Family Ties by Gary Paulsen (review)

After giving up lying (Liar, Liar, BCCB 3/11) and scheming for money (Flat Broke, BCCB 9/11), fourteen-year-old Kevin Spencer is a reformed man and fully focused on his family. Okay, it’s possible his sudden interest in making his relatives the best they can be has more to do with impressing his girlfriend of two dates, the stunning Tina Zabinski, but he really does want to make some quality time for his large and very busy extended family. A wedding always brings everyone together (right?) and Uncle Will has just announced his marriage to his latest girlfriend, so Kevin decides a party is the perfect opportunity to get all his relatives (including his divorced grandparents, his grandfather’s new girlfriend, a kooky aunt, and a guitar-strumming hippie cousin) all under one roof while proving to Tina how devoted he is to his kin. The wacky chaos that ensues, which starts with a shattered china cabinet and a small fire and ends with a new litter of puppies, is sitcom-worthy in both its warm humor and generous plot devices, and readers familiar with Kevin’s previous exploits will settle right in for the goofy, rollicking ride. Kevin’s combination of confidence and cluelessness is endearing: he’s convinced that after hearing Tina talk about her own family that he needs to prove to her that he’s a man she can settle down with, and his intentions, though sparked by hormones, are genuine as he seeks to heal longtime rifts among his relatives. Young bridal-party members dealing with their own tux/dress fittings and wedding tensions will find this a perfect partner to Ziegler’s recent Revenge of the Flower Girls (BCCB 6/14) for some matrimonial mayhem.