cover image Manos Largas

Manos Largas

Roger Collinson. Fondo de Cultura Economica USA, $7.5 (116pp) ISBN 978-968-16-6071-0

YA-Buzz Beecham is a quiet boy, an eighth grader who prefers peace and order to excitement and adventure. When capricious fate throws his fortune in with that of a gang of juvenile delinquents, hilarious events ensue. Buzz has to deal with this gang of criminally minded toughs, a bossy big sister, and a host of ridiculous adults. The action peaks at a carnival replete with off-the-wall characters and escapades. Originally published in London by Anderson Press in 1996, the story features a cast of quirky characters recognizable to anyone familiar with British fiction or cinema. This story is immensely entertaining. The translation is moderately good, only occasionally stumbling over a few English expressions. It is, in essence, a very British import, with talk of going home for tea and eating digestive biscuits. Kids with imagination won't mind this at all. Readers looking for the comfortable and the familiar will feel slightly alienated by some of the elements of this story. B&w illustrations render the villains with rough-hewn and craggy features and Buzz as a four-eyed dweeb in a series of very comical scenes. Recommended for school and public libraries as well as bookstores. M.O.B.