It Happened at Cecilia's

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Readers eager for an account of life in the Greenwich Village of the '80s will be pleased to find that this novel is as detailed and authentic as the watercolor that graces its jacket. Andy helps his father run Cecilia's, a small restaurant serving Cajun-Hungarian cuisine. Although his mother is dead and his father is often busy with the restaurant, Andy's world is a rich and caring one, for all the unusual people who work and eat at Cecilia's serve as his extended family. An unfortunate contrast to these generously depicted individuals is Andy's grandmother, a snobbish woman whose rigidity seems to exist merely to highlight the other characters' freewheeling personalities. With its engaging characters and intriguing setting, the book is only slightly overwhelmed by its overly ambitious plot: Andy comes to terms with his father's new wife, attempts to make peace between his father and grandmother, faces up to the school bully, loses and regains his cat, pines after a girl and helps his father stand up to local gangsters. Fortunately, the eccentric eatery is made of strong stuff: Cecilia's and its wacky denizens can survive both the public's caprices and the meanderings of an unwieldy storyline. Ages 11-14. (Apr.)

School Library Journal

Gr 7-10-- Andy Szabo, 14, is happy living and working with his emotional father, Lazlo, at their Hungarian-Cajun restaurant in Greenwich Village. A valued confidant is their partner, Cajun Jack, an ex-con who has apparently sworn off drinking, manslaughter, and impassioned responses. Through it all, Andy remains a typical American boy, naively chasing a dreamy girl, launching cafeteria food fights, and dodging the school bully as best he can. Tension mounts with the arrival of a half-starved dancer named Lorraine. At first her ineptness causes problems only in the restaurant, but when she moves into Lazlo's bedroom and marriage plans are announced, Andy fears major displacement. Being suddenly sent to his grandmother's without explanation worsens his despair. Andy discovers that his father has been threatened by criminals, so he and Lorraine unite to protect the man they both love and thus create the beginnings of a warm family relationship. A host of interesting and funny characters are introduced only to be put aside unused, but the main characters are well-fleshed and easy to identify with. Although some thematic concerns are stated in rather ordinary terms, the well-constructed dialogue, the absolutely hilarious restaurant antics, and the believable portrayal of a family restructuring itself make this an entertaining book.-- Cindy Darling Codell, Belmont Junior High School, Winchester, Ky.