The Secret Life of Owen Skye
Written by: Alan Cumyn
Recommended for ages 8 – 11.
$8.95

The quirky characters in this juvenile novel will have children laughing out loud. Owen Skye and his two brothers are always getting themselves into predicaments that seem to spin out of control. On Valentine’s Day, Owen works up enough nerve to give Sylvia, the girl of his dreams, a Valentine but as he nervously deposits the card into her box, he notices that he has spelled her name wrong. What is a boy to do but take the card back? As he does this, he spills the entire contents of the box onto the floor and the classroom erupts into laughter. Mrs. Harridan, the teacher who hates children, immediately sends Owen to the dreaded principal’s office. There, Owen tells a lie that gives him enough courage to take on the world. The daily life of the Skye family includes the boys seeing aliens from outer space, a confirmed-bachelor uncle moving out of the home to marry a widow with two daughters; an accident causing a broken finger and the Bog Man.

This novel is a great read-aloud for children or a good choice for a book report as there are many characters and the series of incidents allow for a lot of discussion.