Susie, Sadly, and the Black Torpedo of Doom
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Book Overview
Ten - year - old John Littell and his younger brother didn't understand why their mother and father made such a big fuss when their baby sister, Susie, was born. They would have definitely preferred a neat new 1956 Ford Thunderbird or a dog. At first, the boys thought Susie was incredibly dull. She didn't know any tricks, didn't talk or walk, and didn't have the sense to object to her sinister - looking carriage - a monstrous contraption John dubbed the Black Torpedo of Doom. Even worse, Susie was often entrusted to John's care - a decidedly uncool accessory to have while he played endless innings of intensely competitive kick baseball. But by the time Susie was old enough to start sharing secrets with Sadly - the mopey - faced basset hound who was her best friend - both brothers were crazy about her. This touching, often hilarious portrait of a vanished time tells how a little girl won the hearts of all the people she met - and changed their lives forever.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0451206363
ISBN13:9780451206367
Release Date:August 2002
Publisher:New American Library
Length:292 Pages
Weight:2.33 lbs.
Dimensions:0.7" x 5.3" x 8.0"
Customer Reviews
1 rating
Childhood nostalgia
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
Delightful and written with such clarity and honesty. You enter into the mind of a boy growing up in a time when life was simpler but the thoughts and feelings are universal to anyone's childhood. From learning to accept his newborn sister into the family, declaring war on the babysitter aptly named Witch Hazel, and describing the love of kick ball and the never-to-forget first crush, the anecdotes are hilarious observations into relationships he has with his parents, his siblings, his friends and neighbors. And he delves into each of the characters wholeheartedly. I thought I was the only one who criticizes my Mom's cooking! Written with imagination, the stories jump a little in time as he weaves his memories around his baby sister Susie, but the personal pictures help to define each anecdote and helps the reader to visualize and bring the story to life. And oh, I was worried the book would end sadly, no pun intended, but the author kept it so light throughout, that the ending was very very touching.
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