Funny adult gift

Gordon Korman. 2002. Read by Max Casello. 3 tapes. 4.5 hrs. Listening Library. 0-8072-0970-8. $25.00. Cardboard; author, reader, plot notes. S*

And you think you've got problems? Vince Luca is just an ordinary horny high school guy looking to score with chicks. But when he gets a willing girl as far as the beach, Vince opens the trunk of his car to find not a blanket but the beaten-up body of Jimmy the Rat. This dampens the romantic urge. He takes the girl home and lets Jimmy out of the trunk, advising him to avoid Vince's brother Tommy in the future. See, Tommy is in the family business with "Honest Abe" Luca. one of the biggest mob bosses in the East. Vince hates the whole idea of a life of crime with his "uncles'--Uncle NoNose, Uncle Puke, Uncle Shank. You get the idea. And what is worse, when Vince does meet the perfect girl, she is the daughter of the FBI man who has the Luca house bugged. So Vince has problems: how to keep the girl he loves and keep his dad out of federal prison--and how to keep himself out of the mob.

Korman's deft handling of the story line is professional; it should be after more than 30 novels for young readers. This novel is too funny, and narrator Casella (Analyze This, Ed Wood, and The Sopranos) is perfect as the anguished, well-meaning Vince and the other mob characters. His female characterizations are excellent too, from Vince's morn to a hooker with a heart of gold, a "gift" from Tommy. The pace is fast, the dialogue sassy, and Vince is a winner. Highly recommended. Janet Julian, Grafton, MA