Stranger in Dadland - Hardcover

Describing a 12-year-old boy's relationship with his divorced, workaholic father, Koss (The Girls) offers witty commentary on the foibles and pretensions of adults, but her story line lacks the punch of her previous novels. John, the narrator, has always spent the annual week in "Dadland" with his older sister, Liz, but this year Liz has stayed home, refusing to be disappointed again by their "Phantom Father." As he flies alone from Kansas to Los Angeles, John hopes his father won't spend the entire visit in meetings or with yet another girlfriend. But right away Dad introduces a new girlfriend (who paints on her eyebrows, cracks gum and sings along to embarrassing Musak) and then he disappears for a day's worth of appointments. Dad can't even offer a word of comfort when Mom calls with the news that John's dog has died. By phone, Liz switches from angry to wise, counseling John that perhaps their dad "wants to be a good father but he's just entirely clueless." Koss is hilarious on Los Angeles, the behavior of people in office buildings and the adults' preoccupations with hot restaurants, expensive cars, etc., and John's delivery proves once again the author's unusual insight into middle-graders and their concerns. In the end, however, she lets the father off far too easily and whitewashes the well-built conflicts. Ages 10-up.

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Gr. 4-6. Twelve-year-old John is on his way to L. A. ("Dadland"), where his father lives. This year he's going alone; his older sister is tired of being ignored by a dad who is either working or out with his latest girl friend. This quick read is marred by its stereotypical characters. Cora, the girlfriend, draws on her own eyebrows, cracks her gum, and listens to Muzak. Dad, ill informed about John and not interested in him, is so unwilling to change his routine that he leaves John in a waiting room for hours while he has a business meeting. This is divorced dad writ large, and since John is in L.A. for only a week, ends need to be tied up quickly. When Dad hurts his leg and has more time for John, the story of Dad's relationship with his own distant father comes out, and family history falls neatly together. What readers will appreciate is John's honest vacillation between anger and longing for his dad's attention. The first-person dialogue crisply captures John's angst. Ilene Cooper
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