Johnny Swanson

January 31, 2011
Updale (the Montmorency books) returns to historical England in a compelling tale set in 1929, which begins with mail fraud, but soon evolves into murder. Johnny is neither wealthy nor tall, so when he steals from his mother's Christmas money to mail away for the "Secret
of Instant Height," he's not pleased by a response instructing him to "Stand on a box." Instead of seeking revenge, he sees an opportunity and starts placing fraudulent ads of his own, hiding his actions from his widowed mother, Winnie, and his boss at the post office, Hutch. When Winnie's employer, tuberculosis researcher Dr. Langford, is murdered, she's framed for the crime, and Johnny may be the only person who can save her. Updale spins an enjoyable tale, seamlessly mixing the humor of Johnny's fraudulent ads ("Get into Films did well.... For a shilling Johnny told them to Go to the Cinema") with the seriousness of medical fraud and murder, as well as painting a fascinating picture of an England that is just starting to forget the sacrifices made by WWI soldiers. Ages 8–12.

February 1, 2011

Take an old-fashioned British melodrama set in 1929, feature an 11-year-old boy whose sucker newspaper ads become the contrivance for a murder mystery, throw in a wide-spread TB panic and there's the plot. Johnny Swanson and his housemaid mum are desperate for money to pay their increased rent, and his "adverts"—inspired when he throws away the household savings on a phony product that promises to increase height—prove to be the answer: How to "Stop your baby wetting the bed"? His solution: "Make him sleep in a chair." When the good Dr. Langford, Johnny's mum's employer, is murdered, she is charged with the crime. Johnny's efforts to prove her innocence are thwarted by unconvinced police, a newspaper reporter, a devious sanatorium director and other red herrings. Overly long with a slow beginning and many convenient twists and turns, the mystery isn't evident until a third of the way through. The writing is ripe for a theatrical production, but the Briticisms may trip up some American readers. (Historical mystery. 9-12)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

March 1, 2011

Gr 5-7-The year is 1929, and Johnny Swanson, 11, is up against hard times. TB is ravaging the English countryside, his only same-age friend is taken to a sanitorium, and Johnny and his widowed mother are struggling financially. Burned once himself, the boy schemes to swindle others by placing fraudulent ads in the newspaper. The plot then twists as the local doctor turns up dead and Johnny's mom is arrested as the prime suspect. With the help of a sympathetic postmaster, Johnny solves the murder and vindicates his mother. Johnny Swanson is an excellent introduction to the formulaic mystery novel. Although perhaps overly nostalgic, the story is tightly woven, with excellent red herrings and fantastic villains.-Leah Krippner, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, IL

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2011
Grades 4-6 Deception, greed, and murder lie at the heart of this mystery, set in England in 1929. Young Johnny Swanson, small for his age and frequently the target of bullies, lives with his mother and earns a little money delivering newspapers for Mr. Hutchinsons store. After his mum is arrested on a murder charge and the whole town turns against her, Johnny struggles to find the killer, help a friend, and survive on his own with very little money. The story is uneven and at times jarring in its stretch to include violent death as well as childlike innocence. Still, it memorably portrays a time in England when WWI was slowly shifting from a vivid shared experience to an aching memory fading from the collective consciousness. Told in third person, the narrative closely follows Johnnys actions, observations, and emotions. Improbable, yet satisfying, the happy ending seems a fitting reward for the plucky protagonist.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

March 1, 2011
Meet Johnny Swanson, a thoroughly engaging eleven-year-old scam artist with a penchant for doing all the wrong things for all the right reasons. His mother, a WWI war widow, is having a difficult time making ends meet, so Johnny places adverts (the select British slang adds flavor and authenticity to the setting) for gullible newspaper readers. Want your baby to stop wetting the bed? Send an SASE and one shilling for the answer ("Make him sleep in a chair"). Heedless of the old adage "If you tell one lie, it takes nine more to get out of it," Johnny invents an aunt, spies on neighbors, and unwittingly gets his mother charged with murder. The plot moves convincingly and quickly, and alert readers will catch on to several characters' artifices early on. But, as mysteries should, this one reveals all by novel's end. Rooted firmly in the past, from the structural melodrama to the authentic setting, the novel nonetheless introduces recurring themes that relate to contemporary society. For example, Johnny is mercilessly bullied but, when given the chance, he himself is a bully. He's the object of a scam and yet, knowing full well the humiliation of being in such a situation, perpetuates a con of his own. Johnny, a solid character of his times, layers this mystery with thought-provoking questions about respect and civility that confront today's youngsters. betty carter

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)