The Mayor of Central Park
Gr. 3-6. Avi reinvents himself with every book, and this lighthearted venture is no exception. The time is 1900; the place is New York City's Central Park; the protagonist is a dapper squirrel named Oscar Westerwit, who is the locus of sociability and the manager of the Central Park Green Sox baseball team. Unfortunately, trouble's a-brewin' with the team. Oscar's star pitcher has gone missing, and an army of rats, led by the nefarious Big Daddy Duds, has invaded the park and cut down the tree where Oscar's mother lives. Twinned to this plot is the story of Duds' sweet, sassy daughter, Maud, who leaves the family home to find a better, more wholesome life as a nurse. Oscar tries to save the park from the rats, Maud and baseball help serve up the thrilling denouement, and the whole thing is written in delicious period slang ("youse" and "dear boy" and "this ain't too half bad"). A quick, fun period piece.GraceAnne DeCandidoCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.