Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Tweens and ex-mobster hit the road in wacky adventure.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Twelve-year-old Oscar Aberdeen has been raised by his grandfather in a retirement village where he's the only kid, and never does anything that would get him BUSTED. However, desperate times call for desperate measures, and it's pretty desperate when a sudden rent increase threatens to put him and his grandpa on the street. So when retired mobster Jimmy Deluca offers Oscar lots of cash for breaking him out of the retirement home for one last, really short road trip in Jimmy's 1953 Kaiser car and coming along for the ride, Oscar makes it happen. Soon they're on the road, accompanied by Jimmy's hairless cat. Also by Natasha, the daughter of the retirement home's new owner, who's stowing away. Misadventures, laughs, surprises, and tugged heartstrings ensue. Also ravioli.
Is It Any Good?
What could go wrong as a tween helps an elderly ex-mobster escape the retirement home for one last road trip in a classic car with a hairless cat, two oxygen tanks, and an uninvited 12-year old? Quite a lot, and most of it does, as young Oscar tries to save his beloved home and not get Busted. The trip involves a lot of questionable characters, not to mention a lot of cigar smoke, a prison visit, a punch in the nose, breaking and entering, and stealing a Subaru Brat. Also a lot of laughs, life lessons, heartfelt wisdom, poignant connections, and Italian food. A wild and wacky ride with lots of relatable emotion, and never a dull moment.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about road trips, like the one in Busted, and why they're such an important theme in storytelling. Do you have any favorite road trip tales? How does this story compare?
Oscar lives in a retirement home and all his friends are senior citizens. Do you have any friends who are a lot older than you are? Who are they and what do you like about them?
Do you know any kids who have had to deal with cancer in their lives, either their own or their loved ones'? What impact did it have on their lives? How did they cope? How are they now?
How do the characters show empathy and integrity? Why are these important qualities in this story?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Adventure
- Topics : Adventures , Family Stories ( Grandparents ) , Friendship , Travel
- Character Strengths : Courage , Empathy , Gratitude , Integrity
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Henry Holt & Company, Inc.
- Publication date : October 7, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 352
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : November 25, 2025
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