Lucille Guarino's Reviews > Sour Apples: A Novel For Those Who Hate to Read

Sour Apples is a coming-of-age story that captures childhood with honesty and adventure in the spirit of The Sandlot, with all the 'good vibes' of summer 1975, where nature and outdoor play ruled, a trip to the mall turned into a covert operation, and imaginations flourished. Jimmy Hamilton is our bothersome little brother, our neighbor's spirited kid, the young entrepreneur on the block. Jimmy's cast of supporting characters are people we knew as children—best friend Kevin, his co-conspirator Dad, his no-nonsense Mom who uttered "behave" on a daily basis, the tough-looking kid on the bus, the trying-to-be-cool kids...and even Rufus the scavenger dog, and Mr. Whiskers, the cat. Didn't we all have a neighborhood cat? The fort could be another character, a child's fortress. Author Jantzen's storytelling is sprinkled with colorful words like hornswoggle and walloped bottoms and umpires calling out stee-rike! From the highs and lows of playing baseball, snake dissecting, an ill-fated snapping turtle, befriending a vagrant, and being kissed by the prettiest girl in town, Jimmy's enchanted world is all the best, and worst, parts of growing up in America. Jimmy's sense of adventure and heart really touched me. A magical story filled with loads of fun!