jail. Uncle Andy has taught the bright young man the tools of his trade, breaking and entering. Henry has his own moral code, which helps him deal with his conscience. For example, he'll often clean up after taking a bit of money or food from a house that needs it. At at the home of one of his "victims," Henry found an envelope the man was using to save up for a gift for his daughter, so Henry added to the stash instead of taking from it! Can Henry fly under the radar and keep himself fed long enough to get by? What would become of him if he gets caught while Uncle Andy is away?
Although this is marketed as a young adult title and the character is a teen, it reads like a juvenile fiction book. This isn't a bad thing, but definitely skews to the younger end of the YA set. I enjoyed the quirky character and the story, though it took me longer than usual to get invested. I also felt that the "Snowflake Falls" part of the book might not have been significant enough to rate a place in the title, as it seemed to be a smaller portion of the total plot and only came at the last part of the book.

All in all, it was a fun read, and would be great for those kids who are fans of Gordon Korman.… (more)