Boy's Life

The Dirtbag, Moonshine making bad guys are called the Blaylocks. Love It!

This is a book full of magic. Magic and stories. Magic and stories that could only take those forms in the head of a Boy's Life.

This book transported me right into the world of Cory. It's so perfectly written that I could really smell the air of Zephyr and could imagine what it would like to be a boy in this town. I laughed, cried and felt happiness with the characters.

It's really big and there are many side stories. But it isn't too much. A few of the magic things didn't get really explained, but that's perfectly fine. It's part of a boy's mind to see magic in ordinary things.

I'm torn between feeling happy and empty after finishing this. Empty because I'll really miss all those characters, but happy because the ending was beautiful.

Life goes on, but we'll never loose parts of the magic that surrounded us as we were kids. If we allow it.

5 stars. Perfect.

Fantastic story of one year in the life of a 12-year-old boy. It's touching, exciting, scary, and funny. It reminded me quite a bit of Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury.

There are elements that are realistic, like bullies in the schoolyard, family money troubles, and racial tension. Then there are the elements that are way out there, prehistoric creatures, vengeful monkeys, spiritual powers, etc. There's also the overall theme of a town that is on the cusp of the changing society in America in the 1960s. McCammon does a great job of combining these elements with warmth and humor as well as keeping the reader on the edge of their seat.

Sometimes the fantasy elements are a little over the top and in a way that breaks the spell of immersion a bit. But I liked it so much I certainly wouldn't dock a star for that.