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The Yo-Yo Prophet
by
Karen Krossing (Goodreads Author)
Calvin is the smallest guy in his high school, and a perfect target for Rozelle and her girl gang. His mother is dead, his father is long gone and his only remaining relative, his grandmother, is getting too sick to run her dry cleaning business. The only time Calvin feels in control is when he's working his yo-yo. When he takes up street performing, Rozelle demands a cut...more
Paperback, 237 pages
Published
September 1st 2011
by Orca Book Publishers
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Every boy dreams of being something a little bit more than average. Calvin has had a run of dumb luck with things on the home front and is left living with his grandmother above her dry-cleaning shop. He is also little more than a speck in the bullies eyes in his high school. So what is it that Calvin can do that can make him special? Well Calvin can throw a mean yo-yo! When he decides to try his luck on the street corner he finds that it is not only him that sees he is talented. Unfortunately,...more
I read this book in 5 hours. It can't be said it's a very hard or heavy read. However, it is a good one. I liked it enough so that when my eyes were dead I kept going anyway. (My eyes were tired because I decided to pick it up at 9 and didn't return it to it's spot on my floor until 2 am)It is not especially exciting, or mysterious, or action-packed, but interesting all the same.
Calvin is a loser, a nobody, who is even bullied by a GIRL, named Rozelle. That is until Roz turns him into a sensati...more
Calvin is a loser, a nobody, who is even bullied by a GIRL, named Rozelle. That is until Roz turns him into a sensati...more
No character development and no discernible motivation on the part of Calvin left me wanting more. The characters are simply labels, and Calvin never offers us the opportunity to know why the heck he is so determined to be a street performing yo yo'er. There are a lot of missed opportunities here, especially because Calvin had experienced a lot of loss in his life and a lot of social challenges (I'm assuming partially because of that) but we never get the chance to see this. The yo yo hobby serv...more
Calvin is a “nobody” at his school and has a sad home life. The novel begins with Calvin not even being really worthy of a bully’s attention. By surprise, Calvin gets offered money for his street yo-yo tricks. Calvin gives it a try but is spotted by the bully who then decides to become his manager. Calvin soon becomes an overnight sensation as Rozelle (the bully) turns him into “The Yo Yo Prophet” offering predictions to audience members which she claims have a one hundred percent success rate....more
Watch out, teachers--you'll soon see yo-yos showing up in your classrooms after students read this delightful book. Calvin is a nobody at school, pushed around by Rozelle and her mean-girl friends. His grandmother is selling her dry cleaning business to a man Calvin thinks is a bit shady and she hasn't starting looking for a new place for the two of them to live. When Calvin realizes people might pay to watch him perform tricks with his yo-yo, he finds an outlet for his frustration and despair....more
Calvin's only true friend is his yo-yo. With his Grandma sick and his Dad away, Calvin knows he can always find comfort in his yo-yo. But when the school bulley, Rozelle, turns Calvin's yo-yo act into a business, Calvin gets swept up in the fame that comes with being the Yo-Yo Prophet. But can Calvin really see into the future? He is bound to find out as his world seems to be falling apart.
The problem I have with this book is the language used. The story is great for kids 8-12, but then the auth...more
The problem I have with this book is the language used. The story is great for kids 8-12, but then the auth...more
So many reasons to love THE YO-YO PROPHET: the way the main characters change throughout the book (especially the main character, Calvin, who so desperately wants to be noticed and feel special), the tension and excitement of Calvin's yo-yo performances and competitions, how Calvin reacts to and eventually finds a way to cope with bullying, how he deals with his missing father and the declining health of his grandmother. Uplifting and hopeful ending without being clichéd.
I was also intrigued by...more
I was also intrigued by...more
Calvin is discovered to have a talent for yo-yoing, and goes from a ninth grade nobody to instant - if tenuous - popularity. However, his grandmother is increasingly ill, and, having sold her dry-cleaning business, they must find a new place to live. Calvin makes typically immature decisions and finds himself in difficult situations that make the book difficult to read at times (he's a very realistically frustrating teen). However, he is well-intentioned and responsible. This is a well told stor...more
I enjoyed this fast-paced coming-of-age story about Calvin Layne, who goes from invisible to infamous for his yo-yo tricks and touted ability to predict the future. Calvin's struggles with his absent father, his sick grandma, and his overbearing manager all keep the conflict rolling along, and I can see this being a great fit for middle school students and reluctant readers. As a middle school teacher, I didn't find the language in this book to be objectionable for the age level, and I think the...more
It's hard not to care about Calvin Layne--a loner kid from downtown Toronto (a city I know and love, usually), shortish, struggling in both math and the department of earning basic respect, but a wizard with a yoyo. Calvin lives with a Gran who’s inhaled too many drycleaning chemicals in her life. Sweet as she is, she’s losing her marbles fast and it’s Calvin’s job to pick them up again. No wonder he gets swept into the glitter of streetlife fame as a performer, thanks the wiles of his bossy “fr...more
Yo-Yoing is a much needed balm and relaxing hobby in Calvin's life. Abandoned by his father after his mom died, he lives with his grandmother, who is growing ill and a little senile. On top of that he is puny and the target for Rozelle and her tough girl gang. But it's yo-yoing where Calvin finds peace, or at least it was until he tests out street performing and finds himself caught up by Rozelle, who insists on being his manager.
This was a light, engaging read, which had a clean weave of subpl...more
This was a light, engaging read, which had a clean weave of subpl...more
I won a copy of this book and it was signed by the author. I love when that happens.
Students into yo-yo's will love the descriptions of the tricks YO-YO throws!
May 18, 2013
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I grew up in Thornhill, Ontario, with a family who loved to read. What could I do but read too? I began to create stories and comic books when I was eight, and I continued this habit by writing poetry in high school. By then I was hooked on books, so I studied English at university then became a book editor and a technical writer. After I had kids, I began writing fiction for children and teens. I...more
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