Review by Jill Williamson
All Hallows’ Eve, 1943. Jimmy Cannon’s older brother wakes him in the middle of the night to see what’s going on over at the funeral home. What Jimmy discovers that night makes him more curious than ever about his father. Jimmy doesn’t have the closest relationship with his dad. Part of the problem is how bad Jimmy wants to quit school and work the railroad when he’s old enough. But his dad says the steam engines will be dead then. The diesels are coming.
This book is not one I would ever have picked up on my own. It reads like a book of short stories that both stand alone and tie together. Each one takes place on All Hallows Eve and follows the years as Jimmy goes from a boy to a young man. There are stories of pranks, secret societies, football games, and, as always, his father’s birthday, which happens to be October 31. I found this book extremely entertaining and fun. It transported me back to a simpler time when people cared deeply about their neighbors and their towns. Fran Cannon Slayton writes Jimmy in such a fabulous boy’s voice. He’s fun and smart and good-natured. I only wish there had been about three more stories in there. I felt like there were pieces missing from Jimmy’s life. Still, what a great book! Highly recommended.
Age Range: 12 and up
Genre: Historical
Part of a Series: no
Pages: 176
Publisher: Philomel Books
Released: 2009
Leave a Reply