Johnny Hangtime - Softcover

Gutman, Dan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062385747 ISBN 13: 9780062385741

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2016

Synopsis

It's a bird, it's a plane—no, it's Johnny Hangtime! From New York Times bestselling author Dan Gutman comes an action-packed story of a stunt kid's daring escapades.

Jumping off the Empire State Building, fighting on the wing of a biplane, and parachuting onto the back of a horse are all in a day's work for thirteen-year-old Johnny Thyme, a stunt kid known in the movie business as Johnny Hangtime. But Johnny's phenomenal feats are a movie industry secret. Ricky Corvette, the superstar teen for whom Johnny doubles, wants his fans to think he does all his own stunts.

Johnny is devoted to repeating the career of his legendary stuntman father, but what's he going to do when his favorite director asks him to perform the super-dangerous stunt that killed his father? Will following in his daredevil dad's footsteps take him over the edge?

About this title

About the Author:

Dan Gutman is the New York Times bestselling author of the Genius Files series; the Baseball Card Adventure series, which has sold more than 1.5 million copies around the world; and the My Weird School series, which has sold more than 12 million copies. Thanks to his many fans who voted in their classrooms, Dan has received nineteen state book awards and ninety-two state book award nominations. He lives in New York City with his wife, Nina. You can visit him online at www.dangutman.com.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 3-7-A fluffy read with a truly preposterous plot that requires suspension of disbelief at almost every turn. However, because of these very liabilities, the story will hook older reluctant readers. Johnny Thyme, 13, does all the stunts, or "gags," for all-American teen idol Ricky Corvette. Ricky wants the public to think that he does all of his own stunts, so Johnny's contract requires that he tell no one what he does. It also prevents him from fighting, going to gym class, or anything else that might cause him bodily injury. This creates problems when a bully begins extorting money from him. The only real plot development occurs near the end when Johnny is to perform a Niagara Falls stunt that killed his father. It turns out, though, that Johnny's father is not dead at all, but was just badly injured, and disappeared for some pretty contrived reasons. Johnny stands up to Ricky Corvette for the first time, Ricky's movie career ends as he is injured doing the Niagara Falls gag, and Johnny becomes a star in his own right. The details of the stunt work seem well researched and ring true, even if readers don't believe for a minute that a child would be allowed to do what is described in the book. Still, there are some laugh-out-loud moments, and the action will appeal to readers wanting high-interest, low-reading-level material.-Tim Wadham, Maricopa County Library District, Phoenix, AZ

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0062385747
• ISBN 13: 9780062385741
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160