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The Big One-Oh

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The Big One-Oh

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Overview

Charley Maplewood has never been one for parties? that would require friends, which he doesn't have. But now that he's turning ten?the big oneoh? he decides to throw a birthday party for himself. Of course things don't work out as he plans. In trying to make friends, he ends up inviting the class bully, and that's before he ruins the cake and sets the garage on fire. Will Charley be able to pull it together before the big one-oh . . . becomes the big OH-NO?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101057780
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	07/09/2009
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
Lexile:	690L (what's this?)
File size:	301 KB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Dean Pitchford, author of The Big One-Oh and Captain Nobody, starred on Broadway in Pippin and Godspell before turning to songwriting and screenwriting. His multimillion-selling songs include the Oscar-winning “Fame,” “Footloose,” “Holding Out for a Hero” and “After All.” He has been nominated for four Academy Awards, five Grammys and two Tonys. His stage musical adaptation of Footloose played over 700 performances on Broadway and is now being produced around the world.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Pitchford's debut for kids is sure to be a big hit with readers. -Kirkus Reviews

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Editorial Reviews

In this debut novel from song- and screenwriter Pitchford, a boy relates the sometimes funny, sometimes moving story of how he planned his 10th birthday party. The thought of having a party had not occurred to narrator Charley until he gets a card from his father (who left home three years earlier) asking, "What are you going to do on your big day?" Fearful that he has too much in common with his loner neighbor Garry (the boy refers to them as "two friendless freaks"), Charley vows "to throw the best party—in the history—oftheworld!" He organizes his plans into a Birthday Notebook, and entry #1 reads, "Make friends." Ironically, the lad does befriend Garry, who used to create special effects for movies and now spends his days making body parts out of latex in his garage. Charley, a devoted fan of Monsters & Maniacsmagazine, decides to throw a horror-themed party, an idea his so-called friends at school think is cool. Just when it looks like Charley's big day is doomed, Garry comes to the rescue, in a riotous scene that calls upon the man's expertise. Pitchford develops likable, believable lead characters (Charley's beleaguered mother and caustic older sister play strong supporting roles), but some of Charley's peers act and speak in voices that seem older than those of 10-year-olds (e.g., at the start of the party, the class bully announces, "I've been to bar mitzvahs that were scarier"). Overall, however, this is entertaining fare. Ages 8-up. (Mar.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Publishers Weekly

Gr 3–7
Charley is a master cook, a comic-book maniac, and a basically friendless nine-year-old. When his father sends him an early birthday gift and inquires how he is going to celebrate his big day, Charley is inspired to throw a party. The ensuing story chronicles his attempt to determine a theme, bake a cake, and make enough friends to have a gathering worthy of turning 10. The fast-paced plot will keep readers involved to the end. The novel is peopled with a host of unique characters including a mysterious neighbor, Charley's mother's seedy boyfriend, and an older sister obsessed with working at a fried chicken fast-food restaurant. Readers will enjoy the gross-out details and embarrassing situations in which Charley finds himself during his quest for a successful celebration. The author does a wonderful job of crafting the boy's character within the strange and bizarre events leading up to the satisfying conclusion. It's often very funny, but it's also poignant as Charley's loneliness and cluelessness about how to make a friend are clearly evident. This novel would be especially effective for a class read-aloud or as a choice for reluctant readers.
—Melissa Christy BuronCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Charley is about to turn the big one-oh and wants to have a birthday party in celebration. However, he runs into a few snags along the way. First, a party needs a theme. Second, a party needs fun activities. Most important, a party requires friends, something that Charley does not really have. However, Charley is nothing if not resourceful and sets about accomplishing his goals in a methodical if unorthodox way. He ends up with an unlikely group of kids at his house and a lousy party until his next-door-neighbor/movie-special-effects whiz Garry takes Charley's "scary party" theme to a new level of terror. In fact, the party is so successful that the class bully needs a fresh pair of underwear, and Charley has made a bunch of friends. Actor/songwriter Pitchford's debut for kids is sure to be a big hit with readers. His characters are realistic, situations funny and the exaggerated plot somehow believable. For those who want to be grossed out and especially for reluctant readers, this succeeds brilliantly. (Fiction. 10-13)

Kirkus Reviews

Pitchford's debut for kids is sure to be a big hit with readers. -Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Author Dean Pitchford shows he's a kid at heart as he narrates his own comic tale. Nine-year-old Charley Maplewood thinks he’s a deprived child because he's never had a birthday party. Charley plans to remedy the situation by hosting a house-of-horrors celebration for his big “one-oh.” Dean Pitchford is perfectly convincing as a 9-year-old. Pitchford hams up the unfairness of school with a boyish voice, and he even whoops and hollers during the scary parts. With fake body parts and squishy eyeballs, Pitchford swaggers through a hyperbolic tale of birthday mayhem. One might accuse him of overacting except that his pleasure in the story is so contagious. Fresh and loud, this audio performance aims at thrill-seeking listeners and hits its mark. C.A. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

JUN/JUL 08 - AudioFile