Kids of Appetite
Written by David Arnold
Narrated by Phoebe Strole, Michael Crouch and Ryan Vincent Anderson
4.5/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
The bestselling author of Mosquitoland brings us another batch of unforgettable characters in this tragicomedy about first love and devastating loss.
Victor Benucci and Madeline Falco have a story to tell.
It begins with the death of Vic's father.
It ends with the murder of Mad's uncle.
The Hackensack Police Department would very much like to hear it.
But in order to tell their story, Vic and Mad must focus on all the chapters in between.
This is a story about:
- A coded mission to scatter ashes across New Jersey.
- The momentous nature of the Palisades in winter.
- One dormant submarine.
- Two songs about flowers.
- Being cool in the traditional sense.
- Sunsets & ice cream & orchards & graveyards.
- Simultaneous extreme opposites.
- A narrow escape from a war-torn country.
- A story collector.
- How to listen to someone who does not talk.
- Falling in love with a painting.
- Falling in love with a song.
- Falling in love.
Cast of Narrators:
"Vic" read by Michael Crouch
"Mad" read by Phoebe Strole
"Baz" read by Ryan Vincent Anderson
David Arnold
David Arnold has been the senior pastor of Community Christian Church in Columbus, OH for the past 10 years. Born in 1955 he did not accept Christ as his savior until 1987. Before that he was a wretched sinner. Since his salvation he spent 12 years on the road with his wife Cathy. She would sing country gospel and he would preach in nearly every setting and church imaginable. God has blessed him with a beautiful wife and daughter, a loving congregation, friends he can rely on and 3 wonderful cats.
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Reviews for Kids of Appetite
43 ratings9 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a difficult book to describe without giving too much away.Teenage Vic's father is dead, cremated, and in an urn near the front door. Vic's mother is dating again, and Vic, needless to say, does not approve of her choice. When the new beau proposes, Vic grabs his backpack, tosses his father's urn in it, and runs away.He stumbles upon an exceptionally odd group of misfits: four people who live together in a greenhouse. Baz is in his mid 20s, Zuz probably late teens. They are brothers who emigrated to the U.S. as refugees from war in Africa. Mad (Madeline) is a blonde girl, about Vic's age, and Coco is an 11 year old with flaming red hair and a propensity to talk too much and use profanity freely (Hey, she would say, I'm from Queens.) They quickly absorb Vic into their group.Vic discovers in the urn with his father, a last letter to his mother, which cryptically asks her to disperse his ashes in five places. Something she obviously has never done. Vic decides he needs to do it, and his newfound friends all make it their mission as well to figure out what the five places are and get there.All of this is told interspersed with interviews in the police station with two detectives talking to Vic and Mad about a grisly murder, which they just know Baz committed.Brilliant. Arnold drops a small line here and there of crucial importance to the story, but has faith in his readers, and doesn't ever mention these key elements again, until the end of the book when the web is slowly unraveled and the backstories revealed.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vic is a teenager who lost his father a couple years previous. His mother is on the brink of becoming engaged to another man, and Vic, in a moment of extreme agitation, grabs the urn with his father's ashes and runs out the door. He meets up with a small group of other "kids" living out on their own, and together, they go on a mission to scatter Vic's father's ashes. In the meantime, fast forward a week or so and the "kids" are being interrogated about a murder. This is sort of a hard book to describe without giving away a lot of the plot. There is, of course, a lot more going on than what I described above. In essence, it's a feel-good book, but the journey getting to that point is fun. I enjoyed this one, although the whole murder/mystery aspect didn't add a lot for me, and I think the book could've stood on its own without that. The characters are somewhat unique and quirky, but also street smart and likable. Overall, a quick read, but a fun one.