Goodreads
synopsis: Eleven-year-old
Sport Rocque is living a happy life, keeping his father's
absent-mindedness under control, and managing the family budget. When
Kate, Sport's new -- and nice -- stepmother enters the picture,
things couldn't be better. Then comes the news: Sport's wealthy
grandfather has just died and Sport is a multimillionaire.But
millions of dollars equals millions of problems, as Sport soon
discovers when his mother returns and kidnaps him to double her share
of the inheritance! Life at the Plaza Hotel is no fun when you're a
prisoner. Will Sport manage to escape and return his life to normal?
Stats
for my copy:
Paperback, Dell Yearling, 1979.
How
acquired:
Via Book Mooch.
First
lines:
“Don't you understand that I was once fifteen years old! That I
looked at my mother the same way you're looking at me? That I see the
hatred in your eyes and the despair and the love and all of it?”
“I'm
eleven,” said Sport.
My
thoughts:
Those opening lines set the tone of the relationship between Sport
and his mother. And how many times will you see the word “goddamned”
in a children's book? That took me by surprise, especially coming out
of a mother's mouth to her little boy. Throughout the entire book,
Sport's father very honestly talks to his son or around his son about
what a horrible mother his ex-wife is, and how she lives out of the
country so she doesn't have to exercise her parental rights. It was
actually quite refreshing!
I
think I may have liked this book the best of the three “Harriet the
Spy” books. Although Harriet doesn't even make an appearance until
page 110. But that was fine with me.
The
book also matter of factly addresses racism, with a police officer
calling Sport's friend, Harry, the N-word, and referring to Harry and
another friend as “Ellis Island”.
There
are lots of humorous scenes, especially some of the scenes with
Sport's father's new girlfriend, which made me laugh out loud. But
the best part about her was the way she quickly took to Sport and
lavished him with the unconditional love he'd never gotten from his
mother.
This
is just a wonderful little gem of a book.
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