I received this book from the author requesting an honest review.

Norfolk, Nebraska was a small midwestern town much like other small towns in the mid to late ’70’s, but most of those other towns don’t have a nefarious gang of gypsies skulking around.

He had moved to Nebraska from Clovis, New Mexico. As an only child, he was often left alone while his parents were at work. His next-door neighbor was Mrs. Scholes, pronounced Skulls. In a town where he knew no one, she would be his first friend. Mrs. Scholes lived alone. Two lonely souls gravitated to each other and enjoyed each other’s company. Their friendship grew as they gardened and walked to the grocery store. He never felt as though he belonged unless he was with Mrs. Scholes – the only friend he had. Instead of being embarrassed by the elderly, he enjoyed being there to help. The years passed and the town began experiencing economic problems. It was the early ’80’s and farmers all around the area were losing their farms. Many new people moved into their town looking for jobs. Industry in their town had not grown, no new jobs existed. More crime was occurring in Norfolk but the size of the police force didn’t increase. With the influx of strangers, he started watching out for Mrs. Scholes even more than he had previously.

After knowing Mrs. Scholes for years, he wondered about what happened to Mr. Scholes and their son. Did something awful take them away from her? He kept asking questions but never got any answers. One hot summer night he heard voices outside the screened porch where he had been sleeping. Immediately worried about Mrs. Scholes, he crept over to her house to see what was going on. There were gypsies in Mrs. Scholes’s kitchen! They were threatening her with a gun. He was able to summon the police and distract the intruders. The police captured the gypsies but now Mrs. Scholes had to explain everything to him. He was in danger and needed to know the whole story.

This is a young adult book. The author set this story in his hometown stating that the events in the book are, however, fiction. As indicated by the title, this is told as diary entries. The main characters, Mrs. Scholes and the boy, are fascinating. Their interactions are heartwarming, funny, and tender. It is evident that they have a deepening love and respect for each other. The heart of the story occurs when the boy is a teen and, as most teen boys do, he often acts without fully thinking things through. There are a number of twists and turns, some anticipated and others very surprising. This wonderfully imaginative book takes you away and wraps you in a highly entertaining adventure.

While there are a couple of instances of guns/violence mentioned, I believe this book would certainly entertain a junior reader that has advanced skills. The story is fast paced, important in YA books, and is full of humor and adventure. Some of the cultural references (like Magnum P.I.) may be confusing but anyone with a search engine should be able to understand them. I enjoyed the story, it was lighthearted and evoked a “Goonies” type of feeling. I would recommend this book to Young Adults, advanced junior readers, and adults.

My Rating: 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

Additional Thoughts: I’ve been reading some very detailed books lately and really needed something light hearted to read. I enjoyed this book so much that I had trouble putting it down! This well written YA book is terrific! I have mentioned in other reviews that I enjoy learning something new when I read a book. Who knew that Nebraska has some aggressive gypsy colonies? Growing up in Kansas, I don’t remember hearing about them but then again, this was before all the search engines and news feeds.

Although the book is written from a boy’s point of view, I think girls will enjoy this story too. Some of the events I didn’t mention in the review are funny in their own way. We were much more naïve than we are now.