Judy DaPolito (Children's Literature)
Slava Petrovich is as rough and wild as his seventh-grade friends in Roslyn, Washington in 1925. He is good with his fists, he sneaks out of the house at midnight to steal grapes with his buddies, and he is known as Cuss because he can swear in fourteen different languages. Unlike most of his friends, Slava loves school and hates the thought of the day he will have to quit to find a job in the coal mines, especially now that the new priest, Father Duval, is teaching Latin to Slava’s class. Because he is such a good student, his widowed mother has promised that he can stay in school for one more year, even though his brothers Matt and Joey went to work to help support the family at the end of sixth grade, but Slava’s world is upended when Matt and Joey leave town in the middle of the night after accidentally killing a bootlegger. At first, his brothers send money home, but when Matt marries Emmeline, the money arrives less frequently. Then Philip, the youngest, comes down with meningitis, and their mother spends everything she has left to try to cure his resulting deafness. During this difficult time, Slava shows his great love for his little brother. He also learns that Father Duval is a true friend when the priest asks him to serve as altar boy at weddings and funerals so he can send the leftover food home to Slava’s mother. By the time seventh grade is over, the family’s money has run out, and the mines are laying off workers. Unable to find a job, Slava plans to ride the train to California to find work near his brothers so he can send money home to save his mother and Philip from starvation, but the only way he can get money to bribe the engineer to hide him is to steal from the church collection basket. Taking the money sickens him, and a few miles into his journey he jumps off the train and goes home to confess his sin, certain that he can never be forgiven. Father Duval sees beyond the sin to its reason and, knowing the boy’s devotion to learning, arranges for Slava to go away to high school. Even though the most pressing issues of the book are positively resolved at the end, there is little sentimentality. Slava is a strong and consistent character. His mother and siblings are realistically flawed but appealing, and the plot is believable. Franklin has created a book that gives valuable and engaging insights into rural America during prohibition and into the family life of immigrant communities. 2007, Candlewick Press, $6.99. Ages 10 to 14.

Christy Oestreich (Children's Literature)
Travel back to 1925 into the diverse ethnic community of Roslyn, Washington, with a young boy named Slava whose nickname is "Cuss." Slava narrates a turning point in his life in this uplifting and genuinely heartfelt fiction novel. His family has traveled from Europe to live in America and work in the coal mines. Cuss is very responsible, loves his family and being a schoolboy, and he manages to have a lot of fun with his friends. He creates a plan to pull off the greatest "grape heist" in history, from the grape train when it comes to town. Instead of reaching his goal of grabbing the most grapes, Cuss witnesses his brothers involved with something that makes him grow up quickly and change the way he looks at life forever. Next thing he knows his brothers have left town, leaving only a note telling him to stay in school, not to worry about them because they are going to be okay, and for him to look after their mama and younger brother Philip and sister Mary. Soon the summer ends and Cuss is back in school with a grand opportunity to learn Latin from the town's priest, which he soaks up like a sponge. As the year moves on, his sister Mary gets married, he hears from his brothers that they are doing well, Philip is infected with meningitis that leaves him with little hearing and money is tight everywhere. Cuss finds a way to help out his whole family, but some unforgivable actions cause him battles within; then he learns the importance of forgiveness through a valuable lesson. He finds himself continuing to reach for his dreams and realizing that the strength and love of his family is unbreakable. This book creates a sense for the reader that he or she is actually witnessing the joys, trials and tribulations of a young boy. It is a great read for both boys and girls, not too heavy or overwhelming, yet realistic. The book would also be beneficial for a classroom reading program, based on its ending. 2003, Candlewick Press, $16.99. Ages 12 to 15.

