Me and Marvin Gardens

Title:

Author:

King, A. S. (Amy Sarig), 1970- author.

Publication Information:

New York, NY : Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2017.

?2017

Edition:

First edition.

Format:

Books

Physical Description:

pages cm

Summary:

Obe Devlin spends a lot of his time cleaning up the creek that runs through what little is left of his family's once extensive farmland, and worrying about what the developers are doing nearby, and the pollution it is causing--but one day he finds a strange creature by his creek that eats plastic, and soon the animal he calls Marvin Gardens becomes his personal secret, which he believes needs to be protected from pretty much everybody.

Subject Term:

Animals -- Juvenile fiction.

Secrecy -- Juvenile fiction.

Pollution -- Juvenile fiction.

Friendship -- Juvenile fiction.

Families -- Juvenile fiction.

Animals -- Fiction.

Secrets -- Fiction.

Pollution -- Fiction.

Friendship -- Fiction.

Family life -- Fiction.

ISBN:

9780545870740

Document ID:

SD_ILS:3290046

Availability:

Library	Call Number	Format	Status	Item Holds
Searching... Canton Public Library	FIC KING J	J BOOK	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable
Searching... Cohasset Paul Pratt Memorial Library	KING	J BOOK	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable
Searching... Hanover John Curtis Free Library	KIN	J BOOK	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable
Searching... Kingston Public Library	KIN	J BOOK	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable
Searching... Marshfield Ventress Memorial Library	KING	J BOOK	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable
Searching... Quincy Thomas Crane Library	KING	J BOOK	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable
Searching... Rockland Memorial Library	KING	J BOOK	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable
Searching... Sandwich Public Library	J FICTION KIN	J BOOK	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable
Searching... Stoughton Public Library	JUV KUN	J BOOK	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable
Searching... Walpole Public Library	J FIC KING	J BOOK	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable
Searching... Weymouth Tufts Library	F KING	J BOOK	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

The first middle-grade novel from YA superstar Amy Sarig (A. S.) King is a boy-meets-animal story like no other. The first middle-grade novel from Printz Honor-winning author Amy Sarig (A. S.) King! Washington Post Best Book of the YearA New York Public Library Best Book for KidsA Texas Bluebonnet Master List selection Obe Devlin has problems. His family's farmland has been taken over by developers. His best friend Tommy has abandoned him. And he keeps getting nosebleeds, because of that thing he doesn't like to talk about. So Obe hangs out at the nearby creek, in the last wild patch left, picking up trash and looking for animal tracks.One day, he sees a creature that looks kind of like a large dog. And as he watches it, he realizes it eats plastic. Only plastic. Water bottles, shopping bags... No one has seen a creature like this before. The animal--Marvin Gardens--becomes Obe's best friend and biggest secret. But to keep him safe from the developers and Tommy and his friends, Obe must make a decision that might change everything.

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-7-Eleven-year-old Obe Devlin lives in the Pennsylvania farmhouse his family built 100 years ago. Unfortunately, his great-great-grandfather mortgaged more and more of the acreage that surrounded the house to pay for his alcohol addiction. On the small portion of land on which the house sits runs a creek surrounded by a wild area. In the habit of picking up trash from the creek, Obe comes across what he is sure is a new species of animal-a creature with a snout like a boar's, a body and tail like a dog's (yet with no fur or hair), and slimy algaelike skin. Marvin Gardens, Obe's name for the creature because of his dad's love of the board game Monopoly, eats only plastic. Obe soon discovers his new friend's poop may be toxic to the land on which new homes are being constructed. Intermingled with the obvious environmental message are the topics of betrayal and bullying, gender expectations, consent, and true friendship. King writes from personal experience, crafting a coming-of-age novel with a fully developed and authentic protagonist. VERDICT An emotionally rich read for a wide audience, especially those interested in keeping the planet alive and well for future generations.-D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

Obe Devlin, 11, lost his only friend when new kids moved into subdivisions named for the things their homes displaced-Pheasant's Nest, Oak Trail, the Orchards-on farmland that once belonged to his family. A perceptive narrator, Obe finds solace at the creek that runs through the slice of property his parents still own, which is where he first spots a strange animal whose most notable feature is his diet: plastic litter. Obe, whose father employs a win-at-all-costs strategy during family Monopoly games, names the critter Marvin Gardens but keeps him a secret-which turns out to be an especially wise move once he realizes that the animal produces highly noxious (and possibly toxic) scat. King (Still Life with Tornado) leavens a story replete with brutal environmental facts with a magical friendship between a boy and his "pretty gross pet." A provocative exploration of human action and interaction on both local and global levels, as well as the interplay between past, present, and future, King's novel will leave readers pondering how we treat each other and the planet. Ages 8-12. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

Sixth-grader Obe Devlin doesn't run with the popular crowd. He's more concerned with keeping his creek clean, finding rocks for busmate Annie Bell's collection, and not having nosebleeds all over his clothes a consequence of said unpopularity. Housing developments are rapidly, and upsettingly, encroaching on the acres of land that once belonged to the Devlin family, and Obe's one friend chooses to hang with the new kids. On a routine creek visit, Obe discovers a capybaralike animal that only eats plastic, which he names Marvin Gardens. Obe keeps Marvin a secret until neighborhood vandals threaten the creature's safety, prompting Obe to tap into his Devlin fierceness and take a stand. This is acclaimed YA author King's first foray into middle-grade territory, and it's no surprise that she adeptly handles issues like bullying, compromised friendship, complex family dynamics, and the tedium of homework. Obe's connection to the land courses through the book and is firmly rooted in Devlin family history. Drawing upon the tradition of Carl Hiaasen's Hoot (2002), this eco-focused story will tug at readers' consciences and heartstrings.--Smith, Julia Copyright 2016 Booklist

Excerpts

From Me and Marvin Gardens : The track was part hoof and part paw. It was part dog and part pig. It made no sense, this track. I looked for others and when there were no others, I figured someone must have been playing a joke on me. CREWAHARKKKLTKELTH! The noise made the hair on my arms and legs stand straight up. I thought it was Tommy and his friends because I didn't believe stories about ghosts -- not even the one about spirits who were angry at the developers for growing houses instead of crops. But it wasn't Tommy.The animal was five feet from me, half in the creek, half on the bank.It was definitely not a dog.It was definitely not any animal I ever read about.It was munching on a plastic water bottle with its huge teeth. The sound was worse than bulldozers. CREWAHARKKKLTKELTH! The animal wasn't scared of me. It just sat there munching. Then, with its paw/hoof, it shoved the rest of the bottle into its mouth and swallowed. Excerpted from Me and Marvin Gardens by Amy Sarig King All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Sharon Public Library

Availability:

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review

Excerpts

Excerpts