Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Mostly True Stories of Growing Up Scieszka by Jon Scieszka (Viking) -- In this lively and entertaining story about growing up in Flint as the second of six brothers, Scieszka lived in a rambunctious household filled with pranks and typical boy adventures. The brief and humorous stories fit the wonderful illustrations perfectly, suiting Scieszka's mission of reaching the reluctant reader. The award-winning author of The Stinky Cheese Man, Scieszka was recently named the first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature by the Library of Congress.

How did Jon Scieszka get so funny, anyway? Growing up as one of six brothers was a good start, but that was just the beginning. Throw in Catholic school, lots of comic books, lazy summers at the lake with time to kill, babysitting misadventures, TV shows, jokes told at family dinner, and the result is Knucklehead. Part memoir, part scrapbook, this hilarious trip down memory lane provides a unique glimpse into the formation of a creative mind and a free spirit.

Read the Sunday Book review in The New York Times: The Stinky Cheese Kid:

Scieszka gets children, and he gets their humor. Especially boy humor. He tells the truth about what really goes on when parents aren’t looking. (Chapter 34, “Fire”: “There is something about boys and fire that is like fish and water, birds and air, cats and hairballs. They just go together.” Good thing Scieszka’s mom was a nurse.

It goes on to mention:

Even though this is a book for kids, its ideal readers may be men over 40 who won’t believe anyone wrote this stuff down.

To learn more about Michigan author Jon Scieszka check out his page on Wikipedia.

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