Title: The Glass Cafe
Author: Gary Paulsen
ISBN: 0-385-32499-5
Format: Chapter Book
Pages: 99 pgs.
Review: In this quick read by Gary Paulsen, we have 12 year old Anthony single child of Alice, aka Al, an exotic dancer. Al is a great mother, provides for her child, has nightly reading discussions with her son, cooks everyday for them. Tony is a wonderful son, helps his mom with chores around the apartment, does odd jobs for the landlord around the complex, and does well in school. Things are going quite well for this family, until Tony learns he is a very talented drawing. While this might be an exciting discovery for other kids, Tony's drawings cause him quite a bit of trouble . . . with the state! Some things go down and well, the outcome is not quite as one would expect. This is a great quick read for any tween. The language is fun and very interesting and Paulsen does a magnificent job developing Tony as a character. He feels like an instant friend. I also think while some of the subject matter is a more for a teen audience, Paulsen does a great job toning it down for younger readers without taking away from the plot at all. There is lots of material that current tweens can relate to in this book which makes it a great read for any 10-14 year old.
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