Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli (Maniac Magee) masterfully uses a semi-invented language and kid-oriented landmarks to make Hokey Pokey a child-centric world.
Welcome to Hokey Pokey, where kids are a law unto themselves. They roam, run, leap and hopscotch freely throughout the land, with unlimited access to playgrounds, cartoons, puddles and snow cones. Kids in Hokey Pokey are known as "Newbies," "Snotsippers" and "Big Kids." They visit the "Doll Farm," "Trucks" and the disgusting mountain of "Socks." In this world, kids know the landscape and control the very fabric of communication. Though this world-building may seem nostalgic to some adult readers, many kids find such settings empowering.
The only mysteries in Hokey Pokey are the empty train tracks (no trains here!) and the locked, impenetrable station house. But all is not well for Jack, undisputed leader of the boys. His beloved Scramjet--a bike he tracked, tamed and loved--is stolen by his #1 sworn enemy: Jubilee, a girl. A girl who suddenly doesn't seem as bad as she used to. Worst of all, Jack starts to hear something nobody else can: the whistle of an approaching train.
At once heartbreaking and soul-soothing, Hokey Pokey juxtaposes the nature of childhood against the looming prospect of growing up, and shows how inevitably the two are linked. It helps readers understand that the magic of childhood depends on its transience. Young and old alike may find themselves tearing up as they, with Jack, exit Hokey Pokey. --Allie Jane Bruce, children's librarian, Bank Street College of Education