This is the story of two teenagers, John and Lorraine, who befriend an elderly man accidentally. They help him to relive happier days and then end up betraying his trust and possibly causing his death.
John and Lorraine are believable and likeable, despite their faults. John is the class clown that everyone loves, but who isn�t really good friends with many people. He smokes and drinks, but somehow we don�t like him any less for these bad habits. Lorraine is shyer, but John can talk her into doing anything, such as when he convinces her to go to the zoo with Mr. Pignati and himself. They are both very different from one another, but it�s easy to believe that they�re best friends. Mr. Pignati is also believable as an elderly man who has lost his wife and doesn�t quite know how to live without her.
John and Lorraine�s parents play an important role in the story as well. John�s parents are distant and detached and don�t seem to really care about what he wants. For instance, when he tells his father at dinner that he wants to be an actor, his father completely dismisses the idea as ridiculous and tells him not to be a �jackass� (Zindel 58). Lorraine�s mother is selfish, yet overly worries that men will hurt Lorraine, like Lorraine�s mother was by her husband. Their parents help the reader understand why John and Lorraine are the way that they are.
Characters are revealed through first person narrative by John and Lorraine. The chapters alternate between each of them typing the story on the library typewriter. Characters are also revealed through their actions, such as Mr. Pignati�s generosity towards the two teens. For instance, he takes them to a department store and buys them all a pair of roller skates (Zindel 78). Characters are also revealed through dialogue, such as the conversations John and Lorraine have with their parents.
The plot of this story is fast paced and interesting. The major conflict is hinted at in the very beginning, but doesn�t get developed more until a few chapters in. The conflict is mostly self vs. self, but revolves around Mr. Pignati. Lorraine is constantly battling herself and John about how involved they should get with Mr. Pignati. The plot develops naturally out of the characters actions. First they decide to prank call him. Then they decide to go visit him. Then they decide to go to the zoo with him.
The story is set in an average to large sized city and isn�t absolutely necessary for the story. The zoo plays an integral part in the plot, seeing as how this is where many of the key scenes occur between John, Lorraine and Mr. Pignati. The time period is also not as important as it is in other books.
The story has several themes. The main one is that of friendship and the many forms it can take. John and Lorraine seem an unlikely pair to become friends, but they are best friends. They stand by each other and understand each other at some unexplained level. Then there is the friendship between the two teens and Mr. Pignati. This is another unlikely friendship that works on a sort of unexplained level. Probably one of the reasons this friendship works is because Mr. Pignati is lonley and John and Lorraine are �alienated� from their peers (School Library Journal).
The fact that the chapters alternate between first person narration by John and that of Lorraine makes the style of this story unique. The tone and mood of the story jump around a lot. One moment the reader will be laughing along with John and Lorraine and Mr. Pignati skating around the house and the next minute they'll be worried and sad by Mr. Pignati's heart attack. There's a lot of dialogue between John and Lorraine that is sort of a back and forth bickering. It keeps the text lively and the reader interested. Another unique aspect of this story's style is how John's curse words are replaced by symbols such as #!?#? because Lorraine won't allow him to type curse words.
This is an �intensely moving story� that will not only make readers think, but will entertain them at the same time (School Library Journal).
Amazon.com 1983. School Library Journal. Available from
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0553263218/104-7775983-
8041564?v=glance&s=books#product-details. Accessed 8 September 2004.