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This books really starts at the story's end, with its protagonist, Bruno Victor (Vic) Benucci III, being interrogated by a female police sergeant. In another interview room with a detective, Madeline (Mad) Falco, retraces the steps that led to her Uncle Lester's murder. Everything backtracks from when Vic ran away from home carrying the urn holding his dead father's ashes. The impetus for his leaving comes immediately after his mother receives a proposal from the man Vic calls "Frank the Boyfriend." Vic has plans to dispose of his father's ashes in the Hackensack River, but once there, he makes a discovery. The urn holds a photo of his parents with the NYC skyline in the background, and also a note written by his then terminal father to Vic's mother. The note holds a somewhat vague list of places his father had asked to be taken. And so begins Vic's quest, for he will only dispose of the ashes after completing the list. While near the river's edge Vic meets Mad, who is a runaway too. She knows her way around the local streets and has a hideaway with three other homeless friends -- the two Kabongo brothers, and an eleven-year-old redhead, Coco. Soon the five homeless vagabonds are calling themselves the Kids of Appetite (KOA) and the others do their best to help Vic on his mission. Which all takes place in an eight-day time frame. There is so much more to this skillfully written story. So many richly layered supporting characters with fascinating back stories. Even coincidences that would otherwise seem contrived somehow just fall into place. The YA characters are realistic, yet the tale has such a whimsical feel to it that as one who likes whodunits, I got so caught up in all the characters and the craftsmanship of its language that I almost forgot it is a murder mystery too. I highly recommend this book for YA readers, and just about anyone who likes an exceptional story.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vic grabs his father's ashes and runs away from home when his mom's boyfriend proposes. He meets a group of homeless teens who live in a greenhouse and becomes part of their group. They accept him as he his and try to help him solve a puzzle left by his father.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Arnold is becoming one of my favorite authors. His characters are unique, quirky and full of life. He comes up with very unusual story plots that serve to point out many invaluable insights into life in general. In this book Vic and Mad must deal with many difficult issues, including domestic violence, loss of family members, remarriage, letting go of loved ones while still remembering them, friendship and love. This is a great book for all ages.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5New favorite! Absolutely beautiful words. So glad I found this book!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Well written YA novel. Some aspects of the story were disturbing such as the abuse that Mad was undergoing so I wouldn't recommend it for younger teens.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A group of homeless kids get caught up in an investigation of murder. The leader of their group has been accused of killing the abusive uncle of Madeline. As the story moves between chapters of Madeline and Victor’s police interrogation to chapters telling what lead up to the murder. It isn’t until the end that you see why Madeline and Victor have drug out the police interviews as long as they could. It’s also a great story showing that there’s more to people than we think, and kindness can be repaid in wonderful ways.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I decided to read this book partly because of the amazing cover. Seriously, the cover just screams "read me" to me. It wasn't just the cover that grabbed my interested though. I loved the synopsis and have had the author's debut novel on my TBR since it was released. I am glad that I made the decision to read this book. I actually read the whole book in a day which is unusual these days.The characters really made this a very interesting story. Victor is at the center of the story and he was a very interesting character. He has a rare disease that limits his facial movements but his disease was more of a footnote to the story than anything else. He finds himself becoming a part of a mismatched group of kids. Each of the kids in the group had their own story that added a lot of interest to the book. Victor is especially close to Madeline who is trying to balance a very difficult situation.I really enjoyed how the story was laid out. I think that the opening of them being interrogated worked well. We learn things about the characters bit by bit which really kept my interest high. Victor has a set of goals to accomplish and it was nice watching the group try to solve the clues and make it happen. I thought that as a team this group was incredible. I almost felt like this book was made up of a lot of different stories. Each of the character's backstory was so colorful that they really did tell their own story. It was impressive how everything did come together in the end.I would recommend this book to others. I found it to be an evenly paced read filled with unique characters. This is the first book by David Arnold that I have had a chance to read but I am more eager than ever to pick up his debut novel. I received an advance reader edition of this book from Viking Books for Young Readers via First to Read for the purpose of providing an honest review.