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The PS Brothers (2010)

by Maribeth Boelts(Favorite Author)

3.68 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0547342497 (ISBN13: 9780547342498)

languge

English

genre

Middle Grade & Children's

publisher

HMH Books for Young Readers

review 1: Funny, heartfelt story of youthful ingenuity, friendship, loyalty and triumph against the odds. Readers will chuckle one minute with Russell and his best friend, Sean, then find themselves pausing and reflecting on the cruel realities of poverty, bullying and circumstances beyond the characters' control. Readers will experience the many tugs at their heartstrings and hope at the conclusion of the book. Highly recommended.
review 2: Shawn and Russ have a dream--a dream of a puppy. But puppies cost money, and money is something neither they nor their families have much of. They do, however, have a plan--a poop scooping (PS) business. They scoop dog poop out of people's lawns or in the dog park, charging by the dump. As they save up their money, they keep visit... moreing Nick, who owns the puppies they want to buy. Something starts to seem fishy at Nick's place, though, and they wonder what they've gotten themselves into.I would recommend this book to school-age readers who like a quick read, enjoy animals, or enjoy laughing about poop. The boys' poverty definitely impacts them and shapes their choices, but the book isn't condescending or preachy about it. They tend to be thankful for their relationships and what they do have. Shawn's family is close and large. Russ' mom is dead and his dad is in jail, so he's with his uncle--but he chooses to live in the camper in his uncle's yard instead of the house. Friendship and family are important theme, as is the end result of violence and revenge.***spoiler alert aheadNick hosts pit bull fights in his garage. In the end, the boys get him busted by the police and end up in the hospital. Russ starts to reconcile with his uncle, especially once his uncle brings them to a farm to get them a puppy. The boys choose a sweet dog instead of the attack dog they had originally chosen when their goal was for the dog to get back at the school bullies.The author is an Iowan. Also, the pace really picked up once they figured out about the pit bull fighting, so it may be worthwhile mentioning that when recommending it to a potential reader. less

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