Life Is Funny

Gr 12 Up—Life is hard, perplexing, and sometimes funny for a diverse group of Brooklyn teenagers in E. R. Frank's novel (DK Children, 2000). Gingerbread was a crack baby and must take Ritalin to control his racing brain, but he has an adopted family that adores him and his life is sunny. Grace struggles with an angry, abusive mother who is jealous of her daughter's beauty and opportunities. Eric's sole desire is to protect his brother, Mickey, from their crackhead mother, and he will steal, cheat, and lie to ensure their survival together. As the years pass, friendships are formed and break apart and a dozen characters' story lines dovetail into each other. Narrator Quincy Tyler Bernstine is especially strong when the story becomes poetic, and her sing-song narration is gentle, soothing, and smooth. Her weakness is not differentiating the dozen points of view by voice. Listeners will struggle to place each character and their story in memory. Some characters come back strong, others slip away and we never hear of them again. Frank's prose is beautifully styled, and her characters are fully formed and interesting. Pervasive street language and graphic sexual situations bump the story up to the most mature teen listeners.—Tricia Melgaard, formerly Broken Arrow Public Schools, Tulsa, OK