The Glass Cafe: Or the Stripper and the State; How My Mother Started a War with the System That M...
THE STORY IS all true and happened to me and is mine.
Tony’s mom, Al, is a terrific single mother who works as a dancer at the ... read full description
Tony’s mom, Al, is a terrific single mother who works as a dancer at the ... read full description
reviews
Dec 25, 2007
Shannon
rated it: 
Dear Mr.Paulsen
1. The premise of this story is unbelievable and bad. Mostly just bad.
2. TOO MUCH FORESHADOWING.
3. I know that run-on sentances are hilarious and fun, and you're pretending this book was written by a (mature but rather daft) 12 year old; but this is just ridicuous.
4. 12 year olds know bad words. They don't refer to them as "one of those words I heard the biker man say". This kid is allegedly 12, not 7. Very inaccurate depiction of age.
5. It More...
1. The premise of this story is unbelievable and bad. Mostly just bad.
2. TOO MUCH FORESHADOWING.
3. I know that run-on sentances are hilarious and fun, and you're pretending this book was written by a (mature but rather daft) 12 year old; but this is just ridicuous.
4. 12 year olds know bad words. They don't refer to them as "one of those words I heard the biker man say". This kid is allegedly 12, not 7. Very inaccurate depiction of age.
5. It More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Dec 08, 2008
The Glass Café
By Gary Paulsen
The Glass Café is about a twelve year old boy, Tony Henson, and his single mom Alice, who everyone calls Al. Tony's mom Al is juggling raising her son and going to school to get her doctorate in English literature but meanwhile makes a living as a "provocative dancer" at the Kitty Kat Club to pay for her schooling. Tony doesn't have a problem with this; actually he thinks it's pretty neat. He has always been a very skill More...
By Gary Paulsen
The Glass Café is about a twelve year old boy, Tony Henson, and his single mom Alice, who everyone calls Al. Tony's mom Al is juggling raising her son and going to school to get her doctorate in English literature but meanwhile makes a living as a "provocative dancer" at the Kitty Kat Club to pay for her schooling. Tony doesn't have a problem with this; actually he thinks it's pretty neat. He has always been a very skill More...
Nov 25, 2008
Gandi
rated it: 
This book is very humorous. Even though its short, it makes a lot of since.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
May 03, 2011
Camden
rated it: 
Cute, quick read--started it yesterday. I like the voice Gary Paulsen gave the main character, a 12-yr-old boy, it was very believable. I wondered during the story if I would want my 11-yr-old son to read it (he reads a lot of Gary Paulsen which is why I checked this out) since it's about a boy whose mom is an exotic dancer (nothing inappropriate in the book). She gets in trouble by CPS when his art teacher submits some 'human figure' drawings he made of some of her dancer friends to a local art
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Jan 30, 2011
Teton Cty Library Call #: YA PAULSON, G.
No rating
This story is told in the first person by Tony, a twelve year old boy living with his single mom, Al, who just happens to have an unusual job; she's a stripper. Tony loves his mom and enjoys their book discusions that they have twice a week after Al smashed their tv.
Life seems perfectly normal for Tony until his wonderful and realistic figure drawings are featured in a local art show, which brings Mrs. Preston, a ju More...
No rating
This story is told in the first person by Tony, a twelve year old boy living with his single mom, Al, who just happens to have an unusual job; she's a stripper. Tony loves his mom and enjoys their book discusions that they have twice a week after Al smashed their tv.
Life seems perfectly normal for Tony until his wonderful and realistic figure drawings are featured in a local art show, which brings Mrs. Preston, a ju More...
Mar 28, 2009
Rosalia
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
May 16, 2010
John
rated it: 
Tony has a single mom who dances in a club, or a 'stripper'. Tony does not mind and leads a normal life. But then, one day he finds art fancinating to him so he decides to draw some of the women working at the club. They are nude when he drew them and soon, they end up in a art display with leads into the Social secruity who tries to arrest Tony's mom. They get off free and life is back to normal for them.
Gary Paulsen writes this as a 12 year old's perspective but he didn't really show More...
Gary Paulsen writes this as a 12 year old's perspective but he didn't really show More...
Jun 08, 2011
i thought the book was actually good because it showed how a mom who was a erotic dancer but also a good mother and not just thinking about herself. she could have gone on to college and to thirve there but she choice to make more money and be a dancer to support her and tony. And to protest against Al about how she was a bad mother. they really had nothing on her except when mrs. preston and the police officer showed up and al hit the cop over the head with a lamp. even though how significant t
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May 09, 2010
Pierce
rated it:
Tony is living with his Mom and no Dad. His mom is a dancer at a club. Tony is a really good artist. In art class his class was talking about nude pictures. Tony got the idea to draw other girls at his mom's job. He asked his mom and she agreed.
When Tony showed his teacher the pictures the next day, she asked if she could enter them in a contest. She really liked it and thought they were great. Tony's pictures were entered and someone saw them and did not like them. It said Tony's More...
When Tony showed his teacher the pictures the next day, she asked if she could enter them in a contest. She really liked it and thought they were great. Tony's pictures were entered and someone saw them and did not like them. It said Tony's More...
