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Community comment are the opinions of contributing users. These comment do not represent the opinions of Okanagan Regional Library.
May 09, 2014JCLChrisK rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
This was too, well, hokey for my tastes. It's well-written as far as language crafting goes and extremely inventive, but I felt Spinelli focused so much on trying to craft his magical version of childhood with all of his inventive names and the like that it stood in the way of character development. I just never really felt with or for the characters because the emphasis seemed to be on the specialness of Hokey Pokey instead of on the specialness of them. ----- More importantly, in terms of my rating, I think Spinelli wrote this for himself as a child and not contemporary readers. Hokey Pokey is supposed to capture the unique magic of childhood, but it's an old-fashioned childhood that feels out of touch with today's children. The most important things are bicycles, baseball gloves, snow cones, marbles, and things that would have connected with kids 50, 40, maybe even 20 years ago. The most prominent piece of playground equipment featured is a seesaw; I can't remember the last time I saw a playground with a seesaw, because the technology and equipment has moved on. Cartoons are mentioned, but they're Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, and Donald Duck, and no mention is made of computers, video games, the Internet, phones (mobile, smart, or otherwise), tablets, or the like. I have trouble believing current young readers will be able to see themselves and their experiences in Hokey Pokey. ----- Most importantly, I felt Spinelli failed in his attempt to capture the book's main theme: growing out of childhood. Jack doesn't age out of Hokey Pokey because he's gradually growing into new interests and perspectives, becoming someone slightly different as he gains life experience. He doesn't get to change based on his decisions. No, he is suddenly forced out of childhood by external powers with no warning or sense that he is growing into anything else--it's more like death than growth, and an unexpected, instant, inexplicable death at that. As a recent comparison, Holly Black's Doll Bones deals with the theme so much more effectively, realistically, and poignantly. This book just didn't work for me.