Eggs

by Jerry Spinelli

Overview

Nine-year-old David has recently lost his mother to a freak accident, his salesman father is constantly on the road, and he is letting his anger out on his grandmother. Sarcastic and bossy 13-year-old Primrose lives with her childlike, fortuneteller mother, and a framed picture is the only evidence of the father she never knew. Despite their differences, David and Primrose forge a tight yet tumultuous friendship, eventually helping each other deal with what is missing in their lives. This powerful, quirky novel about two very complicated, damaged children has much to say about friendship, loss, and recovery.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316006651
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	09/24/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	225
Lexile:	540L (what's this?)
File size:	231 KB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jerry Spinelli is the author of many immensely popular books for young readers, including Eggs, Stargirl, Space Station Seventh Grade, Newbery Honor Book Wringer, Newbery Award winner Maniac Magee, and the picture books Mama Seeton's Whistle and I Can Be Anything! He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and fellow author, Eileen.

Editorial Reviews

Young David is quivering with a rage that he doesn't really understand. This nine-year-old is essentially an orphan; he has an absentee father, and his mother recently died in an accident. On the surface, he seems ill suited for friendship, especially with someone as bossy and scathingly sarcastic as Primrose, David's elder by four years. But there are similarities in the predicaments of this odd couple: Primrose's fortune teller mother lives in her own world, and her father exists only as an aging framed picture. Somehow the pair cobble together a close relationship. A story of abiding loss and budding friendship.

It started with eggs-nine-year-old David on his way to an Easter egg hunt with his grandmother, 13-year-old Primrose living in an old Dodge van egged by local teenagers. And it ends, almost, with a sunrise "beautiful and smooth as a painted egg." In between, it's the story of a boy who has lost his mother and wants her back, and a girl who has a mother and moves out to get away from her. Together, they build a friendship watching late shows on TV, picking through trash, dining at Dunkin' Donuts, hanging out with Refrigerator John and running away to Philadelphia. With strong characterization of major and minor characters and a light, poetic touch, Spinelli deftly handles themes of friendship, family, loss and resilience in a story that will long linger in the hearts of readers. Elegant and memorable. (Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews

Nine-year-old David is transplanted from Minnesota to his grandmother's home in Pennsylvania after his mother dies in a freak accident. Thirteen-year-old Primrose moves into an abandoned van because she needs space she can't find in the one-room apartment she shares with her mother. A tumultuous, extraordinarily healing friendship develops when these two damaged children find each other. Spinelli has once again created a satisfying story filled with offbeat yet realistic kids. Suzanne Toren is the perfect narrator, who, with the help of carefully employed sound effects, brings this little world to life in the narrative. Cassandra Morris becomes both David and Primrose, delivering dialogue with superb vocal agility. She moves smoothly from one voice to the other, even through the emotionally charged, fast-paced scenes. N.E.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 07]—-


Still, this isn't a sentimental sob story, but rather the tale of two quirky, convincing characters for whom readers will come to feel great affection. Beatifully narrated by Toren (the adults and the narrative) and Morris (David and Primrose), this is Spinalli at his best- in -sightful, fnny, and daring, Moris's narration of both kis is perfectly pitched, giving the story a fresh energy and vibrancy.—KLIATT


Unfortunately, the story, though filled with quirky exploits, doesn't ever lift off. Morris, who voices both children, is not as convincing in the male role. The two-person-cast approach is clunky and not very effective here, and David and Primrose's frequent bickering and teasing, as well as David's excessive coldness toward his grandmother, grow tiresome.—-

From the Publisher