Abby Nolan (Booklist, Apr. 1, 2005 (Vol. 101, No. 15))
Eleven-year-old Mitch Valentine and his best friend are looking forward to the perfect summer (it is 1962) when his parents announce that he and his family will be spending it in rural Louisiana with his mother's relatives. His immediate despair slowly fades as he comes to appreciate Southern cooking, family stories, adventures with his five boy cousins, and a girl named Skeeter. The experiences are a much-needed counterweight to the heat, the bugs, and the ever-present threat of snakes. First-time novelist Marcum has crafted a completely believable, mostly likeable narrator in Mitch. Joking at every turn (with flatulence one of the favored topics) and observant almost to a fault, Mitch seems to relay his every action and thought, which may prove more than necessary for some readers. The story has its slow patches, but Marcum's accounts of Mitch's risk taking (running from a bull, climbing up a water tower) are vivid and memorable, and the lesson learned (steer clear of foolish dares from guys with mean streaks) is delivered without heavy-handedness. Category: Books for Middle Readers--Fiction. 2005, Farrar, $18. Gr. 5-7.

Rosa Roberts (Children's Literature)
Sixth-grade graduate Mitch Valentine has his summer all planned, but things start to go wrong when he finds out he will be spending his summer in Pitkin, Louisiana, with his maternal grandfather. Mitch’s heartache is only made worse by having to break the news to his best friend, Tick. After all, they both planned the summer activities that would take them into the next school year. The extensive list included watching monster movies, bicycle riding, skateboarding--along with watching cartoons. The trek from California to Louisiana is humorous, especially with his Air Force dad behind the wheel. Arriving in Louisiana, Mitch is shocked by the realization that he does not fit in with his overall-clad cousins. During his visit Mitch undergoes many adventures and discovers many things to do despite having no television or air conditioning in grandpa’s home. In time, Mitch evolves from the city boy who does not understand Southern living, to one who appreciates his new-found relatives, and realizes what is really important to a young adolescent. 2005, Farrar Strauss and Giroux, $18.00. Ages 12 up.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2005 (Vol. 73, No. 8))
It's summer, 1963, and Air Force brat Mitch Valentine is glad to bid adieu to sixth grade. He has his summer planned out to the last minute with his best friend TK, until his parents announce the family will spend a couple months with his maternal grandfather in Pitkin, Louisiana while his father goes in for special training. As if the horror of country cousins weren't bad enough, there's no AC or TV! Mitch's adventures mount with each chapter: He's chased by a bull, burnt on a rope swing and the cause of a near fatal incident involving an Army convoy and some cardboard aliens. Mitch warms to his situation and his cousins-not to mention his cousin Gary's sweetheart Skeeter before the summer draws to a happy conclusion. Marcum's first may be a bit sluggish in places, but it makes for a wonderful historical novel for boys not interested in war stories. The characters and the bayou breathe, and the hijinks will leave 'em laughing. Here are adventures worthy of Peck's Soup for a new generation. 2005, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 336p, $18.00. Category: Fiction. Ages 10 to 14. © 2005 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Timnah Card (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, June 2005 (Vol. 58, No. 10))
Mitch is nearly twelve, and his parents have just announced that this summer, the family will leave California to visit his mom's relatives in "Lousyana." Once there, smart-mouthed Mitch can't keep his trap shut, but his easygoing, farm-bred cousins cut him enough slack (between daring him to race an ornery Brahma bull and encouraging him to play Tarzan on an unpredictable rope swing) that Mitch eventually warms up to Louisiana life. However, his reckless nature leads him to trust too much in the town bad boy, Finn, who with his pals encourages Mitch to drink and drive, climb a dangerously high water tower, and dare a creek full of cottonmouths. Mitch's world is crammed with the artifacts and attitudes of the early '60s, and the day-by-day details of his summer shine with halcyon glory. Mitch takes all of that for granted, explaining very few of the abundant cultural details in his chatty first-person narration--an authorial strategy that creates a high level of verisimilitude while avoiding preachiness. Mitch's actions and commentary reveal him as intelligent and rambunctious, quick to lose his temper but slow to hold a grudge. Though he does learn quite a lot about human nature while in Louisiana, this is not a problem novel; rather, it is an adventure yarn within a specific historical space, comparable in quality and atmosphere with Peck's A Long Way from Chicago (BCCB 10/98). Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2005, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2005, Farrar, 328p, $18.00. Grades 5-7.

Ed Goldberg (VOYA, August 2005 (Vol. 28, No. 3))
Sixth grader Mitch must leave San Bernardino and his best friend, Tick, to spend the summer in the swamps of "Lousy-ana," visiting country-bumpkin relatives he has never met. Mitch and Tick had the summer planned-sci-fi movies, bike riding, camping in Tick's tree house. Mitch is convinced that he will have a horrible summer. Unexpectedly his Louisiana cousins turn out to be fun, and with them, Mitch taunts a Brahma bull, jumps cannonball-style into the creek, has corncob fights, gives his dog a Mohawk to relieve the heat, and reads some of the 974 comic books that his cousin Gary has collected. He is also intrigued by Finn, his cousin's neighbor who is a year older, calls Mitch "City Boy," and thinks that he is a wuss. Finn challenges Mitch to prove himself by climbing the water tower and joining the "Cottonmouth Club," assuming that Mitch will fail. Trying to impress Finn and also enjoying his cousins, Mitch rarely thinks of Tick. Offering a story that is reminiscent of Gary Paulsen's Harris and Me (Harcourt, 1993), Marcum pens an all-boy book, with its funny "you ain't chicken, are ya?", farting, and swimming-in-the creek stories. The 1963 time frame bears little relevance other than occasional contemporary references. The writing is descriptive and comical, peppered with Mitch's humorous asides. The Southern lingo is a hoot, and the boys' antics are nonstop. With its great message-that first impressions are deceiving as Mitch puts Finn and his cousins in perspective-and a rompin' good time, this book is perfect for middle school and public libraries. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2005, Farrar Straus Giroux, 336p., $18. Ages 11 to 15.