Mercy on These Teenage Chimps

By Gary Soto

Book Overview

On his thirteenth birthday, Ronnie woke up feeling like a chimp--all long armed, big eared, and gangly. He's been muddling through each gawky day since. Now his best friend, Joey, has turned thirteen, too--and after Joey humiliates himself in front of a cute girl, he climbs a tree and refuses to come down. So Ronnie sets out to woo the girl on Joey's behalf. After all, teenage chimps have to stick together. Acclaimed author Gary Soto tells a fun and touching story about friendship, understanding, and the painful insecurities of being thirteen.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0152062157
• ISBN13: 9780152062156
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.0" x 7.0"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Young readers, especially boys, will love this story

Gary Soto, author of Accidental Love, offers another helpful work of fiction to teenagers stuck in the dramas of puberty, young love, and physical education classes. Mercy on These Teenage Chimps is an account of Ronnie and Joey, who both wake up on their thirteenth birthdays and discover that they have become chimpanzees overnight. Ronnie and Joey are not literally chimpanzees, though one would be hard pressed to convince them of that in the midst of all the monkey-related humor in this novel. They are young men transitioning from childhood to adulthood by way of facial hair, body odor, and an attraction to a young lady at their school. It is in front if this young lady that the P.E. coach humiliates Joey, who then promptly decides to perch himself in a tree and not come down. Ronnie, a loyal friend, attempts to rectify the offense, and to convince the cute girl to give Joey a chance. And if these two feats were not enough for a plot line, Ronnie also must confront bullies, his P.E. coach's estranged marriage, and his own struggles to accept himself. Despite his preoccupation with his similarities to monkeys, Ronnie manages to overcome, bringing this charming novel to a close with a flurry of awkward heroism. Young readers will easily identify with the likable Ronnie and Joey. This amusing story of friendship and self-acceptance is sure to be a hit with adolescent males. Note: This reviewer recommends this book to teenage boys who come into a major metropolitan library where she coordinates youth services. Armchair Interviews says: Good to see a book for teen, especially boys.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

How many books capture the angst of the teenage girl--her changing body, her constant mood swings, her unpredictable complexion and her yearning for attention from the boy of her dreams? Hundreds? Thousands? Now, how many books take the opposite point of view--how many books go into the mind of the teenage boy and capture his frustration with his seemingly disproportionate body? His struggles to understand the "crooked road" that is life (p. 123)? And, of course, the blush of first love--unrequited, but first, nevertheless. As any reader of young adult fiction knows, books unabashedly delving into the struggles of life as a teenage boy don't come along often. Author Gary Soto examines the everyday life of the adolescent male in MERCY ON THESE TEENAGE CHIMPS. According to newly-teenaged Ronnie, the transformation from boy to chimp begins on one's thirteenth birthday: "I examined my reflection in the bathroom mirror. What was this? The peachy fuzz on my chin? The splayed ears? The wide grin that revealed huge teeth? ... I wiggled my ears. My nose appeared flatter than ever" (p. 1). And, so begins this inevitable leg of the transformation from boy to man. The most intriguing aspect of this story is the sensitivity Soto explores in the characters of Ronnie and his best friend, Joey. Too often in our society, boys are taught that they are required to lose--or, at minimum, hide--their sensitivity, lest they be considered less of a man as they mature. Throughout the story, the reader is privy to Ronnie's innermost thoughts and fears, some of which he shares with Joey: "Do you think any girls will like us?" (p. 4) is one question met with silence from his best friend--well, silence and Joey's attempt to spit on his cat. Still, such raw honesty between males is eye-opening, refreshing, and too rarely conveyed in young adult literature. At times, the constant stream of chimpanzee references become a bit grating, but the honesty of the characters trumps this particular negative. Soto's MERCY ON THESE TEENAGE CHIMPS works, for male and female readers alike, comforting adolescent males and assuring females that, yes, the boys have the same awkward, frightening fears as the girls, whether they are open about their feelings or not. Have mercy! Reviewed by: Mechele R. Dillard

A fun, fast, and amusing glimpse at puberty

Biology is a tricky thing, especially at 13. Just as we get to that age where we're figuring ourselves out and we exhibit some control over who we are, we go through a volcanic eruption and all the rules change. Our bodies rebel, our brainwaves scatter...and it's hard not to feel like someone --- or something --- else. Ronnie Gonzalez and his best friend, Joey Rios, have just turned 13. As if their lives weren't already fraught with hardship, this magical new age brings with it a curious side effect: they have become chimps. At least that is how they perceive themselves (and how they believe they are perceived by others). Strange hair forms on their bodies, their eating habits go ape (pun intended) and their wild behavior begins to attract more attention than usual, often leading to the simian comparison. It is a burst of this feral energy --- Joey scales walls and rafters at school to retrieve a balloon for a girl he likes --- that causes the boys' coach to chew out Joey and send the young man into a depression. Joey climbs up into a tree at home and resolves never to come down. Ronnie, who understands the value of friendship and asserts that he owes it to his brother-in-chimpdom, goes on a journey to find the girl Joey likes, believing that she alone can coax Joey out of the tree. Like any good quest, Ronnie meets an assortment of quirky characters, some who help him along the path, others who offer obstacles to his goal. It is here where Gary Soto shines, crafting the heart and soul of the book through Ronnie's interaction with these people. While each flirts with being a caricature, Soto masterfully lends each a twist that prevents them from becoming so familiar as to be cardboard cutouts. MERCY ON THESE TEENAGE CHIMPS is a fun, fast read that offers an amusing glimpse at that awkward age when the body and mind rebel and no one quite feels like themselves anymore. The good news Soto imparts: you adapt to the new body, you make peace with the new brainwaves, and you move on. And everything turns out fine. --- Reviewed by Brian Farrey ([...]).