Wing Nut

This was purchased for a children's program at our local library. Can't comment on the book itself, as I haven't read it. But shipping was fast and book was in the condition promised.

Wing Nut is a winner of the Florida Sunshine Reader Awards and reading from that list usually assures me of a story with a lot of kid appeal. From the beginning of this one, I was hooked. A kid, his mom, a hippie commune, an old man, his purple martins- such disparate elements weave into a novel that is just plain fun to read. The developing relationship of 12-year-old Grady and what seems to be a grumpy old man is an important element that's never sentimental, often humorous. I loved the writing, the story, the characters, the title- everything about this one.

I thought that this book took place a long time ago with the look of the cover and reading the first few chapters, but it takes place now. It's about a 12 year old boy Grady and how he and his mom are trying to just get by. Grady reads in this book about another character to make his life feel better and if you think your life is tough you may feel better about your situation after reading about Grady although there is a more happy than sad ending.

Twelve-year-old Grady Flood shines in this story of a boy, his mother, and the strange old man who reluctantly takes them in after their car breaks down in a rural Pennsylvania town. After his father was crushed under a car he was repairing, Grady and his mother, Lila, drift from place to place trying to survive. Lila, a hard but uneducated worker, falls back on her skills as a housekeeper and cook to find work in communes. Grady is alternately annoyed and worried about his pretty mother. He feels an urgent need to protect her from unwanted male attention, yet wishes in turn that she would worry more about his needs for a permanent home. At first, old Charlie Fernwald, a retired farmer who knows how to repair engines and has a passion for saving purple martins, refuses to take the pair in. But since his son insists he needs a caretaker, he allows Lila and Grady to stay just long enough to fool his son into thinking someone is caring for him. Lila works hard to prove her worth as a cook while Grady follows the old man around. He thinks Charlie's fascination with purple martins makes him a "wing nut" and soon he is secretly saving the house sparrows that Charlie wants to kill because he insists they attack his purple martins. Charlie and Grady form an uneasy but endearing friendship. Gruff and stubborn, Charlie can't help being disarmed by Grady's willingness to work hard. He soon sees Grady's vulnerabilities and worries and takes an interest in Grady's spotty schooling, even offering to home-school Grady. M. J. Auch gradually reveals more and more facets of Grady's character. He comes across as a multi-faceted and realistic boy. His thoughts reveal a boy who is struggling with a variety of developmental issues. He willingly takes on responsibility but soon makes mistakes that reveal his need for guidance from Charlie. And Grady does make plenty of mistakes. He's stubborn, opinionated, and determined to control some of Lila's choices in an attempt to control his own life. Charlie, too, is well-developed and endearing. He reveals his own prejudices and hard-headedness, yet soon shows a softer side as he tries to father young Grady. Grady and Lila have a difficult time accepting help from Charlie, and he has a hard time giving it at times, but soon the three of them begin to form a family unit despite their determination not to get involved with each other. Their attachment is threatened by Grady's mistakes and Charlie's anger, but each character has grown just enough to overcome the failures and hang on to what they've found together. There's a lot to learn in this quiet story. Just as they grow to like each other, these characters grow on the reader, pulling you into their lives and leaving you satisfied that despite their many challenges, they've all found a hopeful new beginning by story's end.