Leon and the Spitting Image

September 29, 2003
Acclaimed adult novelist Kurzweil (The Grand Complication) enters the world of children's literature with a mix of mayhem and magic. Leon lives with his mother in "the finest one-star lodgings in the city"—a seedy hotel presided over by The Ice Queen (an "ancient ice maker" whose noise keeps Leon awake at night) and guests with unusual pets ("Poop-B-Gone" is a staple with the cleaning staff). His trepidation about fourth grade at the Ethical School (where "nimble fingers make for nimble minds") escalates when he meets the formidable Miss Cronheim. In addition to supersonic hearing (her ears resemble "giant mushrooms"), his new teacher wears a scary black cape with glass eyes for fasteners and has a positively medieval outlook on education that includes training the class in sewing (success is measured in "s.p.i." or stitches per inch). Is Miss Cronheim running a sweatshop? Things take a surprising turn when the school bully douses Leon's final project (a carefully crafted likeness of Miss Cronheim herself) with spit and it comes to life, allowing Leon to control his teacher's actions in voodoo-like fashion. Kurzweil smoothly juggles several subthemes, including Leon's run-ins with his overbearing classmate. But the layers of eccentricities seem forced at times, and combined with some structural problems (the magical doll doesn't show up until the second half), the book, though amusing, never quite takes off. Ages 8-up.

January 12, 2004
Linn-Baker effortlessly inhabits the character of Leon Zeisel, a beleaguered fourth-grader with troubles at school that are larger (and weirder) than most kids'. As the first day of school approaches, Leon already feels a sense of defeat. He has peeked into his mother's papers and surreptitiously read a confidential file about his school performance to this point. Teachers' evaluations from the Classical School label him "clumsy" and "delayed," especially when it comes to demonstrating fine motor skills. That doesn't bode well when his fourth grade teacher turns out to be a strict and strange woman with a Velcroed-on wig, super-human hearing and a lesson plan that includes sewing a menagerie of stuffed animals throughout the year. As the school year and Leon's sewing ability progress, however, he finds a magical key to making his life a whole lot easier. Listeners will quickly be hooked by the goofy character traits and mysterious plot elements here, delivered in Linn-Baker's crisp, accomplished style. He consistently sounds chipper or downtrodden as the situation demands. As the title may suggest, kids will also delight in the fact that Leon's eventual triumph involves a good amount of spit. Ages 8-up. (Oct. 2003).