Publishers Weekly
A one-legged pigeon stirs up summer excitement in the town of Meadville, S.C., in this characteristically atmospheric story from O’Connor (The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester). Spirited Stella is the first to spy the pigeon, and she is determined to make him her pet (something her parents have refused her in the past). She enlists the reluctant help of her best friend Gerald, who prefers quiet card games to Stella’s elaborate and generally ill-advised adventures. But with Stella’s older brother, Levi; his “scabby kneed, germ-infested friends”; and Mutt Raynard, Meadville’s version of the boy who cried wolf, also on the pigeon’s trail, the hunt is on. O’Connor’s understated third-person narration moves languidly among the children (and some adults) in town—including Mr. Mineo, the homing pigeon’s actual owner—in a story that beautifully captures the feel of a small Southern town and its residents. Friendship and sibling dynamics get heated at times, but O’Connor’s light touch keeps the story buoyant, leading up to an ending as satisfying as a cold glass of iced tea on a hot summer afternoon. Ages 8–12. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
* O'Connor sets the stage beautifully from the very beginning. . . . Touching and satisfying.” —School Library Journal, starred review
“Friendship and sibling dynamics get heated at times, but O'Connor's light touch keeps the story buoyant, leading up to an ending as satisfying as a cold glass of iced tea on a hot summer afternoon.” —Publishers Weekly
“[O'Connor] condenses long summer days down into their essence, quiet but humming with an undercurrent of childhood energy.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Rhythmic prose.” —BCCB
“With total authorial control, O'Connor brings it all together, first creating a quiet, satisfying adventure and then an apt conclusion for peaceful, laidback Meadville. Here it is the subtlety of character and setting, rather than action, that rules the roost.” —The Horn Book
“A gem of a story. . . . Barbara O'Connor's gift in storytelling is her restraint. Holding back allows the reader to fill in a bit, making the story more personal. Her talents make On the Road to Mr. Mineo's an unforgettable trip.” —Book Page
“Read it aloud to a classroom. Share the book at bedtime with a special child. Wrap it for the holidays. This one's a keeper.” —Christian Science Monitor
Kirkus Reviews
Can a one-legged pigeon create a connection, however tenuous, among disparate residents of a sleepy South Carolina town? Sherman has literally flown the coop, leaving Mr. Mineo heartsick. He is, after all, the caretaker of his brother's small flock of homing pigeons, which have, surprisingly, begun to provide much-needed fulfillment for the lonely man. Meanwhile, a whole group of Meadville inhabitants would like to catch that pigeon, for a variety of different reasons just as individual as they are. The children: Spunky Stella desperately wants a pet; Gerald, slow moving and passive, just wants to satisfy Stella, his only friend; bully Levi and his sidekicks seem to want the bird mostly to frustrate the others; Mutt wants him because that danged pigeon landed on his head more than once, but no one believes him. The others: a small, lonely brown dog seeking companionship; Amos and Ethel Roper--one more thing to cheerfully bicker over. O'Connor weaves the fabric of her tale from each of these separate threads, moving back and forth among points of view, sympathetic to nearly all (except Levi and company). As in The Small Adventures of Popeye and Elvis (2009), she condenses long summer days down into their essence, quiet but humming with an undercurrent of childhood energy. Yes, a one-legged pigeon can satisfyingly link even these quirky characters together. (Fiction. 9-12)