Dec 21, 2007
Tortla
rated it:
I get the impression that Gary Paulsen cannot write, and that is why he pretends to write from the perspectives of twelve-year-olds.
3 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Dec 22, 2009
Paige 7-3
rated it:
a boy living in an appartmant with his mom. he gathers a love for art at school and begins drowing nud people. the wimon at his mothers work (a club called the kit kat klub)volanter to let him draw them. he does and his art teacher puts it in a art museam. the museam then received a complaint that letting a kid paint this was child abuse. the rest of the story is the court rooms and judges.
i didn't like this book at all. it was short and pointless. it was also badly written and very
i didn't like this book at all. it was short and pointless. it was also badly written and very
Oct 19, 2010
Tori
rated it: 
I didnt think it was to bad but it's kinda boring. Its about a boy hos name is tony. Tonys mom is a striper 'yeuck' how works at a cafe. Ther all a lone in a small tone. They both hat living ther untill one night tonys mom meats a boy how is a dead man how bits her now tonys all a lone as he trys to find a cure for the dead .The dead promasd not to bite him as long as he stas in the tone and finds the cure then he can have his mom back.
Jan 20, 2011
Jenny
rated it:
Tony's art teacher tells her students all real artists do studies of nude figures. Tony wants to be an artist, so he asks his mom if he can come to work with her to draw her fellow exotic dancers. She agrees, and when Tony's art teacher sees them, she is so impressed that she enters them in an art show. Someone sees thes "pornographic" drawings done by a young person, and files an abuse complaint. Things go downhill from there.
Mar 30, 2011
Alex
rated it:
Put in a hook – A book about family, life, and art!
Supply a paragraph of background/overview… This book is about a 12 year old boy named tony who’s mom Is a stripper at a club. Tony’s draws pictures of the other girls at the club and they end up on display. They then catch the attention of the social service agency and they end up in a legal rangle.
Recommend the book – I recommend it
Supply a paragraph of background/overview… This book is about a 12 year old boy named tony who’s mom Is a stripper at a club. Tony’s draws pictures of the other girls at the club and they end up on display. They then catch the attention of the social service agency and they end up in a legal rangle.
Recommend the book – I recommend it
Dec 17, 2008
Carey
rated it:
The Glass Café by Gary Paulsen is about a boy named Tony whose mom is an exotic dancer. One day she lets him come the bar where she dances to draw some pictures of the other dancers. His teacher submits his pictures into a contest, and someone complains that his pictures are pornography. This gets Tony and his mom into a huge mess with the state government.
I would recommend this book to anyone who just wants a quick read to entertain them. I think anyone would enjoy this book. I More...
I would recommend this book to anyone who just wants a quick read to entertain them. I think anyone would enjoy this book. I More...
Sep 30, 2009
Chance
rated it:
So far i think this book is really good and i recomend you to reed it is about a boy and his mom is a stripper and he is very good at drawing the exotic dancers there because his mom lets him go in the rooms but right now he gets a call from the goverment he is wondering what the goverment wants and he thinks it might be about him drawing or womething but this book is really good and i cant wait to finish it and i dont even barely ever read but this book is very good so far it has 99 pages and i
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Oct 26, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
i loved it. i'm not sure if it was "amazing," but i loved it nonetheless. a really fast stream of consciousness kind of read that was frequently really funny. i'd probably recommend this book to anybody of any age.
Oct 16, 2008
Jessica
rated it:
picked this up through my book swap site, it just caught my eye. It was a very quick read. It was written as though it was the kid writing the book, so very simple 1st person style. But it was well done. It's about a boy (12 y/o) and his mother. She dances in a strip club to pay the bills. He goes to the club (only the back employee areas) a few times and draws sketches of the women there. The sketches draw the attention of child protective services and they have to defend their family & her wo
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Jul 27, 2007
Librarian
rated it:
12-year-old Tony wants to study how to draw, so he gets permission from his mom, a stripper, to draw the women that she works with at her strip club. He is genuinely innocent and sincere in his wish to do this. He enters his drawings in an art show (with the support of his art teacher), when social services gets involved. This book manages to be funny while raising multiple, layered issues in its thin volume. The mom is great character- a wonderful authority figure who treats Tony with respe
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Jan 25, 2012
Kay
rated it:
This would have been a good cliff's notes, but as the actual story it felt very thin.
Apr 20, 2008
Leela
rated it:
I read this book in about 1 hour. It was very satisfying and a fun story. The little random bits thrown in make it an enjoyable read, and the story has a good meaning. I greatly enjoyed it.
The book is a mere 100 pages, but just because it is short, does not mean it is anyless as exciting as other longer books.
The book is a mere 100 pages, but just because it is short, does not mean it is anyless as exciting as other longer books.
Nov 06, 2008
Shirice
rated it:
This was one of the worst books i've ever read. Even though it's supposed to be written from the perspective of a 12 year old boy, the author sounds incompetent and his writing style is repulsively boring. I'm surprised that this book was even published and I don't recommend this book to anyone.
Mar 13, 2011
Relyn
rated it:
This was a fun book. Not fantastic, but fun. I really enjoy Gary Paulson's non-fiction and I thought this might be one. It was laugh-out-loud funny in parts, but not as good as How Angel Peterson Got His Name. That was a marvelous book.
