The Blunder of the Rogues - Hardcover

Egan, Tim

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0395910072 ISBN 13: 9780395910078

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers, 1999

Synopsis

With his trademark wit and wry sense of humor, Tim Egan spins a tale of a life of crime. The Rogues, a shamefully poor bowling team, distraught at their inability to do anything well, are seduced into a life of crime. At last they believe they have stumbled upon something they might just be good at. Lured further into the seedy underworld by Vincent the Goat and the Sheep Lady, they are persuaded to attempt a bank heist. But this goes awry and the four friends wind up in the slammer with seven years' hard labor, and plenty of time to think about the error of their ways. In his most hilarious work to date, Tim Egan once again deftly delivers his point with offbeat humor and delightful illustrations and leaves us with a happy, unexpected ending.

About this title

About the Author

Tim Egan is the author and illustrator of several offbeat and humorous tales for children. He is consistently recognized for his individuality and delightful illustrations. Born in New Jersey, Tim moved to California to attend the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He still lives in southern California with his wife, Ann, and their two sons. To learn more about Tim Egan, visit his Web site at www.timegan.com. For a complete list of books by Tim Egan, visit www.houghton mifflinbooks.com.

From Publishers Weekly

Egan, who honed his hard-boiled voice in Friday Night at Hodges' Cafe and Chestnut Cove, forays into tough-guy turf with this story of four decent fellows gone wrong. The suitably noir setting, subtly rendered in watercolor and ink, is a coastal town of quaint brick buildings and antique roadsters. The animal characters wear felt hats, vests and rumpled coats with a 1930s-era fashion flair. Narrator Skunk ("I'm actually a raccoon, but I guess I didn't bathe enough when I was younger and the nickname stuck") belongs to a bowling league called the Rogues, which includes a walrus, a gorilla and a cardsharp rat. Terrible bowlers all, the Rogues decide to form a gang instead. They start with such minor infractions as crossing against traffic lights and stealing hubcaps "because it's a crime and we need the practice." Things turn uglier when a conniving goat and a villainous ewe known as the Sheep Lady put them up to robbery. After cops (depicted as pigs) foil the Rogues' bank heist, the antiheroes land in the slammer. Via Skunk's gruff, Bogie-esque commentary, Egan shows how misdemeanors can escalate and how neophytes can be manipulated by experienced cons. The unsentimental plot, which goes from droll fun-and-games to a much more serious situation, forwards a distinct crime-doesn't-pay message. Egan challenges picture-book conventions, but with mixed results: an epilogue, which unconvincingly shows the repentant perps all grown up and in meaningful relationships, points to the difficulty of fusing grade-school entertainment with jaded adult hindsight. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0395910072
• ISBN 13: 9780395910078
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32