A Little Too Rambunctious

Life from a child’s perspective, no matter the age, can be both entertaining and eye-opening. In A Little Too Rambunctious, author Richard Voorhees shares with readers a glimpse into the life of a boy and his buddies in the late 1960s. As he gets ready to begin the summer before fifth grade, the narrator finds out the awful news that he will be following in his siblings’ footsteps and be in the class of the meanest fifth grade teacher, Miss Salappa. The only saving grace to that news is that his best friend Mr. Cools has been dealt the same fate. Determined to enjoy his summer despite the news, the narrator and his friends make the best of every minute of their summer. As the summer ends and school starts, the boys’ adventures continue. Girls, pranks, parents, school, fun, and more are a lot to fit into the life a ten-year-old boy. What’s fun is watching how it all unfolds.

Richard Voorhees has written a 4.5 star young adult novel that shows readers young and old that being ten years old is not an easy feat, no matter what decade you are in. Full of mischief, fun, and adventure, A Little Too Rambunctious will draw in readers with its well-written story line, wit, and charm. While written from the perspective of a ten year old, this story and some of its content is definitely more appropriate for readers in the twelve-to-fourteen range as opposed to the nine-to-eleven. Had the characters been made a grade or two older to match the content, I think that would have made this book even stronger and made it more obvious which audience it is appropriate for. However, with dynamic, true-to-life characters, details, and a steady pace, this is one novel that is great for an age group that often gets overlooked in the literary world.