The Last Great Adventure of the PB & J Society by Janet Sumner Johnson (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Last Great Adventure of the PB & J Society by Janet Sumner Johnson Kate Quealy-Gainer, Assistant Editor Johnson, Janet Sumner The Last Great Adventure of the PB & J Society. Capstone, 2016 [256p] ISBN 978-1-62370-636-4 $12.95 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 4-6 When her best friend Jason tells ten-year-old Annie that he and his family are moving because his dad lost his job, it’s pretty obvious that the neighborhood’s elite espionage agency, the PB&J Society, is doomed, since Annie and Jason are its only members. Annie’s not about to give up that quickly, though, and she’s got more than one plan to get the Society out of this jam. Find Jason’s dad a job? Hm, turns out he’s not so keen on two kids helping him out. Sell her appendix through the Internet? Legalities might get in the way. Win the lottery? Their state of Utah [End Page 358] doesn’t have one. Annie’s sure they’ve struck gold when an elderly neighbor lady tells them of pirate queen Black Marge and the treasure that might have been buried nearby, but Jason wonders if Mrs. Schuster is just a lonely old woman looking for company. Annie narrates with spunk and style, and her a do-or-die attitude moves the plot along at a nice clip. Unfortunately, nearly all of the characters are made from cardboard, from Annie’s bullying older siblings to her hapless dad to Mrs. Schuster—who really is just an old lady looking for company—while Jason is just plain vanilla boring. The most interesting part, the tale of Black Marge, is given limited page count, condensed in favor of more of Annie and Jason’s repetitive arguing. The conclusion’s sentiment is only slightly less goopy than an overstuffed PB&J, but it’s heartwarming nonetheless, and readers looking for a sweet story of neighborly goodwill may leave satisfied. Copyright © 2016 Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois