The Secret Life of Owen Skye

Starred review from January 1, 2003
Gr 3-6-With a zany style and deep insight into the secret lives of boys, Cumyn tells a series of connected stories about young Owen Skye and his two brothers, Andy and Leonard. Their adventures are, by turns, funny, frightening, and genuinely dangerous. All are fully engaging, although at times readers might wonder where reality stops and fantasy begins. Are there really aliens that can be contacted by radio from Dead Man's Hill? Does the Bog Man really suck out the juice from cattle? Is their archenemy the giant squid doing more evil deeds? But beyond the supernatural, Owen is bewildered by ordinary things, including his sudden attraction to Sylvia, which leads to a Valentine's Day fiasco and a visit to the dreaded principal. The boys have hilarious conversations about many subjects, including God: "Well, if God is everywhere, then he must be in toilet paper too! And cheese broccoli soup." Cumyn's prose is lively and liberally sprinkled with sparkling turns of phrase: "On that march home the cold slipped inside the boys' snowsuits and drained away all their heat like a plug had been pulled from the bathtub." The characters are fresh and genuinely fascinating, from Owen's clueless parents and his strange but wise Uncle Lorne, who lives in the dank basement, to kindly Nurse Debbie and others who enter the lives of these unruly siblings. This book is very funny, and it would be a splendid read-aloud or read-alone choice.-Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI

Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2003
Middle brother Owen joins forces with older Andy and younger Leonard for several adventures in this episodic family story set in the post-WWII era. Some of the outings are typical: Owen's regard for unapproachable Sylvia, a late night tale of Bog Man. Others are more original, such as when Owen's finger is sliced by a garage door. Owen's wry perspective is engaging and believable in a novel that succeeds in combining humor with poignancy.

(Copyright 2003 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)