The Year of the Jeep

by Keith Robertson

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670793582
• ISBN13: 9780670793587
• Release Date: April 1968
• Publisher: Viking Children's Books
• Length: 251 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Me, too!

This was my most favorite book as a kid. I loved it. I have looked for it in the library, but it seems like all the good ones like this are gone! I am going to have to add this one to my collection!

Impressions after re-reading this book 38 years later!

Well, Moik, someone did read your review! I was contemplating the purchase, but after the 3rd paragraph of your review I was spending the money. In the fall of 4th, 5th & 6th grade, 1969-1971, I read the book, loving every page. For years, I've shared with others that it was my favorite book as a child. I've often wondered what it would be like to read it again. When it arrived, I was astonished to find that I had purchased a school book, complete with the little check-out card in the holder inside the back cover. The lines were empty - no one had checked out the book! I felt like I should sign and date it! I polished off the 1st two chapters and smiled. Yep! As good as I remembered. It's a very easy read, made for an Elementary or Jr. High student. Pages seem to fly by. I'm glad I bought the book. I just may read it next year again!

Despite the age, not dated

It was probably a decade ago that my dad handed me his battered copy of The Jeep (which was the title of the 1970s reissue), telling me it was the only "real" book he'd ever read. It's been sitting on the bookshelf since then. Last week, in a bit of free time, I picked it up. The first thing I noticed was the stamp on the inside- it wasn't his name. Apparently he'd stolen it from the middle school library. It was written and published in the late 60s. Other than the date on the cover, you couldn't tell. Cloud's daydreams are a bit distracting, obviously aimed at a younger audience, but it's a story any kid (or adult) can relate to. You want something you can't afford, and you either don't get it or you save your money until you can. I was a bit surprised at the trouble the characters get into, considering when it was written... I would have expected it to talk about a kid who does exactly what he's told- instead he's spinning sheds around, not telling his parents where he goes all day, and shooting fireworks. Then driving illegally. It's worth an hour or so of your time.

Impressions after rereading this book 25 years later

I seriously doubt that anybody will read this review - but here goes. This book was one of the first "grown-up" books that I read when I was a child. I used to read and reread the Henry Reed stories by the same author - but this one was different because it didn't have any pictures, not even on the cover (the Henry Reed series had three or four pictures per volume) and the characters were older (high school age). I recall thinking it was a "big" book, but this volume I just read is only 186 pages. It's all relative. I loved this book when I first read it as a nine or ten year old - so 25 years later I decided to reread it and see what my impressions are now. I was amazed that I actually remembered every single scene, character, and plot element. It was like I just read it. The two main characters - Cloud and Wong - are interesting viewed from today's world. In the book Wong is 100% Cloud's sidekick. He is his Tonto! There is no evidence that Wong cares about anything except meeting Cloud's needs; and this after Cloud treats him so poorly when they first meet (unabashedly racist) and throughout the book Cloud never really does anything to benefit Wong. It makes me wonder what Wong is getting out of the relationship (besides the joy and pride of seeing Cloud get his Jeep! Another oddity is that the character Cloud is supposed to be a teenager - but he has a vibe more like a middle aged miltary or ex-military adult. I assume that the character Cloud was based on the author as an adult and not on a teenager. That having been said I had a blast taking a Jeep drive down memory lane. I would advise anybody who is actually reading this review to go back and reread one of the first novels they ever read. You won't be disappointed.

The Jeep

I thought this book was very interesting for any car buff, or jeep fanatic. It was meant to be a book for us kids, but I think adults could enjoy it just as much. Even though it is out of print, I am still looking for a copy to add to my collection.