Jack D. Ferraiolo

I’m a big fan of hard-boiled detective stories, so when I saw The Big Splash---the first one of that sort that I’ve ever seen written for a juvenile audience---I really, really wanted to read it. After all, where else but in middle school will you find the situation so ideal for the noir-style mystery? And Jack D. Ferraiolo includes just about all the elements of the genre: there’s an organized crime boss, bully boys, assassins, dangerous dames, a story-hungry reporter, and the law, represented by the orange sash of a hall monitor, of course.

I really enjoyed the combination---and the mystery---but I’m not so sure The Big Splash will hold the interest of its intended juvenile audience. After all, how much fun is it to read a book written in Humphrey Bogart’s voice when you don’t even know who Humphrey Bogart is? There are also a few more adult themes hovering behind the story---the relationship between the hero’s mom and his best friend’s married dad, for example. Perhaps a juvenile reader won’t think anything about that detail, but I’m more inclined to err on the side of caution and recommend The Big Splash to a slightly older audience, just in case.
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The title pretty much describes what the book is centered around. Sidekicks growing up. The main character is Bright Boy, Scott Hutchinson. He's the Robin-like sidekick to Batman-like hero Phantom Justice. But he's having some growing pains. Struggling to do what his adoptive father (Trent, i.e. Phantom Justice) wants him to do vs. what his own mind is telling him.

At the same time that he's dealing with all the superhero stuff (he's a plus/plus more strength and speed than a normal human, he's only missing the intelligence plus). He's also dealing with normal human/young teen boy stuff too. Some of which he's dealing with in an unfortunately public way.

The main story starts when one of the duo's oldest 'arch enemies' Dr. Chaotic is back with his sidekick Monkeywrench, and then it gets interesting when Monkeywrench and Bright Boy find out each other's secret identities).

I really liked this novel. It was sort of a parody of superhero tropes and such, but it poked fun at them in a surprisingly respectful way. There was also a bit of a social/political commentary within the story.

And while at first, I thought that the characters seemed like Batman, Robin, etc. rip-offs, it wasn't too long into the novel that the characters revealed themselves as unique super characters.

I really found that I liked this novel. And there was even a twist at the end that I did not see coming (although along with the surprise twist there was a less surprising twist as well).… (más)