Andrew, the Big Deal

by Barbara Brooks Wallace

After a series of unhappy experiences in a new city, Andy, the intellectual misfit in an athletic family, is forced to really use his intelligence.

196 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Award-winning American children's writer. Has received, among others, the NLAPW Children's Book Award and International Youth Library "Best of the Best" for 'Claudia' (2001), as well as the William Allen White Children's Book Award for 'Peppermints in the Parlor' (1983).

Wallace was born and spent her childhood in China, but then moved to the United States. San Francisco was often a port of entry for her family, who lived in a huge, white-pillared mansion on the side of a hill, later to become the Sugar Hill Hall mansion which served as the setting for some of her most popular books. She was a UCLA graduate.

Wallace won two Edgar Allan Poe Awards from the Mystery Writers of America for 'The Twin in the Tavern' (1994) and for 'Sparrows in the Scullery' (1998). 'Cousins in The Castle' (1997 and 'Ghosts in the Gallery' (2001) were also nominated for an Edgar Award.

Reviews

[Hal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the few books I read multiple times (in German translation), when I was a teenager. I'm afraid to pick it up since, for fear of discovering that what I so fondly recall as a slightly melancholic x-mas novel is actually just a shallow children's book. Back then I liked it a lot though, especially the atmosphere it created (America was a tad more mysterious to me when I was a teen).

[Rodney Haydon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Today I purchased five juvenile fiction books that were for sale at my local library. This one I picked up because of the author, who wrote “The Contest Kid and the Big Prize”, a book I really enjoyed when I was a kid. I enjoyed this one as well, and I would have enjoyed it just as much if not more back when I was 12, the same age as Andrew.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this story of a misfit who lets his imagination run away with him when his family moves to DC. My favorite childhood book. His observations were hilarious to my 10-yr old self.

[slauderdale · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always been very fond of this book. Recently I found another book by Wallace that I am interested in reading, and sort of registered the fact that she was the same person who had written this, which made me think about how very fond I am of it, because I am so fond of Andrew himself, probably because I related to him even as I was laughing at him. I think we shared a number of family circumstances and personality traits. I should say there is a subplot where he conjures up this incredibly wack theory about a Chinese-American family, tying them back to Robert E. Lee, that would be pretty cringe today...but it was cringe then too, IMO, and just goes back to Andrew's problem in general. He's not just an over thinker, he is an über duber over thinker.

Anyway, my thanks to both Barbara Brooks Wallace and to Andrew himself for several entertaining read-throughs while I was growing up. You are still on my shelf, man.

[Fortunato · Rating 2 out of 5]

honestly it's just kind of sad. everything he does ends up with him meeting some misfortune or blame. even the ending of the book is other people getting credit for what he's done but implies that at least moving forward things will be better and that maybe part of it was all in his head thinking people don't like him. Yet, we never see proof of other people liking him besides a weird about face from his family in the final chapter and two kids.