It s July, and Nicholas Borelli II s parents are scheduled to spend two weeks on a cruise. Nicholas will spend those two weeks, as he does every summer, at Camp Wannameka. The night before he s to leave, however, there s a phone call: thanks to an explosion in the septic system, camp is canceled. The only place for Nicholas to go instead is to his grandmother s house in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York. Nicholas s father grew up in Brooklyn, but you d hardly know it. An Italian dinner at Nicholas s house in the suburbs is whole wheat pasta, organic tomato sauce, and, if he s lucky, a tofu meatball. And Brooklyn? Well, Brooklyn is the place his father left and never talks about. Nicholas has never been there, and he doesn t want to go now. But when Nicholas tastes his grandma Tutti s meatballs for the first time, gets a nickname from his uncle Frankie, and makes a friend in the neighborhood, his feelings about Brooklyn and family begin to change. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

At the start of this zesty collaboration between actor Schirripa (The Sopranos) and author Fleming (Three Weeks in October: The Manhunt for the Serial Sniper), Nicholas Borelli, raised in a tony New Jersey suburb, arrives in Brooklyn to spend several weeks with Tutti, his gastronomically gifted Italian-American grandmother. Soon after stepping into Tutti's apartment, the 12-year-old's indoctrination into this unfamiliar life begins when he tastes his first meatball, "the most delicious thing he'd ever eaten in his life"-a far cry from the fare his vegetarian mother serves. But the one who gives the novel its most heady spice is Tutti's hefty, gold chain-sporting son Frankie, who renames his nephew Nicky Deuce ("a good name for a junior goomba"), shows him clips from Hollywood movies that reveal what it means to be a goomba ("an honorable man-whether he's a gangster or a lawyer or a cop") and introduces him to some colorful neighborhood characters with names like Sallie the Butcher and Charlie Cement. When Frankie tells Nicky he makes his living "keep[ing] an eye on things for some people," and the boy discovers guns and a bullet-proof vest in his uncle's gym bag, he suspects the worst. In a comically ironic twist, Nicky finds out what's what after he and a new neighborhood friend become involved in some illegal goings-on and are taken hostage by a mobster. Given the tale's tangy writing, peppy pace and engaging personalities, are kids likely to put this book down? Fugheddaboudit! Ages 8-12. (Sept.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 4-6-What happens when 12-year-old Nicholas Borelli II leaves the posh suburbs to live with his Grandma Tutti in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, one summer? "Fugheddaboudit." Nicky's father hasn't been back to his boyhood home in years; the big-time lawyer left his Italian roots behind without a backward glance. Now Uncle Frankie wants to turn his preppy nephew into a "goomba-an Italian-from the neighborhood-who's been around-knows a few things." After meeting Sallie the Butcher, Jimmy the Iceman, and Oscar the Undertaker, and discovering Frankie's gym-bag arsenal, Nicky is convinced that his uncle is a hit man. In a few short weeks, the boy is sneaking into movies and running counterfeit bills with his new friend, Tommy Caporelli. He also meets a girl, learns to play stickball, saves his grandmother's life, and discovers the joy of Italian meatballs. When Tommy and Nicky agree to deliver bootlegged master copies of the computer chips for a hot new game, they are held hostage at gunpoint by some real gangsters. Nicky's dad and uncle, who turns out to be an undercover detective, save the day. The authors capture the flavor of an Italian household and neighborhood, sparing no stereotype. Though Nicky's foray into the world of petty crime has serious consequences, there is an underlying, "boys will be boys" attitude that could give impressionable readers the wrong idea. Still, the characters are well drawn, there's lots of action, and the protagonist is a likable hero. Even reluctant readers will enjoy this exciting summer-in-the-city adventure.-Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr. 4-6. When his summer camp closes unexpectedly, suburban teen Nicholas Borelli is shipped off to stay with his Brooklyn grandmother so that his parents can take a cruise. Grandma Tutti attempts to fatten him up with her Italian cooking (a big improvement over his mother's organic vegetarian cuisine), while Uncle Frankie tutors him in the ways of the "goomba"--Italian American males living in New York and New Jersey. Nicky makes friends with a neighborhood boy, Tommy (who seems to know a million ways to make easy cash), and tries to reconcile his growing affection for his uncle with his fear that he works for the Mob. Schirripa (who portrayed Bobby Baccalieri on the TV series The Sopranos0 ) and Fleming have created a warm, funny story with memorable characters and enough shady intrigue to keep readers turning the pages. The closing scenes, in which Tommy and Nicky are locked inside a warehouse, hoping to be rescued, are particularly well done. Readers will be hoping for an encore. --Kay Weisman Copyright 2005 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.