From the Publisher
In 1933, Herbert Muskie returns to his rundown hometown of Loomis, New Zealand, and uses a combination of cunning and psychological threats to take control of the lives of twelve-year-old Colin Potter and his family as part of a plan to get even for the mistreatment he suffered as a schoolboy.
From The Critics
Publishers Weekly
Of this "seamlessly crafted psychological thriller" set in 1933 New Zealand, PW's starred review said, "Gee gives the proverbial victim-turns-villain myth several spellbinding twists.... Readers with a hearty appetite for the diabolical will get their fill here." Ages 12-up. (Mar.)r
Children's Literature
The Fat Man is back in his hometown and he's turning Colin Potter's life upside down. Set during the 1930's in New Zealand, Colin is a hungry kid who stumbles upon a candy bar that belongs to a mean, overweight man who catches him eating it. The Fat Man pressures Colin into becoming an accomplice in several small crimes. Colin is afraid to tell his parents because he believes the man is also after his parents. In the end, Colin learns about some notsoproud moments in his parent's background and how they have affected the Fat Man. Eventually, Colin begins to develop sympathy for the Fat Man. 1999, Alladin Paperbacks/Simon & Schuster, Ages 10 up, Reviewer: Melissa A. Caudill
In 1933, Herbert Muskie returns to his rundown hometown of Loomis, New Zealand, and uses a combination of cunning and psychological threats to take control of the lives of twelve-year-old Colin Potter and his family as part of a plan to get even for the mistreatment he suffered as a schoolboy.
From The Critics
Publishers Weekly
Of this "seamlessly crafted psychological thriller" set in 1933 New Zealand, PW's starred review said, "Gee gives the proverbial victim-turns-villain myth several spellbinding twists.... Readers with a hearty appetite for the diabolical will get their fill here." Ages 12-up. (Mar.)r
Children's Literature
The Fat Man is back in his hometown and he's turning Colin Potter's life upside down. Set during the 1930's in New Zealand, Colin is a hungry kid who stumbles upon a candy bar that belongs to a mean, overweight man who catches him eating it. The Fat Man pressures Colin into becoming an accomplice in several small crimes. Colin is afraid to tell his parents because he believes the man is also after his parents. In the end, Colin learns about some notsoproud moments in his parent's background and how they have affected the Fat Man. Eventually, Colin begins to develop sympathy for the Fat Man. 1999, Alladin Paperbacks/Simon & Schuster, Ages 10 up, Reviewer: Melissa A. Caudill
