Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Apr 2013
256 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
Eleven-year-old musical prodigy, Elvis Ruby, was supposed to win the most coveted reality show on television, Tween Star. None of the other contestants even came close to his talents. But in the middle of the biggest night, with millions of people watching, Elvis panicked. He forgot the words to the song. He forgot the tune. He forgot how to play every single instrument he'd ever known and froze on national TV. So Elvis must run from the paparazzi camped outside his door and spend the summer working with his aunt and cousin at Piney Pete's Pancake Palace in the remote wilds of New Jersey. It's the perfect place to be anonymous, that is until Elvis meets Cecilia, a girl who can't seem to help blurting out whatever's on her mind.
"Starred Review. That this author knows and loves this part of her state is clear. Her audience will eat it up. Ages 9-12." - Kirkus
"... a subplot about the legendary Jersey Devil, also famed to be hiding in the Pine Barrens, doesn't add enough to warrant its inclusion, and until the paparazzi finally arrive, not a lot happens. That said, the warmth and humor of the story will help carry readers through to its satisfying conclusion." - Publishers Weekly
This information about Hiding Out at the Pancake Palace was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Nan Marino is the author of Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle & Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me, which received a SCBWI Golden Kite Honor and was featured on the Bank Street Best Books and the New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing. Nan is also a librarian who lives with her husband and a large dog in a town that borders the Pinelands of New Jersey.
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