Marya Jansen-Gruber (Children's Literature)
Slava, commonly known as Cuss because of his ability to swear in some fourteen languages, is determined to get at least one box of grapes off the grape train this year. His best friends, Perks and Skinny, are in on this with him. The train comes into the town of Rosyln just once a year, selling grapes straight out of the boxcar, and all the boys in town have a go at stealing some grapes; it is what they do. So, Cuss, Skinny and Perks carry out their attack and get away with a box of grapes. Cuss sees something in a dark alley that tears his heart out as he runs away from the train. He sees his two elder brothers beating up a man who has been paying court to their sister. They know that the man is a crook, someone they don't want anywhere near Mary and they want to scare him off. In the scuffle the man falls and breaks his neck. In that moment, Cuss's brothers have become fugitives. It isn't the law that they are afraid of as much as the mob, for the dead man was a crook with powerful and dangerous friends who would come after Matt and Joey seeking vengeance. Cuss's brothers tell him to "get home, little brother. Double time." By the morning his brothers are gone and their location has to be kept secret so the mob cannot find them. Losing Matt and Joey is hard on Cuss's family for there are fewer people bringing in a wage and there are rumors going around about the boy's disappearance. Cuss begins to notice other changes around him--there is more violence in the town of Rosyln and more bootlegging. For Cuss, the hardest thing to bear is knowing that his widowed mother is going to pull him out of school sometime in the near future to work and bring in wages. He loves school and does well, delighting in the process of learning. Cuss's mother thinks that seventh grade is more than enough, not seeing Cuss's point of view. Cuss comes alive for readers, as do all of the characters, including Ma with her "old country" remedies and gentle little Philip who loves animals. The author clearly cares about her characters and about the people who were their inspiration. The Croatian, Italian, Swedish, and other immigrants who people her story have a hard life, yet they still can give loud and colorful weddings like the one Cuss's mother gives Mary. Readers will feel pity for a pair of young men who were very much in the wrong place at the wrong time. 2003, Candlewick Press, $16.99. Ages 12 up.

CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2004)
Poverty and promise are at the core of this novel set in the Pacific Northwest in 1925. Twelve-year-old Slava Petrovich knows how to cuss in every language he hears in Roslyn, Washington, where immigrants have settled from all over Europe. And while his "gift" has come in handy in the schoolyard, Slava hopes his talent for languages and learning will take him far. Slava loves school, and he can't envision a life working in the coal mines like most of the men-and many of the older boys-in his town. But Slava's older brothers must leave town because of their connection to the accidental death of a gang member involved in bootlegging. Without their financial support, Slava, his mother, and younger brother can barely get by. Slava's dreams of staying in school begin to fade, until the intervention of a priest with a gift for delivering charity hand-in-hand with dignity. Kristin Franklin based this novel in part on her own Croatian American family history. Her richly detailed writing creates a vivid portrait of an immigrant family where old country traditions are honored but also adapted to meet unexpected challenges and changes. CCBC categories: Fiction for Children; Historical People, Places, and Events. 2003, Candlewick Press, 290 pages, $16.99. Ages 10-14.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2003 (Vol. 71, No. 16))
Twelve-year-old Slava Petrovich is growing up in a multiethnic community in Washington State in 1925. Beyond his ability to swear in 14 languages, and thus his nickname, "Cuss," Slava is a top student about to enter the seventh grade, the farthest anyone in his family has ever gone to school. But with the mines laying off, his brothers having fled the town under mysterious circumstances, and with no money coming in, Slava feels the pressure to leave school and find work. His friends, Perks and Skinny, share his plan of jumping the grape train out of town toward freedom and work. Franklin's story, woven around bits of family history, is a beautiful recreation of a community of Croatian, Italian, Swedish, and other ethnic groups becoming American. A fine historical novel with lively dialogue and plenty of excitement in the form of murders, mobsters, accidents, disease, and a family struggling to survive. A good match with Holm's Our Only May Amelia. (author's note) 2003, Candlewick, $16.99. Category: Fiction. Ages 10 up. Starred Review. © 2003 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Carl A. Harvey II (Library Media Connection, February 2004)
Salva (who is called Cuss because he can swear in 14 languages) is from Croatia, living in Washington State. His sister brings home a gentleman suitor who later is found to have connections with the mob. During an argument with Cuss's brothers, the man dies in an accident. Fearing the mob, the brothers leave town. Without the boys' income, it is difficult for the family to make ends meet. Luckily, Salva's mother is intent on him at least finishing 7th grade; however, he wants to keep going and maybe go into medicine. After his little brother battles a case of meningitis, the family mortgages the farm to take Philip to the doctor. Cuss realizes he has to go to work. Unfortunately, the booming employment market dries up making it impossible. Cuss connects his brothers' departure a year before to the arrival of the Grape Train in town, and begins to plot to find them, get a job, and send money back to his mother, but in the end finds he can't leave. The local priest, who was their Latin teacher, sees the potential in Salva and works to finds a scholarship for him to go to school at the academy. Salva's struggles come to life in this page-turner. An accurate historical novel from the 1920's that many readers will enjoy. Recommended. 2003, Candlewick Press, 295pp., $16.99 hc. Ages 9 to 12.

