Benny and Babe - Softcover

Colfer, Eoin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1423102843 ISBN 13: 9781423102847

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion, 2007

Synopsis

Benny, a sports-obsessed, carefree kid, is convinced that he can take on the world until he spends the summer living with his grandfather and meets resident tomboy and all-around tough-girl Babe Meara. Benny may be a wise guy, but Babe is at least three steps ahead of him. And now he's on her territory. A “townie” visiting for the holidays, Benny must accept the challenges of the country ways head-on. The locals play games by their own rules, and teasing the townie is a favorite pastime. When the serious business of earning money arises, Babe just might consider Benny as her partner, and possibly a friend. But things become very complicated, and dangerous, when the troublesome Furty Howlin wants a slice of the action.

About this title

About the Author

Eoin Colfer is theNew York Timesbest-selling author of the Artemis Fowl series,The Supernaturalist,Eoin Colfer's Legend of Spud MurphyandLegend of Captain Crow's Teeth, Benny and Omar,andThe Wish List. He lives in Ireland with his wife and two children.

From School Library Journal

Grades 6-8--Humor, sensitivity, and candor underscore this coming-of-age story that features incredibly well-drawn characters. First introduced in Benny and Omar (O'Brien, 2001), 13-year-old Benny Shaw is Colfer's protagonist once again. He is a townie, spending his summer holidays on the coast with his lighthouse-keeper Granda. Babe is a wooller, a local, and the inherent prejudice between the two groups defines the state of their relationship at first. Benny meets her and her dog Conger at a hurling game. Their initial encounter is far from congenial, but a rocky friendship develops. Eventually they form a "partnership" to retrieve fishing bait lost in the water. With their combined forces they gather the bait in order to market it, often selling it back to the people who lost it. Enter Furty Howlin, the town bad boy with a dreadful home life who has already been in prison for a botched robbery attempt. He, too, is selling bait, and the competition begins. Danger follows, Furty is involved in their rescue, and Benny and Babe learn something about their relationship. In the beginning, the Irish colloquialisms are off-putting, but the wonderfully constructed story and the fully developed characters help readers to get past the obstacle. This book has it all-an absorbing story, vibrant characters with whom readers will surely identify, and an on-target narrative voice.
Renee Steinberg, Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1423102843
• ISBN 13: 9781423102847
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288