Susan Schott Karr (Children's Literature)
More than anything, Chad wants to work as a Bozo at the dunk tank on the boardwalk near where he lives at the New Jersey shore. Soon after school lets out for the summer, he observes a Bozo who, through his clever use of language, knows how to control the onlooking crowd, select a "mark"--a person he coaxes into paying to try to dunk him--and maintain his position as if he were a fine actor on a stage. Little does Chad know that the man whose position he covets will become his mentor and teacher, thereby giving him the opportunity to try his hand at the seemingly simple game. Other surprises and challenges await Chad, as his best friend becomes gravely ill and his mother tries to juggle work and school to support him as best she knows how as a single mother. Author David Lubar masterfully adds twists and turns to the story, building tension to the very end. Lubar shows a knack for getting into the head of a teenager and in using language that will appeal to his teenage audience. His unique setting and creative approach make for enjoyable reading. 2002, Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Books, $15.00. Ages 12 up.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2002 (Vol. 70, No. 17))
Lubar's (Hidden Talents, 1999, etc.) latest is somewhat weaker than the sum of its parts. The characters are strong, the setting is interesting enough, but somehow the plot just does not ring true. Chad lives on the Jersey shore, an odd place to live, especially in the off season. Chad and his single mother try to scrape together enough money to pay the mortgage, she by working and renting their second floor to boarders, Chad by scamming side jobs on the boardwalk. When Malcolm, a college professor with a unique summer job, becomes their new tenant, Chad's summer is irrevocably changed. Malcolm works as a "Bozo" at the dunk tank, the smart-mouthed jokester who jeers passers-by into spending their money to dunk him. Chad is so taken by Malcolm's ability to come up with the perfect wisecrack every time that he vows to study him and become a Bozo himself. Added to this unlikely career choice is Chad's struggle to work up the courage to talk to his dream girl, the collapse of his best friend due to a rare autoimmune disease, and Malcolm's slow revelations about his past that led him to this vocation. Chad is an appealing enough teen, nice to his mother, hangs out with his friends, worries about his social life, yet somehow is just not likable enough. Lubar seems to throw in a lot of filler-Chad's friend's disease, his struggles to talk to a girl he likes-which doesn't necessarily add to the story. One substantial plot device involves Malcolm introducing Chad to classics in humor (the Marx brothers, Charlie Chaplin) and discussing how laughter and humor can be healing. Chad uses this idea to help his friend feel better as they await news of his disease, but these parts are few and far between. Not a bad effort, just not quite there. Will appeal to junior-high boys who aren't looking for a challenging read. 2002, Clarion, $15.00. Category: Fiction. Ages 12 to 14. © 2002 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Paula Rohrlick (KLIATT Review, September 2002 (Vol. 36, No. 5))
Summer at the shore sounds idyllic, but 15-year-old Chad is unhappy. He lives near the beach in New Jersey year-round with his hard-working waitress mother; she is divorced from his long-gone father. The memory of his father's shiftlessness makes Chad angry; he's not too pleased with the world in general, in fact, and wishes his mother would let him take a real job. But when he watches the performance of the new Bozo at the dunk tank, expertly heckling victims on the boardwalk, Chad acquires a new ambition in life; instead of being "a loser," "I wanted to shout and scream at the world from the safety of a cage. I wanted to be the Bozo." This new Bozo turns out to be Chad's mother's new tenant, Malcolm, a professor of theater with a sad past. Chad and Malcolm edge with difficulty into a relationship that eventually becomes almost father-son, as Malcolm instructs Chad in the fine art of becoming a Bozo. But there is more to Chad's summer than just becoming a Bozo; he gets into some trouble with the police; his best friend is diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, and Chad finds that laughter can heal as well as sting; and he finally works up the courage to ask a girl out, and to convince his mother to let him take a job. Lubar, author of the fantasy Hidden Talents, tells an engaging story, with believable and interesting characters and witty dialogue. He portrays the world of the boardwalk with affection and a keen eye for detail. Readers will be pleased when Chad's troubled summer ends happily, with increased self-confidence and finally, a hard-won and triumphant turn at being a Bozo. Category: Hardcover Fiction. KLIATT Codes: JS--Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2002, Houghton Mifflin/Clarion, 256p., $15.00. Ages 12 to 18.

