Katy Kelly's Melonhead starts off great then falls flat. Clever wordplay, but not much to recommend to anyone. Adam Melon, aka Melonhead, is so-named since his head does resemble what those here in Tampa Bay love to snack on for dessert. He even has a Melon mentality which serves him well at some times and other times gets him in trouble. He gets stuck in a crack in a tree, high up. You heard of barking up the wrong tree? He's treed in the wrong bark! Sad. Sadder still that it's the most suspenseful part of the book, and stretches for two chapters! The rest is not so naturally inclined. Adam needs to do a project wherein he has to come up with an invention that will send him to nearby Chantilly near his DC home. Eventually (and this is a BIG eventually) his end result is not, sad to break it to you, on par with the thing with the bell and the salivating dog. I mean, c'mon! Using a pair of nylons to hang onto a rooftop? Nylon is not THAT strong once you rub the silken threads against the eaves. And diapers to absorb sweat from your feet? Pampers are goo protection, yeah, but not for foot odor. So, to conclude: live, learn and THEN get Luvs. To put it another way: leave the melon, take a cannoli. I have mixed feelings after reading Melonhead by Katy Kelly. The main character is a ten-year-old boy named Adam Melon, although he prefers “Melonhead.” The title and Gillian Johnson’s illustrations are fresh and funny.There is humor in the story as Melonhead attempts to create a “re-invention” as assigned by his science teacher: using something old for a new and useful, helpful, or necessary purpose. Along the way Melonhead takes several detours into ideas that seem great at the time but don’t turn out the way he intends or expects.Melonhead is likeable, as is his friend Sam. The additional child characters are vague, with the exception of Lucy Rose–whom the author has starred in several of her own books. Even Lucy Rose, however, doesn’t have a well-defined role in Melonhead’s story. The best parts of the story are the ones focused solely on Melonhead.I was disappointed in the ending. I thought it failed to provide a satisfying conclusion to the events Melonhead has gone through in the course of the story. I also thought his “re-invention” resolution was contrived and patronizing. The idea was absolutely realistic in thought and execution, but the response within the competition itself is, in my opinion, misguided.In summary, Melonhead was a short, easy read. It was both amusing and sweet in parts. It was all right, but I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it.
What do You think about Melonhead (2009)?
Read it to discuss with my 8 year old nephew. Great read for boys!!! Funny and a page turner.
—bibi4545
Love the wit & writing style! A Ramona Quimby for boys.
—jess
