Both a quick read and a somewhat hilarious book, The Tapper Twins Tear Up New York by Geoff Rodkey features sixth graders Claudia and Reese, who are as different as salt and pepper. Their relationship reminds me of that shared by siblings Robert and Jessie in John Grandits’ companion books of concrete poems, Blue Lipstick and Technically, It’s Not My Fault.
Claudia is a humanitarian and a reader who admires Gandhi and detests the social inequities she sees, while her brother Reese is a competitive, athletic, leet-speaking gamer. Both sibs decide that Culvert Prep, an elite middle school in New York City, should hold a scavenger hunt to raise funds for the Manhattan Food Bank. Once the scavenger hunt list is drafted and the rule sheet printed, the middle school students gather to receive the school mascot, a stuffed Calvin the Cat who must appear in every photograph secured for the hunt.
With the top prize at stake—front row seats at Madison Square Gardens to watch the event of the winner’s choice—the scavenger hunt quickly gets out of hand, as cheating occurs, injury ensues, threats escalate, dangerous events transpire, and rules—as well as some laws—get broken.
Rodkey’s book is an oral history retelling of the events, which one local newspaper misrepresents when it runs a story with the headline, Schoolkid Scavengers Run Riot. Claudia attempts to set the record straight with her version of truth-telling. Rodkey writes the book as a multigene piece with maps, photographs, artwork, text messages, emails, interviews, online dictionary definitions, and various screenshots. It also features plenty of Claudia’s editorializing with some of the comments snarky, others serious.
Who wins the scavenger hunt—and at what daring lengths each team goes in its attempt to win—provide a fast-paced and humorous plot, while the antics with Calvin the Cat add humor.
- Posted by Donna