A Bandit's Tale

by Deborah Hopkinson Narrated by P.J. Ochlan

Overview

From an award-winning author of historical fiction comes a story of survival, crime, adventure, and horses in the streets of 19th century New York City.

Eleven-year-old Rocco is an Italian immigrant who finds himself alone in New York City after he's sold to a padrone by his poverty-stricken parents. While working as a street musician, he meets the boys of the infamous Bandits' Roost, who teach him the art of pickpocketing. Rocco embraces his new life of crime-he's good at it, and it's more lucrative than banging a triangle on the street corner. But when he meets Meddlin' Mary, a strong-hearted Irish girl who's determined to help the horses of New York City, things begin to change. Rocco begins to reexamine his life-and take his future into his own hands.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

★ 02/01/2016
Rocco Zaccaro, the delightfully earnest narrator of this picaresque novel, never intended to become a “true guttersnipe” on the streets of 1880s New York City. Then again, he never intended to leave Italy until the day his family could no longer afford to care for him. After 11-year-old Rocco is sold into a life of slavery in this strange city, he joins a band of pickpockets to save enough money to break free from his destitute conditions. Rocco’s drive to prove himself and return to Italy steers him into a number of bad decisions, yet his heart guides him to fight injustices against both children and animals on the rough city streets: “As to whether I was good or bad, it should be quite apparent to you by now that I was far too muddled to know.” While Hopkinson (The Great Trouble) covers heavy topics including immigration, child labor, and animal welfare, Rocco’s conversational voice resounds with humor, compassion, and an inspiring energy for change. A dynamic historical novel ideal for both classroom studies and pleasure reading. Ages 8–12. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Apr.)

From the Publisher

"A strong choice for fans of Rodman Philbrick’s The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg ​(Scholastic, 2009) and those who enjoy adventures about scrappy and resourceful kids who have to rely on their own smarts and the kindness of strangers to change their lives." —School Library Journal starred review

"A dynamic historical novel ideal for both classroom studies and pleasure reading." —Publishers Weekly starred review

School Library Journal

★ 02/01/2016
Gr 4–7—As this lively, fast-paced novel attests, the streets of late 19th-century New York City were especially cruel to young immigrants trying to improve their chances of upward mobility. Eleven-year-old Rocco, newly arrived in New York after a misunderstanding caused by an obstinate donkey, is sold to a cruel and miserly padrone who sends "his" group of children to perform as street musicians. Anxious to fill his hungry belly and escape his wretched living conditions, Rocco joins a group of pickpockets, and although he's increasingly uncomfortable about taking people's money, he's able to justify his actions until he meets Meddlin' Mary, a young Irish girl who, with her father, is devoted to caring for the city's mistreated and overworked horses. Through his encounter with Mary and her father, Rocco is immersed in a new world, and he meets historical figures, including Jacob Riis, who were instrumental in social reform movements dedicated to improving the lives of children and animals. In a picaresque style, Rocco narrates his own journey from a street bandit to a prison escapee and ultimately to a young man dedicated to improving the lives of other immigrants. VERDICT A strong choice for fans of Rodman Philbrick's The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg (Scholastic, 2009) and those who enjoy adventures about scrappy and resourceful kids who have to rely on their own smarts and the kindness of strangers to change their lives.—Shelley Sommer, Inly School, Scituate, MA

MAY 2016 - AudioFile

Narrator P.J. Ochlan embraces this spirited novel, documenting 11-year-old Rocco Zaccaro’s adventures with such gusto and spunk that you’d swear you’d traveled back in time to 1887. The story begins with Rocco’s removal from his home in Italy and his subsequent arrival in New York City, where he is to work as a street musician for his new padrone, Signor Ancarola. Ochlan paints a vivid picture of immigrant life and the trials Rocco undergoes trying to escape the horrible living conditions under his padrone. Capturing the characters’ voices perfectly, Ochlan delivers Rocco’s animated storytelling, the slang of his newfound gang of pickpockets, and the accents of the city’s many immigrants, whether Irish, Scottish, German, English, or Italian. Historical notes, including a pickpocket’s glossary, complete this excellent production. M.F.T. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2016-02-02
Italian immigrant and new New Yorker Rocco Zaccaro is not an unreliable narrator. Any time Rocco tells a lie or betrays someone who trusts him, he tells readers in advance exactly what he's going to do. In the very first chapter, he introduces himself as "Rocco Zaccaro, pickpocket, liar extraordinaire, and escaped convict, among other things." The old-fashioned, picaresque chapter headings are wonderfully informative. The caption for Chapter 4 is: "Containing a grave and shocking event that may disturb some readers." (The book is set in the late 1880s, and the headings feel both historical and meta.) The chapter includes a scary scene involving a knife, but the book has almost no big surprise plot twists. Rocco announces them all ahead of time. He sums up most of the story in his self-introduction. And yet, Hopkinson's writing is so inventive that it's almost impossible to guess what will happen next. Every scene contains a little surprise. Rocco may be a liar and a criminal, but, like the best unreliable narrators from other books, he's endlessly funny and clever. Even though—in the book's one predictable touch—Rocco gives up being a liar and a criminal, he's reliably entertaining till the end of the story. (map, historical notes, bibliography, pickpocket's glossary) (Historical fiction. 8-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169237559
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	04/05/2016
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "A Bandit's Tale: The Muddled Misadventures of a Pickpocket"
by .
Copyright © 2016 Deborah Hopkinson.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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