Nacky Patcher & the Curse of the Dry-Land Boats

By Jeffrey Kluger

What Nacky Patcher and Teedie Flinn discover in the owl light and blackberry water of Yole Lake causes them to suspect they are losing their wits. Polished wood as far as the eye can see-an entire ship comes unbuttoned! Yet they see something else, too, something far more important: a way out from the curse that has burdened the poor folks of Yole for generations. But first, they will need the villagers to do something they haven't done in a long time: work as a team. Jeffrey Kluger, co-author of the blockbuster book-turned-film Apollo 13, delivers one of the finest, quirkiest, and most emotionally satisfying reads of the year. As they rise to the challenge of something greater than themselves, this cast of characters will capture readers' hearts and imaginations.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399246045
• ISBN13: 9780399246043
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: Philomel Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.3" x 6.3"
• Age Range: 10 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 5 and higher

Customer Reviews

"Highly recommended -- wonderfully written, beautifully told!!!"

We've read a chapter or two a night of some wonderful book or other out loud to our son for many years now. We've only missed perhaps a handful of nights in the ten years since we began this just-before-bedtime ritual (we started these family read-alouds when our son was not quite one and he's now just past eleven), and in the intervening years we've read hundreds, if not thousands, of truly memorable books -- both fiction and non-fiction. Every once in a while, though, we'll come across a particular stellar, absolutely stand-out read. "Nacky Patcher and the Curse of the Dry-Land Boats" is our family's own most recently-read favorite of these. It's a *fabulous* book. We were completely captivated by this extraordinary tale and stretched it out as long as we possibly could, increasingly reducing ourselves to reading only partial chapters, so loathe were we all to come to its end. Like a young person's "Everyman" or like Doblin's Franz Biberkopf, Nacky Patcher is an unlikely hero, as is his wayward young protege, Teedie Flynn. But thanks to Jeffrey Kluger's deft hand, his unerring ear for curiously-perfect dialogue, and his Pico della Mirandola-like belief in the essential goodness of man (and woman) kind, Nacky Patcher and Teedie Flynn take us places we didn't even realize we wanted to go, and introduce us everywhere along the way to an unlikely and richly-imagined cast of characters -- nearly all of whom we quickly grew to love (and some to loathe) and every one of whom shall stay with us always. This is a densely-textured, mellifluously-hued, and spectacularly-interwoven tapestry of a tale. We highly recommend it for one and all -- and read it aloud if you can!

Oh, sweet mystery of life at last I've found you

As a children's librarian who reviews a book or two on the side, I've seen my fair share of new titles. And the one thing I almost instantly try to ascertain about any title that falls into my lap is audience. Who is the author writing for? Do they have a sense of their age group? Will massive amounts of children be interested in the book or will this be considered a "special" title for only a certain kind of child reader? Is it too YA? I consider all these questions, weigh them carefully, then plunk my tuchis down on the couch and proceed to type up a handy dandy little review like the one you see here. Nothing could be simpler. Nothing, that is, until I run across a book like "Nacky Patcher and the Curse of the Dry-Land Boats". Heavens to Betsy, what are we to make of this? Certainly it's a book that worms its way into the inner recesses of your frontal lobe and then reminds you of little plot details at the most inappropriate of moments. And I can tell you that I finished this book about a month ago, yet when I picked it up to review it bounced back into my brain as if I'd just that INSTANT set it down after the 374th page. The pickle is that I can't quite figure out who it was written for. It's almost too specialized for even the "special" child reader I alluded to earlier, and yet it's not a teen book at all. Almost a book for adults written in a child-friendly format, but with enough significant details that it could also be a tale to read each night before beddy-bye. Quite frankly, I don't know what to do with it. By all means, if you want a great read, wonderful characters, details that remain with you long after you've finished, and a lovely story, "Nacky Patcher" may be right up your alley. But for kids? I tell you truly that I have no idea at all. None. A man with one leg and a boy with one hand see a vision on the surface of their local inland bound lake that simply cannot be. There, floating on the surface of the water, is a whole host of wood. Enough wood to build a ship. Enough wood that it MUST become a ship. The boy is Teedie Flinn and he's caused enough trouble in his scant years upon this earth to last a lifetime. The man is Nacky Patcher, a well-known liar and questionable companion for a boy like Teedie. When the two see the wood drifting on the water, however, their course is clear. Gathering their fellow townspeople about them, the two make their case: They must collect, dry, and reassemble this ship that has magically (?) appeared in their midst. If they do this and send it off into the world then Nacky is convinced that the curse that hangs over the town of Yole will lift. Putting a boat together isn't as easy as it may seem, however, and there are some people for whom this crazy dream spells danger. When the villainous Mally Baloo catches wind of Nacky's plan, he becomes determined to thwart it by whatever means are at his disposal. It will take the pulling together of a community and the

An odd book . . .

but I enjoyed it very much. I got my copy on a Wednesday afternoon and finished it around dawn on Friday morning. The characters are not tidy and polished but I cared about them a great deal. The villain was truly villainous, but the hero was remarkably flawed. The ending was nothing that I had expected, but it was right. I suggest giving the book a try, you may not find deep meaning, but it's a good tale well-told and has a flavor of the Appalachians though I gather it is more Irish in origin.