Karen Coats (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September 2003 (Vol. 57, No. 1))
1925 in Roslyn, Washington, sees hard times for the Europeans who have come to work the mines, since decreased demand for coal is causing layoffs and mobsters from Seattle are trying to take over smaller bootlegging operations. After Slava’s brothers hop the grape train to Napa, California, and plentiful work, Slava is left to take care of his mother and little brother, responsibilities that endanger his future at school. Life continues with a wedding for Slava’s sister, Mary, and a serious illness that leaves his younger brother, Philip, deaf, resulting in expenses that may lead to the loss of the family home. Yearning to find real work so that he can help his mother, he and his friend Perks, an African-American boy who has similar dreams, hatch a plan to follow Slava’s brothers to California where they are sure they will succeed. Franklin paints a compassionate and detailed picture of first-generation American family life, warmly depicting the stubborn faith of mothers and the equally stubborn love of sons. Slava is dedicated to his family and his idea of what a man should be, even as he is resolutely a boy with a boy’s awkwardness, fear, and bravado. The book substantially conveys the force of family members and friends strongly committed to each other; a combination of well-drawn, likable characters and genuine narrative suspense keeps the reader involved to the end. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2003, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2003, Candlewick, 295p, $16.99. Grades 5-9.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2004)
This finely detailed portrait of a 1920s Croatian-American family is narrated in the distinctive first-person voice of twelve-year-old Cuss. Cuss loves school but realizes he may need to quit after his older brothers leave town under mysterious circumstances, his younger brother goes deaf, and his mother seems certain to lose her house. The often overwhelming desperation of the protagonist is convincingly depicted. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2004, Candlewick, 295pp, $16.99. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.

Rachelle Bilz (VOYA, December 2003 (Vol. 26, No. 5))
Life is hard in Roslyn, Washington, during the years around 1925. Many ethnic groups, attracted by work in the coal mines, strive to make ends meet. Slava "Cuss" Petrovich, a twelve-year-old Croatian boy who lives with his widowed mother and four siblings, tells the story. Slava's affecting voice lends an honesty and authenticity to the tale, immersing the reader in his world. The Petrovichs' money woes increase when Matt and brother Joey accidentally cause a gangster's death and flee town. Philip, the youngest, contracts meningitis and goes deaf, but through all, Ma perseveres with her optimism and Catholic faith. Despite hardships, Ma allows stellar student Slava to stay in school as long as possible at a time when boys regularly drop out of school to work in the mines. Once a year, the grape train rolls into Roslyn from Napa, California, bringing Big Bear grapes to the "ethnics," who are still able to make wine at home during Prohibition. For the boys in the town, the arrival of the grape train is an enticement to thievery. Slava, along with best friends and classmates "Perks" Perkins, who is "colored," and "Skinny" Giombetti, the Italian butcher's son, tries to steal grapes with hilarious results. The three boys share other adventures as well. Franklin effectively transports the reader to the town of Roslyn in this engrossing historical novel in which humor is balanced by hardship. Heartfelt and lively, it provides a look at another time through the eyes of a likeable adolescent that should be enjoyed by many readers. VOYA CODES: 4Q 3P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2003, Candlewick, 290p., $16.99. Ages 11 to 18.