Deborah Stevenson (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, December 2002 (Vol. 56, No. 4))
Jersey-shore-dweller Chad loves the summer world of arcades and games on the boardwalk. The summer before his junior year, he is fixated on the game of Dunk the Bozo (wherein a clown taunts passersby to try to dunk him with a well-aimed ball), since this year’s Bozo has a caustic and masterful performance that makes Chad yearn to emulate him (“I wanted to make the marks dance like puppets on a string. I wanted to shout and scream at the world from the safety of a cage”). He’s stunned to discover that the Bozo he admires is his mother’s annoying new tenant, but he sticks to his goals nonetheless, working as the game’s ball boy as he learns more about the job that compels him. The subplots here aren’t as successful as the main plot: Chad’s yearning for a girl who works another booth is at least credible, but the serious illness of Chad’s best friend and Chad’s healing of him through humor are overhastily addressed and insufficiently woven into the main plot. Chad’s fascination with the Bozo, however, makes for a genuinely original story, and Lubar tactfully and effectively implies a linkage between other aspects of Chad’s life and his desire to control people from a safe distance without painting that ambition as inappropriate. There’s also a vivid picture of the mysterious and somewhat seedy world of the boardwalk from both in front of and behind the scenes, and readers will relish that blend of eager hope and slightly sinister cynicism that gives that world its rich and gamey flavor. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2002, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2002, Clarion, 249p, $15.00. Grades 7-10.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2003)
Mesmerized by the new Bozo working at a boardwalk dunk tank, Chad decides he too wants to "scream at the world from the safety of a cage." Malcolm, the troubled carnival clown, trains Chad to work the tank and encourages the teenager to handle some difficult personal relationships. Both are well-realized characters in a solid novel about the anger that often fuels humor--and the compassion that enhances it. Category: Older Fiction. 2002, Clarion, 251pp, $15.00. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.

Kathleen Massey (The Kutztown University Book Review, Spring 2005)
Chad Turner was ready for his summer vacation to start. Although his mother had to rent the upstairs of their house to help with the bills, Chad loved living at the Jersey shore with the boardwalk and all the excitement of the summer. On the first day of summer, Chad was entranced by the Bozo that sat in the dunk tank near the arcade. Chad knew he could work the crowd as well as this obnoxious ‘clown.’ Chad’s goal was to become a BOZO. But it wouldn’t be that easy. Chad had to deal with the sudden serious illness of a friend, the loss at a chance with the girl who came back from Montana to spend the summer at the beach, learning how to cope with the new tenant and lying to his mother. Chad’s experiences could be any teenage boy’s experiences as he floats between sophomore and junior years in high school including whether he gets the chance to be the BOZO. This is a very readable book that should appeal to teen-age boys. The issues are realistic and many young men should be able to identify with them. Category: Realistic Fiction. 2002, Graphia, $6.99. Ages 11 to 14.

Walter Hogan (VOYA, October 2002 (Vol. 25, No. 4))
Chad Turner lives on the New Jersey shore, near the boardwalk that becomes an amusement park during tourist season. At the beginning of summer vacation before his junior year, Chad is startled by a harsh, amplified voice that "rips the air like a chain saw." The voice belongs to a skilled "Bozo," a clown who cleverly insults selected passers-by, drawing laughs from the crowd, until the victim is provoked to pay for a chance to dunk the obnoxious clown into a tank of water. Chad becomes fascinated and gets to know Malcolm Vale, the enigmatic man behind the Bozo, hoping for a chance to try the role himself. Meanwhile, the summer that Chad had eagerly anticipated begins to unravel. The girl he had been thinking about all year returns for her summer job, but Chad is unable to compete with slick, charming hustler Anthony Glover for her attention. His best friend, Jason, a strong young athlete, suddenly collapses and is hospitalized with a rare and untreatable illness. All the while, Chad and his mother struggle with financial and emotional burdens in the wake of their abandonment by Chad's father. Chad fears becoming a loser and quitter like his father, and by the middle of summer, he falls into a deep depression. Pushed by Malcolm, who turns out to be much more than a clown, Chad fights to recover from his own despair and helps Jason get back on his feet. Although more realistic than Lubar's Hidden Talents (Tor, 1999/VOYA October 1999), this book parallels that earlier novel in celebrating the capacity of young adults to triumph over low expectations. A compelling dramatization of the power of laughter both to hurt and to heal, Dunk confirms Lubar's growing stature as an author of distinctive, intriguing, and highly original young adult fiction. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J S (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; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2002, Clarion, 256p, $15. Ages 11 to 18.