Sharon Salluzzo (Children's Literature)
15-year-old Brett Gerson's life has been ruined. His father, who made millions as a stockbroker, has been sent to jail, and life as Brett knew it has come to an end. Now, instead of lounging beside the family pool, he is cleaning them. Their home and possessions have been sold and he, his mother and sister live with his Aunt Mary. It is Alfie Moore, the man who owns the pool cleaning service, who subtly helps Brett change from a cocky teen who feels he has been cheated out of the things he deserves to a person who begins to understand what is important in life. Alfie, who is in his seventies, has a garden and cans his own produce. He even lets Brett borrow the van to take his driving test. When Alfie suffers a fatal heart attack, Brett begins to see the importance of family relationships, and begins trying to improve the one he has with his father. Simmons captures the teen personality here and maintains it throughout the story. Brett can be both an infuriating and sympathetic character. The other characters come alive as well. The story never becomes maudlin. It is realistic in its approach and will strike a chord with many teens. 2003, A Neal Porter Book/Roaring Brook Press, $15.95. Ages 12 to 15.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2003 (Vol. 71, No. 10))
Brett Gerson has it tough: fabulously rich for 15 years, his life is capsized when his father is jailed for insider trading. "[I]f you go from the life of leisure that I once had," says Brett, "to the life of toil and drudgery that I have now, it's very, very hard." That toil and drudgery consists of a move to his eccentric aunt's house on the wrong side of the tracks and a job cleaning rich people's pools with Alfie. The relationship that builds between the elderly, bus-driving, pool-cleaning free spirit and the spoiled, selfish teen is a marvel to watch unfold. Brett's voice never softens, but readers will catch on that his wiseass commentary is in part a façade to conceal honest-to-goodness emotion. When Alfie meets with a medical emergency, that emotion comes flooding out. It's no mean feat, rendering a character who is both detestable and sympathetic; Simmons has done this, and hilariously so, his first time out. 2003, Roaring Brook/Millbrook, $15.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 12 up. Starred Review. © 2003 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Paula Rohrlick (KLIATT Review, July 2003 (Vol. 37, No. 4))
Brett used to lead the good life, residing in a mansion with a $5,000 stereo of his own, expecting a car for his upcoming 16th birthday. Then his father is busted for insider trading, and the family loses everything. Feeling betrayed, and even worse, poor, Brett is furious at his father and continues to act like a rude, spoiled, rich kid even when the family is no longer wealthy. He says nasty things to his father when he visits him in jail, even though he knows it upsets both his parents. Brett hadn't really planned to work "until after I went to business school," but he needs money, so he reluctantly ends up taking a summer job with an older man named Alfie, cleaning pools in the fancy neighborhood where he used to live. Of course, as the summer goes on, the hard work and the relationship with the kindly Alfie help to turn Brett around. He is devastated when Alfie has a heart attack, and he finally emerges from his self-absorbed shell and forgives his father. Told in Brett's wry, honest voice, this excellent first novel is a convincing and thought-provoking tale about coming to terms with circumstances and learning to forgive. Category: Hardcover Fiction. KLIATT Codes: JS*--Exceptional book, recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2003, Millbrook/Roaring Brook Press, 164p., $16.95. Ages 12 to 18.

Dan Reinhold (The ALAN Review, Fall 2003 (Vol. 31, No. 1))
Insider trading. Brett Gerson remembers their rip-off lawyer saying that was why his father has been dragged off to jail. Yet, what really irked him was when they lost the house....his house, the pool, the Mercedes, and his brand new $5,000 stereo system. Brett struggles to adjust to life across the tracks, where he now lives with his aunt. His mom makes him get a job, and Brett soon finds himself cleaning his friends' pool with Alfie Moore, an eccentric 70-year old. Will his friends, and most importantly, the girl of his dreams, like him now that he is poor? Author Michael Simmons challenges the reader to decide what really matters, and raises the issue of anger, family, and forgiveness. Pool Boy is a fast and entertaining read that won't lose you in its depths, but to be sure, it isn't shallow water. Category: Realistic Fiction/Greed. YA--Young Adult. 2003, Simon and Schuster, 164 pp., $23.90. Ages young adult.Wheaton, IL

