Waylon!Even More Awesome
Review posted August 6, 2018.
Disney Hyperion Books, New York, 2017. 204 pages.
Starred Review
Review written in 2017
Here’s a second wonderful book about Waylon, a fourth grader who plans to be a scientist.
This book jumps right into the action. Dumpster Eddy, the stray dog that Waylon loves but can’t own because of his mother’s allergies, has been captured and is in the police station again.
Baxter is a police officer’s son, and he and Waylon usually break Dumpster Eddy out just before he has to go to a shelter. But this time there are some big obstacles. The first being that someone new is in charge of the animals at the station, so Dumpster Eddy doesn’t have as much time as usual.
Baxter’s helping Waylon, but Waylon’s still not sure he should associate with someone so obsessed with criminal behavior.
Also, it’s winter. The boys don’t want Eddy to be cold – so they build an igloo. But some more problems come up.
The way the obstacles and various subplots are resolved are all satisfying and lovely. Waylon learns about friendship and putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and good collaboration. And the story’s engaging, funny, and realistic.
I do love Sara Pennypacker’s characters, children and adults both. They are always quirky, and come alive that way. Waylon’s dad, for example, has taken two years off from working with numbers in order to pursue his dream of making it as a writer, while Waylon’s mother is a scientist. Baxter is obsessed with criminology, and our friend Clementine makes some appearances, still giving her little brother the names of vegetables.