It Was September When We Ran Away the First Time (by D. James Smith)

The third in a series about 12-year-old Paolo (the previous novel boasts an even longer name: Probably the World's Best Story About a Dog and the Girl Who Loved Me), IT WAS SEPTEMBER WHEN WE RAN AWAY THE FIRST TIME works as a stand-alone title as well. Set in California in 1951, the novel follows Paolo, his 6-year-old brother Georgie, and his 10-year-old cousin Billy, who is deaf and lives with Paolo's family. The boys search for Communists and struggle with bullies after Billy starts hanging out with Veronica, who is Chinese. When Billy gets hit by a rock and the boys' treehouse is burned by arsonists, they think they know exactly who the culprits are . . . but do they?

It Was September would make a lovely read-aloud so parents can provide some historical context while laughing at Paolo's precocious first-person narrative: "It has always been our family's way to go along with the Bible or leastways on the interesting bits," he notes. This is novel where the characters shine; Smith adeptly fleshes out adult characters, even within the confines of Paolo's perspective. "My dad is chock-full of virtue," Paolo explains. "He's especially Determined; though sometimes I think Determined is a first cousin to Stubborn." The boys engage in all sorts of antics, from Paolo blowing on Billy's eyeballs to wake him up to Paolo tying Georgie up and nearly suffocating him with a mouth gag. Like readers of any nostalgic novel (fBeverly Cleary's series, for example), contemporary kids may wonder at the freedom young people used to enjoy roaming around town.

The question is whether younger readers will appreciate Paolo's insights, catch references to John Wayne, or understand all the to-do about Communism and interracial relationships.

Author: D. James Smith
Publisher: Atheneum
Publication date: September 9, 2008
Number of pages: 230
Hardcover price: $16.99
Read Aloud: 9
Read Alone: 9