Deborah Stevenson (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, June 2003 (Vol. 56, No. 10))
Brett’s cushy life in his well-off family came to a screeching halt when his stockbroker father was sent to prison for insider trading. Now he, his mother, and his younger sister are living with his aunt, on the wrong side of the tracks, where he’s bitter through and through about the changes in his existence; on family visits to his father, he takes great pleasure in dishing out denigration (“I could say things like, ‘Hey Dad, you’re a loser and an idiot,’ and he’d be sitting behind a big Plexiglass window and couldn’t do anything”). After failing at his hated fast-food job (a failure, Brett is sure, that is everybody’s fault but his), he falls into a job cleaning pools with seventy-year-old Alfie, a local character who used to drive Brett’s school bus years ago and who soon becomes a valuable friend and advisor for the unhappy teen. Simmons is absolutely superb in his creation of Brett’s narrative voice: the teen is completely credible in his self-centered and materialistic bitterness, while managing to stay sympathetic to readers because of his understandable anger and his genuine, if awkwardly expressed, love for the rest of his family. The book is perceptive about the pleasures of punishing those who have hurt us and the dilemma of finding ways to do it without hurting others, and it never strays from the authentic even when depicting Brett’s growth and forgiveness (“I still hate Dad for blowing everything and losing the house and the pool. . . . But maybe I hate him in a different way than I thought”). His relationship with Alfie isn’t unusual in literature for young people, but it’s depicted with an understated subtlety that nonetheless makes their connection clear and renders Brett’s grief at Alfie’s death credible and touching. Even readers who initially find it hard to forgive Brett’s arrogance will understand the pain of losing cool stuff, and Simmons’ stellar narrative will elicit compassion from any teen who’s had reason to be angry with a parent. Review Code: R* -- Denotes books of special distinction. (c) Copyright 2003, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2003, Porter/Roaring Brook, 164p, $15.95 and $22.90. Grades 7-12.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2003)
After his father is jailed for insider trading, fifteen-year-old Brett, accustomed to a life of luxury, gets a summer job cleaning pools with an eccentric old man. The one-note story lacks a dramatic arc, but Brett's snotty first-person voice contains just enough glimmerings of self-knowledge that his eventual emotional turnaround, though limited, is convincing. Category: Older Fiction. 2003, Roaring Brook, 164pp, $15.95, $22.90. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws.

Judy Sasges (VOYA, June 2003 (Vol. 26, No. 2))
Fifteen-year-old Brett grew up rich-expensive stereo systems, fancy houses, and luxurious cars were always at his disposal. Everything changes, however, when his father is jailed for inside trading and the family moves to "the wrong side of the tracks." Now Brett works after school, endures the humiliation of losing his rich-boy status, and reluctantly visits his father in jail. His anger with his father puts additional stress on the fragile family. When Alfie, the free-spirited, elderly pool cleaner, offers him a job, Brett unexpectedly finds a mentor to help him through difficult times. Told in the first person, this novel is a conventional coming-of-age story despite the rather unconventional setting. Brett's life is fairly normal, despite his change in circumstances, and he experiences unrequited love, the joy of getting his driver's license, the pain of losing a loved one, and other rites of passage during the course of the summer. Thanks to Alfie's wisdom, Brett also learns the importance of forgiveness and making sound choices. He is an engaging character with an authentic voice, although some observations-"my sister was crying softly" and "My mom gave me one of her looks of quiet desperation"-do not quite ring true. The secondary characters, although meant to be colorful, lack enough depth to be believable. Nevertheless, Brett's story will interest readers looking for a quick, undemanding read. Short sentences, uncomplicated dialogue, and lots of white space will appeal to older reluctant readers. The almost fairy-tale ending and Brett's maturation over the summer will please those looking for a satisfying conclusion. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P J S (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2003, Roaring Brook, 160p, $15.95. PLB, $22.90. Ages 12 to 18.