Aces Wild

by Erica S. Perl Narrated by Abigail Revasch

Overview

Zelly Fried has finally convinced her parents to let her get a dog, with the help of her grandfather Ace. Unfortunately, said dog (also named Ace) is a shoe-chewing, mud-tracking, floor-peeing kind of dog. Despite Zelly's best efforts to drag Ace (literally!) to puppy kindergarten, his flunking report card says it all: "This Ace is wild."

Also wild is the other Ace in Zelly's life. Grandpa Ace has decided to begin dating again and is dining and dancing every night, against his doctor's orders. Determined to get both Aces under control, Zelly enlists the help of her two best friends, Allison and Jeremy (despite the fact that they don't quite see eye to eye). They need to come up with a plan, fast. But how?  It's not like either Ace ever does what he's told.

Editorial Reviews

School Library Journal - Audio

09/01/2013
Gr 3–6—Eleven-year-old Zelly Fried, featured in Perl's When Life Gives You O.J. (2011), is a native New Yorker living in Burlington, Vermont, with her family. She has a new puppy named Ace who coincidentally has the same name as her grandfather (who also lives with her family). Zelly is acclimating to her new school, making friends, and trying to convince her parents to allow her to have a sleepover. With the help of her grandfather, she strikes a deal with her parents: complete obedience school with her mischievous puppy, with her grandfather in attendance. Zelly soon learns that obedience school is a bigger challenge than she thought it was going to be, especially since her grandfather can complicate any situation. Perl has written a coming-of-age story (2013, both Knopf) that features a meaningful relationship between grandfather and granddaughter. Abigail Revasch provides entertaining character voices, expressing the Fried's Jewish Brooklyn roots. The end of the audiobook provides two separate tracks: one giving advice for pet adoption and obedience training, the other with Yiddish vocabulary used in the story.—Jessica Gilcreast, McDonough Elementary School, Manchester, NH

School Library Journal

Gr 4–6—After proving herself responsible enough to get her own puppy in When Life Gives You O.J. (Knopf, 2011), Zelly is back in this fun and heartwarming tale. She has a lot to balance this time around with Ace-the-dog and Ace-the-grandpa both getting into all sorts of trouble. Having moved from Brooklyn to Vermont last year, the 11-year-old is still having trouble fitting in and desperately wants to be invited to the sleepovers the other girls are having. The only way her parents agree to let her have one of her own, though, is to reenroll Ace in obedience school and have him pass the test. Her grandpa must accompany her, which isn't always easy since he is a rambunctious, sometimes embarrassing character who, among other things, is dating three different women. Readers will laugh along with this sweet story that is chock-full of relatable characters. Zelly's story is essentially a coming-of-age tale about moving to a new place, dealing with grief, and learning what is important in life. The end of the book includes Zelly's guide on how to train a dog as well as a glossary of Yiddish vocabulary and phrases used by Grandpa Ace. This book stands on its own, although readers will certainly be interested in what happened the summer Zelly took care of an orange-juice bottle in the previous book.—Kerry Roeder, Professional Children's School, New York City

Kirkus Reviews

This companion to When Life Gives You O.J. (2011) returns to the tribulations of 11-year-old Zelda "Zelly" Fried, now spending her first winter living in Vermont. In the first book, Zelly yearned for a dog. Well-meaning buttinsky Grandpa Ace, whose pronouncements, laced with Yiddish words and phrases, are rendered in large capitals, advised practicing with a plastic orange-juice jug. Now Zelly's finally got her pet, also named Ace. Like Grandpa, the pooch is completely irrepressible. Zelly's parents tell her the dog must pass his training course if she wants to throw a slumber party. This ordeal, along with having to deal with newly widowed Grandpa's sudden enjoyment of female companionship, seems more than Zelly can handle. This novel is as mildly amusing as the first, and Zelly remains a likable girl with a realistic voice, though the parents (and other characters) are superficially drawn. Some may wonder why the onus of the dog's perfect obedience is placed solely on Zelly's shoulders, not to mention why a party must depend on it. More problematic: Even secular readers won't buy that a Jewish family who observes every Hanukkah tradition doesn't know exactly when the holiday begins. In addition, in "Zelly's glossary" of Yiddish words, there's no mention that a yarmulke (or kipa) is worn by males only. For dog-loving readers who appreciate light entertainment and lots of capital letters. (dog-training tips, Yiddish glossary) (Fiction. 9-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171933838
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	01/28/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

Related Subjects

• Kids
• Fiction & Literature - Kids
• Family Life - Kids Fiction

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