Me and Marvin Gardens by Jung Moon Moon, Paperback

From the Publisher

Praise for Me and Marvin Gardens:

A Spring 2017 Kid's Indie Next List selection

A Washington Post Best Book of the Year

A New York Public Library Best Book for Kids

A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year

A Texas Bluebonnet Master List selection

"A provocative exploration of human action and interaction on both local and global levels, as well as the interplay between past, present, and future, King's novel will leave readers pondering how we treat each other and the planet. " -- Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A smart, environmentally conscious underdog story with a lot of heart.... The characters are rewardingly complex. Through Obe, King asks the Big Questions alongside the smaller, more personal ones in a way that will likely have readers doing the same." -- The Horn Book Magazine, starred review

"A coming-of-age novel with a fully developed and authentic protagonist. An emotionally rich read for a wide audience, especially those interested in keeping the planet alive and well for future generations." -- School Library Journal, starred review

"Mystical, fablelike... just right for a sensitive sixth-grader with a growing self- and world awareness trying to navigate the troubled waters of uncertain friendships and demeaning bullying. A finely wrought, magical coming-of-age tale with a convincing message." -- Kirkus Reviews

"This is acclaimed YA author King's first foray into middle-grade territory, and it's no surprise that she adeptly handles issues like bullying, compromised friendship, complex family dynamics, and the tedium of homework... Drawing upon the tradition of Carl Hiaasen's Hoot (2002), this eco-focused story will tug at readers' consciences and heartstrings." -- Booklist

The New York Times Book Review - Linda Sue Park

…[a] heartfelt middle-grade debut…Obe is self-aware and sensitive, with the portrayal of his interior life unusually nuanced. His concern and uncertainty both drive the plot and are the reason for the story's success: The realness is contained within Obe himself. We believe him, so by extension, we believe his world…A good children's novel always contains opportunities for learning—which is not the same as didactic moralizing, since story takes precedence. Here readers can learn about land use, ecology and plastic; there are also subplots about bullying and consent.

Publishers Weekly

★ 10/24/2016
Obe Devlin, 11, lost his only friend when new kids moved into subdivisions named for the things their homes displaced—Pheasant’s Nest, Oak Trail, the Orchards—on farmland that once belonged to his family. A perceptive narrator, Obe finds solace at the creek that runs through the slice of property his parents still own, which is where he first spots a strange animal whose most notable feature is his diet: plastic litter. Obe, whose father employs a win-at-all-costs strategy during family Monopoly games, names the critter Marvin Gardens but keeps him a secret—which turns out to be an especially wise move once he realizes that the animal produces highly noxious (and possibly toxic) scat. King (Still Life with Tornado) leavens a story replete with brutal environmental facts with a magical friendship between a boy and his “pretty gross pet.” A provocative exploration of human action and interaction on both local and global levels, as well as the interplay between past, present, and future, King’s novel will leave readers pondering how we treat each other and the planet. Ages 8–12. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Jan.)

Children's Literature - Heather Christensen

King (who also writes for young adults as A.S. King) addresses current themes of bullying and the environment in this heartwarming middle grade novel. Even though his alcoholic great-grandfather lost the family farm nearly a hundred years ago, twelve-year-old Obe Devlin still mourns the loss, especially as he watches the last of the cornfields turned into “Phase 3” of a housing development. When his best friend and fellow “country boy” betrays him with a sucker punch to the nose in order to gain the approval of the new suburban gang, Obe avoids the woods that are still the property of his family and instead spends his time exploring the creek that runs across his property and feeds into the Schuylkill River. One day, while cleaning up trash, he discovers a strange new animal that seems to live only on plastic. Naming him Marvin Gardens, Obe realizes this new species presents an environmental dilemma: an animal that eats plastic but leaves behind potentially toxic waste. Obe is an extremely sympathetic character. Readers will eagerly watch as he navigates his own path among the complexities of friendships, family, and scientific discovery. While the discovery of a plastic-eating, dog-sized mammal in rural Pennsylvania by a twelve-year-old stretches the imagination, King’s character-rich story is full of hope, perfect for science-loving middle graders. Reviewer: Heather Christensen; Ages 8 to 12.

School Library Journal

★ 12/01/2016
Gr 3–7—Eleven-year-old Obe Devlin lives in the Pennsylvania farmhouse his family built 100 years ago. Unfortunately, his great-great-grandfather mortgaged more and more of the acreage that surrounded the house to pay for his alcohol addiction. On the small portion of land on which the house sits runs a creek surrounded by a wild area. In the habit of picking up trash from the creek, Obe comes across what he is sure is a new species of animal—a creature with a snout like a boar's, a body and tail like a dog's (yet with no fur or hair), and slimy algaelike skin. Marvin Gardens, Obe's name for the creature because of his dad's love of the board game Monopoly, eats only plastic. Obe soon discovers his new friend's poop may be toxic to the land on which new homes are being constructed. Intermingled with the obvious environmental message are the topics of betrayal and bullying, gender expectations, consent, and true friendship. King writes from personal experience, crafting a coming-of-age novel with a fully developed and authentic protagonist. VERDICT An emotionally rich read for a wide audience, especially those interested in keeping the planet alive and well for future generations.—D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH

Kirkus Reviews

2016-09-19
King, who writes as A.S. King for teens, offers a mystical, fablelike tale for a younger audience.Obe (rhymes with lobe) has grown up on the only remaining creekside sliver of the century-plusold Devlin family farm, most of which his great-grandfather lost to his drinking habit 100 years before, a tale thats sketched in brief chapters that alternate with the white boys story. Alone by the creek, he discovers a remarkable creature, beagle-sized, hooved, and winsome. He calls it Marvin Gardens. Marvins most remarkable trait is what he eatsonly plastic. Since his best friend betrayed him months ago, Obe has mostly been on his own, and he keeps his discovery secret, although the subdivision thats being developed around the creek imperils Marvins safety. Its only after the animal is spotted by others, then shot with a paintball, that Obe confides in a trusted and kindly teacher. Although the environmental theme is pounded home with a somewhat heavy hand, the gently nuanced fantastical elements gain a neat believability as related in Obes genial, observant, and sweetly introspective narrative voice. Its just right for a sensitive sixth-grader with a growing self- and world awareness trying to navigate the troubled waters of uncertain friendships and demeaning bullying. A finely wrought, magical coming-of-age tale with a convincing message. (Fantasy. 9-14)

Me and Marvin Gardens

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