Leo T. reviewed on + 1775 more book reviews
An unusual book (132pp) that I am surprised was published in 1973 (Random House). It opens with the protagonist, a sixth grader newly residing in Iowa after leaving Canada, taking a leak in the boy's room and deciding to find out the meaning of a word etched on the wall. "Drying his hands, Freddy let the word sound through his mind. Then, very quietly, he tried it aloud. 'Fuck,' he whispered, feeling oddly nervous. 'Fuck, fuck, fuck.'(4)" This is a book conveying the norms of good sexual behavior as a boy enters puberty so everyone Freddy interacts with is amazingly understanding: mom, dad, librarian, teacher, coach, etc. Included are scenes where Freddy obtains misinformation from his peers and spies on his older sister. He doesn't get his mouth washed out with soap even once. The book is well-written and light-hearted; masturbation is not explained.
Books such as these were commonly kept behind the front counter of neighborhood libraries in the 1960s but this copy (found on the freebie book cart at a local public library) was owned by Lorena Street (Elementary) School of the LAUSD, kept on the open fiction shelves (spine tagged F Neu) and bought with Title I funds (rubber stamp). It is published under the Camelot imprint of Avon Books and is a permabound paperback first issued in 1975, this being the third printing. So apparently it was a steady seller for awhile. Juvie books are not generally printed in huge numbers, though. In 2014 it seems to be uncommon in the trade but sells for a nominal price, indicating that demand is very low. Worldcat shows very few public libraries owning it, as well as a few more universtity libraries having a copy. I suspect the latter maintain a 'Model Juvenile Literature' section, such as does CalstateLA.
Correspondence invited regarding the emoployment of this book in the late 20th C. It was reprinted in Lincoln, Nebraska in 2000 'Author's Guild Back in Print' edition, maybe for academic use in Children Literature classes???
Books such as these were commonly kept behind the front counter of neighborhood libraries in the 1960s but this copy (found on the freebie book cart at a local public library) was owned by Lorena Street (Elementary) School of the LAUSD, kept on the open fiction shelves (spine tagged F Neu) and bought with Title I funds (rubber stamp). It is published under the Camelot imprint of Avon Books and is a permabound paperback first issued in 1975, this being the third printing. So apparently it was a steady seller for awhile. Juvie books are not generally printed in huge numbers, though. In 2014 it seems to be uncommon in the trade but sells for a nominal price, indicating that demand is very low. Worldcat shows very few public libraries owning it, as well as a few more universtity libraries having a copy. I suspect the latter maintain a 'Model Juvenile Literature' section, such as does CalstateLA.
Correspondence invited regarding the emoployment of this book in the late 20th C. It was reprinted in Lincoln, Nebraska in 2000 'Author's Guild Back in Print' edition, maybe for academic use in Children Literature classes???
