The Retired Kid
Grade 1–4—"It's hard work being a kid," what with school, and sports, and music lessons, and babysitting, and… and…. So Brian heads to Florida where he takes up residence at the Happy Sunset Retirement Community. The swimming pool, tennis courts, ball games, golf, and long afternoon naps convince the boy that he "should have retired years ago." But living in a retirement community also means listening to endless accounts of Tex's hip replacement surgery; yoga and knitting classes; and weekly medical check-ups. When he recalls his former triumphs at school and play, Brian decides to return home to the joy of his family and friends. Agee's signature cartoon illustrations, executed in pastel watercolors, greatly add to the fun. Brian's retiree friends sport sunglasses, flowered dresses and shirts, pink sneakers, a cane, and sagging chins. There are vignettes of Brian tangled in knitting, enduring "Friday-night swing dancing," and gagging on "prune juice smoothies." Children who have been pressured by school and extracurricular activities will identify with the protagonist and listen with relish to this tongue-in-cheek tale of his rebellion. But be warned. This story is so laugh-out-loud funny that you may have difficulty getting through it the first time. Another Agee triumph!—Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CTCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.