Product Description

Readers first met the Peeler family as they went on a hilarious summer road trip in The Way to Schenectady. Now winter has come and with it the school holiday pageant. Jane Peeler, who loves to be the boss at all times, is directing her class production of The Nutcracker. All does not go as well as she planned as she finds the plot of the presentation creeping into her own life. First, there are problems at school, caused by a gym teacher who wants the gym for basketball, not for rehearsal space. Then there’s a budding romance in the cast. At home, Dad has come down with an illness, and Grandma — grumpy, chain-smoking, profane Grandma — comes back on the scene as a reluctant baby-sitter to Jane and her younger brothers Bill and Bernie.

The fun that ensues is pure Scrimger, and is sure to delight his legion of fans.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #688154 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10-02
• Released on: 2001-10-02
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 7.78" h x .54" w x 5.76" l, .43 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 232 pages

Amazon.ca
The family of Jane Peeler, the young heroine of Richard Scrimger's Of Mice and Nutcrackers, is about as far away from Leave It to Beaver as you can get. Mom's a workaholic who seems to have forgotten what the word maternal means. Stay-at-home Dad is totally out of it up on the third floor most of the time due to a serious attack of pneumonia. Cranky Grandma, called in to manage the household through the crisis, chain-smokes, swears, and serves the family burnt marshmallow pork chops on the first night she arrives.

Luckily, Jane, first introduced by Scrimger in The Way to Schenectady, is a resourceful girl full of know-how, determination, and--at least on the outside--self-confidence. For not only is life disintegrating at home, but school seems to be one big catastrophe as well. The special version of The Nutcracker she has written for the school's holiday pageant is plagued with problems. Among other things, Patti, Jane's best friend and leading lady, has fallen in love with Brad, her leading man, and is jealous of anyone who speaks to him, especially Jane. Then there's the ongoing confrontation with Coach Gebohm over the use of the gym, which ends in a miraculous and manic manner the night of the big performance. There's a lot to digest and Scrimger's writing style can be obtuse at times. However, curiosity will likely propel the reader headlong toward the tying-up in the aptly titled final chapter, "Loose Ends." (Ages 8 to 11) --Martha Johnson

Review
“All manner of things go wrong, although eventually many things go very right. Getting to there is full of antic humour…but underlying the fun is…a weightiness driven by the novel's characters and their concerns, which makes this novel most satisfying.”
–The Globe and Mail

From the Back Cover
“All manner of things go wrong, although eventually many things go very right. Getting to there is full of antic humour…but underlying the fun is…a weightiness driven by the novel's characters and their concerns, which makes this novel most satisfying.”
–The Globe and Mail