Voss: How I Come to America and Am Hero, Mostly

I predict that Voss will be the next cult-hero in tween and YA fiction. At least I think he's going to be popular with the readers in my middle school. Vospop (Voss) Vsklzwczdztwczky, his father, and his crazy uncle come to America from their native Slobovia. They are illegal immigrants who smuggle themselves into a shipping container filled with $100,000 worth of counterfeit Cheese Puffs. Using a series of letters sent back home to his friend Meero, Voss shares the trials and tribulations of being new to America. Voss's first letter begins as follows: "You won't believe this my friend. We made it out of Slobovia! We are bound for America! We have smoggled ourselves aboard a great big sheep, the cargo freighter SSS Windmill. And Meero, we are headed for dipp, dipp trobble." The travelers arrive safely in America and settle in the illegal Slobovian section of the city. That's when Voss's adventures begin. He is surprised to be greeted by Leena, the girl from Slobovia fated to be his wife. Even though she is fixated on this future union, Voss has serious doubts about having this overenthusiastic, over-sized girl as his wife. Voss realizes he must find a job, but things start off in the wrong direction when his simple attempt to travel by subway earns him only some unpleasant taunting and a foot-long submarine sandwich. Who knew an eating place could be confused with mass transportation? Amazingly, Voss is able to keep track of his crazy uncle, his gloomy father, and avoid the angry owner of the counterfeit Cheese Puffs (Chiss Poffs), long enough to meet a beautiful and extremely rich American girl whose father offers him the astonishing salary of $100,000 to act as her escort. Maybe America really is the land of opportunity, but how long can it last? David Ives has created an incredible character and a story to match. Voss is an adventurer, a patriot, a bit of a detective, and a brave young man who is bound to entertain readers from the first page until the last. Voss's story is heart-warming and humor-filled. I certainly hope this will not be his last adventure. Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Ives, D. (2008). Voss: How I Come to America and am Hero, Mostly. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 9780399247224 Voss, as the title may hint at, is the story of fifteen-year-old Vospop Vsklzwczdztwczky, how he emigrates from Slobovia, a made up country that feels vaguely Eastern European, to the U.S.A. and becomes a hero to many illegal immigrants in New York City...mostly. Written as a series of letters to his friend, Meero in Slobovia, Voss writes using invented spellings to capture his accent. The invented spelling may serve to make reading this book impossible for some struggling readers while it may also be a source of great amusement for readers who can decipher the words. (Amusing popular culture references and even the occasional swear word are hidden in among the alternate spellings) Voss's letters include critiques of American culture, the medical system and the treatment of illegal immigrants. This book could be used to challenge a lot of the assumptions many suburban, middleclass students have about the world. Although intended for a teen audience, I feel like a lot of the humor will appeal to eleven to thirteen-year-old boys who have advanced literacy skills. Activities to do with the book: Voss could trigger a discussion of illegal immigration in America and the stereotypes, discrimination and lowered status often attributed to the immigrant population. Other possible discussions include contemplation over the class system in the country, the power of the media, and the process of legal and illegal organ donation. The book could be used to trigger a class pen pal exchange with students in another country or even with students from another classroom. [...]

David Ives is well-known for writing hilarious theater. It's wonderful to see that he's begun expanding his talents into the realm of children's literature. Voss is like his plays. It's laugh-out-loud hilarious with a nice edge of satire. Voss is about Voss, a Slobovian illegal immigrant in the United States. He has arrived in a crate of illegal chiss puffs along with his gloomy father and his crazy uncle. Upon arriving, he's immediately thrown into the fast-paced, cinematic lifestyle of New York society. He immediately lands a job chaperoning a Paris Hilto-like heiress, and he has more than a few run-ins with an absurdist mafia. In every situation, Voss has to call upon his Slobovian friends, his Slobovian wisdom, and his own charm and courage to find a way of saving his friends and himself from being cored like an apple, and of course, he finds plenty of love an adventure along the way. Most people will love Voss for its humor. The whole story is told by Voss through letters to his friend Meero back home. That makes pretty of room for linguistic jokes, as Voss isn't a natural with English, and for humor derived from Voss's cultural observations. Here's a quick passage from the first page: "My name: Vospop Vsklzwczdztwzcky. This is a name nobody can forget, because nobody can pronounce it. Donut try to pronounce me. You will only hurt yourself! IN ancient Slobovian, my name means 'car crash.' It also sounds like a car crash." The whole book has that feel, and so it's great reading the whole way. It's a great book for any age.