Laugh a Lot, Mostly

Bushweck! That is how you say hello in Slobavian, the country that our main character comes from in Voss:How I Come to America and Am Hero, Mostly by David Ives. Voss is a fifteen year old boy who, along with his father and uncle, the greatest (and only) Shakespearean actor in Slobovia, snuck into America in a box of Cheese Puffs.

First off, this book is hilarious, mostly. Voss writes it in the form of letters to his best friend Meero back home in Slobovia. Voss writes in a very sterotypical Russian/Eastern European accent, which goes along with everything we find out about Slobovia. This is a land where women are judged attractive only if they are shaped like fire hydrants and wear dresses made of "peeg iron." Where the old Slobovian proverbs are things like "Don't count your chickens. You don't have any" and "It is always darkest before the dawn, except maybe tomorrow."

However, things in America don't seem much better. Slobovians are viewed as the scrapings of the street in New York. No one wants to see them and the mood is gloomy in the illegal Slobovian section of the town. Voss and his family have some luck when they find Leena Aleenska and her grandmother from their village. They are fed 11 course Slobovian meals and Voss tries to avoid the fact that Leena is convinced they are "fated to marry, no matter what."

The United States has many problems for Voss and his family and friends, including kidnapping, discrimination and the fact that Bilias Opchuck the Slobavian gangster wants to core Voss like an apple.

I enjoyed reading this book and think it would probably be good for ages 12-16. It's definitely one that you should consider not reading in public though. I laughed out loud several times and would probably do so every time I read it. Voss is an entertaining character who has a very big heart and, although humorous, is also very brave.