Common Sense Note
Parents should know that there is a somewhat ambiguous attitude toward stealing here. It is labeled as wrong, but the thief is charming and is never punished.
Discussion topics include the ways in which Duff changes, and the various ethical dilemmas he faces.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Matt Berman
While the story of Duff's misadventures on his quixotic cross-country journey is entertaining, it is DuPrau's ability to crawl inside his head that lifts this above the standard road-trip story. Descriptions of his Desperate Octopus Mind, his way of translating his life into computer code, his excitement over new ideas, his self-recriminating interior monologues, all ring true and will cause a flash of recognition in many readers. Author DuPrau also manages what few other authors do: integrating technology seamlessly into the story without either showing off or getting it just slightly wrong.
The story itself, like many road movies, is humorous, improbable, and quirky. None of the characters are quite what they seem: the bad guys not really bad, the good guys not completely good, and no one seems securely comfortable in his or her life or skin. Duff's future boss, heard from only in emails, is a spot-on Silicon Valley type, full of enthusiasm, exclamation points, and air. And, as a nice finishing touch, Duff learns that ultimate lesson that goes with the transition from teen to adult -- that his parents aren't quite as stupid as he thought they were.
From the Book:
Duff felt as if he'd had cold water splashed in his face. As usual he's said the wrong thing. Why hadn't he kept his mouth shut? He couldn't do human relations, he might as well just accept it. For a moment he had a powerful wish to be back in his bedroom at home, with all his systems humming and the door securely shut -- back where any problem could be solved with a few lines of good code.
Plot Summary:
Recent high-school grad and computer genius Duff Pringle decides to forego college for a job at a Silicon Valley startup. He also decides it will be much more interesting to drive there from his home in Virginia, so he buys a used car and heads west. But only a few hours out his car dies, triggering an improbable series of adventures involving a hitchhiker with dubious ethics, a young musician with a con-artist mom, a pair of crooks, stolen money, a biker bar, and more.
Related Books:
Other Books by Jeanne DuPrau
The City of Ember
The People of Sparks
Adolescent Road Trips
The Reivers by William Faulkner
The Tent by Gary Paulsen
Whirligig by Paul Fleischman
Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer
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Sexual ContentA kiss. |
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Social BehaviorHitchhiking, stealing. |
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