The Fourth Stall

December 6, 2010
Debut novelist Rylander mines a substantial amount of humor and heart from this combination hard-boiled crime novel and middle-grade character piece. Sixth-graders Mac (the problem solver) and Vince (the financial adviser) have long run a fix-it business, helping kids get everything from loans to protection from bullies. When a third-grader named Fred claims he's being threatened by legendary dropout and crime boss Staples, Mac and his associates (including a group of oddball bullies that range from a third-grade "biter" to a skilled hacker) are drawn into a series of encounters that could lead to them getting beat up and losing the money they've made over the years. And since their beloved Cubs are about to make the World Series, losing that money means not being able to buy tickets. Rylander throws in some class issues—Mac and Vince met when living in a trailer park, but Mac's family now lives in a nicer house—and balances them with silliness (the title refers to the unused bathroom stall in which Mac's office is located). The resulting mix is a light and enjoyable caper. Ages 8–12.

January 1, 2011

Need something? Test answers, a hall pass, a doctor's note or a video game? Mac can get it for you. Just come to his office--the fourth stall from the high window in the East Wing boys' bathroom. He's only a sixth grader, but he owns his school--at least until legendary bad guy Staples shows up with his henchman, the Collector. Then, a turf war ensues, and people start getting hurt. Rylander's debut, billed as "Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets The Sopranos," demonstrates the dangers for those caught in the middle when bullies run the school. Mac's story may center on his office in the fourth stall (and sport a graphically terrific cover), but it is hardly flush with excitement, as it slowly delineates the chesslike match between schoolboy godfathers, setting up the final confrontation move by move. Although it will likely shed readers along the way, it implies a sequel at the end, and those who make it to the final pages will look forward to it. (Fiction. 9-13)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

February 15, 2011
Grades 4-7 Sixth-graders Mac and Vince have been running an advice and assistance service for fellow grade-school students since they were in kindergarten. Mac is a problem solver, Vince is a whiz at keeping track of the money and favors they earn, and both boys are avid Chicago Cubs fans. Their office is located in an underused school bathroom, hence this first novels title. The business takes a beatingand then so does the boys friendshipwhen an older kid applies muscle to the threats he has made to grade-schoolers who owe gambling debts. Rylander has created a cast of memorable and varied characters, replete with emotional as well as social lives. Mac narrates the convoluted tale with the arch flatness of a 1940s satire of the noir detective genre, so swallowing even the more preposterous coincidences is easy for the sake of the storys fun. An excellent boy book that would do well in a father-son book discussion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2011
Sixth-grader Mac is a guy who can solve your problems, sometimes as a favor, but usually for a price. Troubles arise when high school crime boss Staples muscles in with a gambling ring and threats of real violence. Rylander's small-time noir for the middle-grade set hits all the right notes with nonstop action and wry humor.

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2011

Gr 4-7-Sixth-grader Mac is a fixer, a problem solver. He runs a thriving business helping kids with everything from test answers to bullying. With his best friend and fellow Cubs fanatic, Vince, he makes a tidy profit greasing the skids for his classmates. Working out of a stall in an unused restroom, the buddies have amassed enough cash to buy tickets to a World Series game should the Cubs finally make it. But a seemingly simple job protecting a third grader from bullies brings a confrontation with Staples, a thugish dropout who Mac thought was only a legend. Staples is expanding his gambling ring into Mac's territory, threatening his business, and Mac will need all of his considerable talents to deal with the older and far more ruthless villain and his assortment of nasty henchmen. The writing is witty and there are some memorable characters, but the pace will not keep reluctant readers engaged. Vince's frequent nonsensical quotations from bizarre relatives and the boys' exchange of Cubs trivia can also be tiresome. However, the story does have some suspense and action, and middle schoolers will enjoy the younger kids standing up to older teens and operating under the noses of clueless adults.-Anthony C. Doyle, Livingston High School, CA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.