The treacherous, hormone-soaked hallways of Franklin Middle School are the setting for this sharp, funny noir novel about tough guys and even tougher girls. “The Frank” is in the clutches of a crime syndicate run by seventh-grader Vinny “Mr. Biggs” Biggio, who deals in forged hall passes and black-market candy. Double-cross him and your number is punched by one of his deadly water-gun-toting assassins. One hit in the pants and you are in “the Outs” forever. Matt Stevens is a proud loner with his own code of justice. He’s avoided being pulled into Vinny’s organization until now: Mr. Biggs has offered him a job he can’t resist, one that leads to the surprising downfall of Vinny’s top assassin, the beautiful and deadly Nikki “Fingers” Finnegan, at the hands of an unknown assailant. Matt thinks he was used, and he becomes determined to find the trigger-guy or -girl, even if it means bringing down one of his oldest friends.

 

I just read this book.
I liked it very much. 
It made me laugh and remember how much I love reading Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler.
But.
This book wasn’t written for me, it was written for children (shelved as YA in my library).
Zebu, who is twelve, read it.
When I told him I’d finished it and thought it was great,
he replied, "Really?"
Wildebeest also read it.
He wasn’t all that thrilled with the book, either.

So I’m wondering if this is one of those children’s books that mostly appeals to adults.
Adults who love hard-boiled noir detective stories.
My kids haven’t read any of those stories so the sly references in The Big Splash went over their heads.

Have any of your children read this?  Have you read it?  What were your reactions?

EDITED:  I checked with Wildebeest and my memory was incorrect.  He liked the book just fine but didn’t get any of the hard-boiled detective references.  So maybe I’m off-base with my ponderings; either kids like the book or they don’t (same as any other book).