Edenville Owls

By Robert B. Parker

Book Overview

"New York Times" bestselling author Robert B. Parker's first novel for young readers There is something evil in the air; Bobby senses it. Who is that man he saw arguing with his pretty new English teacher? Bobby knows he should mind his own business, but times are confusing. World War II just ended, and the world is changing? Bobby's world, especially. There's Joanie, for one'why does being her friend feel awkward? And then there are his buddies, the junior varsity Edenville Owls'basketball players in need of a leader. Can they help each other off the court as well as they can "on" it? They will need to.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399246568
• ISBN13: 9780399246562
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Philomel Books
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 0.5" x 6.3"
• Age Range: 10 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 5 and higher

Customer Reviews

Not Just for Young Readers

I started to read this book not realizing it was suggested for young readers. I am in my 80's. Since I remember well the 1940's, and was just a year or two older than the main characters, I was fascinated to read about the familiar old radio shows, music, and entertainers of that time. We also had a different sense of morality and integrity then, at least in our crowd. We were so much like these kids. I think it was one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a long time. Thank you Mr. Parker for writing this book.

Well, I've read them all so why not Parker's foray into teen lit?

If you are an avid Robert B. Parker fan you'll be pleased to know that this one is basically a Junior Spenser novel - It is toned-down but includes all of the trademark characteristics of a Parker novel: smart comments, a girl, thoughts on what it takes to be a man, have honor and be brave, a bad guy and a good guy that solves the problem with a little help from his friends. It is not a bad read for fans of Parker's more adult-oriented series. Parker includes a lot of biographical elements in his books. It is interesting that the lead boy is named Bobbie and his girlfriend is named Joanie, especially considering Robert B. Parker is married to a woman named Joan.

A Good story for Young Adults.

Over the past two months my 13 year old son has been on a reading streak. He finished Carl Hiassen's, Hoot and Flush. For some reason he is not a big Harry Potter fan. Anyway, again, with an outstretched hand he asked me to read Mr. Parker's novel and according to my son he did enjoyed the book. His overall disappointment was that in the novel "Edenville Owls", he didn't feel the characters were realistic and the author should have spent more time developing the main character, Bobby Murphy, to act like a 14 year old instead of a twenty year old. (Struck me as a valid point.) I smiled and then read the book over the next 3 days. I've read several of Mr. Parker's novels. I have always enjoyed his earlier novels but I have been disappointed in several of his novels that he has released over the past year. So, I'm hoping that I won't be disappointed in this read, although I'm excited that Mr. Parker is forging his writing skills into the young adult book arena. First, the title relates to the main character, 14-year-old, Bobby Murphy JV basketball team the Edenville Owls during the mid 1940's. Murphy is a self-confident young man and ends up the leader of the basketball team. But Bobby is also trying to understand the changes in his personality and desires. He feels like he is going down a twisted path of constant changes. Once, he gave no thought to the appearance of Joanie's body and her pretty face. Once, he gave no thought to whether she paid any attention to him. Now he felt he wanted her acceptance. If she rejected him it would drive him crazy. The story moves Bobby into his friendship with Joanie, unfortunately for Bobby that friendship drives a wedge between himself and his best friend, Nick. UMMM. Reminds me of a familiar situation. The story moves into another theme that involves Miss Delaney, a young teacher with hidden secrets. At school Bobby stumbles on a man in a heated argument with Miss Delaney. Also, in that moment the man is slapped by Miss Delaney. He searches for answers from Miss Delaney, but she rejects his pleas. His curiosity is not satisfied and he decides to unravel this mystery of the man and the motivation and connection between the man and Miss Delaney. In summary, the author proved that his writing skills are fertile enough to create an impressive novel, and certainly a novel worthy of the attention of young adults. The one fault I had was the telling of three separate stories; none of them seemed to get the attention they deserve in a novel that is otherwise a decent read. I am certainly excited that known authors are getting involved in the young adult book market. Mother's like me can only benefit from their exceptional writing, and storytelling experience.

A Great Starter for Parker

Because Robert B. Parker's name was above the title, I ordered the book even though it was destined for young adults. How can a Parker book not be a great read? How many adults did I know that were reading and salivating over Harry Potter? I read the book in two sittings and was not surprised at the dialogue and textures that Parker placed on each page. My nephew is still a tad young for this book but in a year perhaps not. And if he likes this (and he'd be a fool not to) then Edenville Owls will be a great introduction to Robert B. Parker's writing style that is comfortable and entertaining. Once that occurs, then my nephew will enter the worlds of Spenser, Jesse Stone, Sunny Randall, Burke, Everett Hitch, Virgil Cole and Wyatt Earp. At that point, Power Rangers and Pokemon cards will remain on his shelves replaced by what is sometimes called the theatre of the mind. Thank you Dr. Parker. And a book about Spenser's first case as a detective after leaving the DA's office would be greatly appreciated. I highly recommend Edenville Owls for its textured plotting and finely drawn characters. The traditional themes are there and the ending is not blown all out of logic and proportion. Worth the price. Hopefully it will find its way into school libraries across the country.

Bobby Murphy, Boy Detective

Spenser fans everywhere are going to love this book. Although Spenser was raised by his father and uncles in Laramie, Wyoming, 14-year-old Bobby Murphy almost comes closer to the childhood many longtime fans envisioned for Robert B. Parker's signature character. Bobby Murphy is a wonderful, though idealistic, protagonist. He's more or less the brains and eventual leader of a five-man junior varsity basketball team called the Edenville Owls. They ended up calling themselves that because the only uniforms they could find were all yellow. He's on the cusp of young adulthood, just starting to notice the finer intracacies of the world: such as the opposite sex and problems in the adult arena that normally stay behind closed doors. After his last teacher was removed from the school, Bobby and his class got a new teacher: Miss Delaney. Miss Delaney is young and beautiful, the perfect teacher for a young boy on his way to becoming a man to fall in love with. However, Miss Delaney also apparently has some dark secrets. While in detention, Bobby and one of his friends sees Miss Delaney arguing with a man. After a heated exchange, Miss Delaney slaps the man. Bobby shouts at the man to leave her alone, then he and his buddy charge to the rescue but are made to return to detention. Later Miss Delaney asks Bobby to forget he ever saw anything. In just those few moments, Bobby's plunged into a mystery that will tear away a lot of his remaining innocence as he pursues the truth of who the man is and exactly what's going on. Three main storylines weave throughout the book: the mystery involving Miss Delaney, Bobby's work to bring his basketball team to the state tournament, and his evolving relationship with Joanie, a girl he becomes friends with that eventually comes between him and Nick, one of his best friends. Any one of the stories would be enough to keep a reader turning pages. That they're all together and complement each other well is just excellent writing. Parker is going to take a lot of heat over Bobby, though. Bobby THINKS like Spenser. He ACTS like Spenser. And both characters are troubled over the same vagaries of life. But these are the themes that Parker constantly writes about. Readers familiar with Parker's work are going to find a lot of familiar ground here, though altered somewhat because the story is set in the 1940s and Parker does, for the most part, stay within the conventions of his youthful heroes. However, argument can be made that the Hardy Boys were taking on much more dangerous assignments on a regular basis. The fact that World War II was only an eyeblink ago in the story's setting is important. The villains are made more menacing because of that. And Parker is given a freer rein to talk about wickedness. Strangely enough, some of that wickedness is still in our world. The writing is as pure and economical as always. There's an innocence about Bobby that is endearing, but at the same time he comes a