Starred Review ALA Booklist (Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Starred Review McCaughrean has proven to be a remarkably versatile writer, from her Printz Award winning White Darkness (2008) to Peter Pan in Scarlet (2006). Her latest imagines a young boy who, in unspecified mid-twentieth century France, is told by his spiteful aunt that he'll be dead by 14. So, hoping to outrun fate, Pepper Roux flees his unhappy home and embarks on a series of plucky misadventures in which he becomes, among other things, the captain of a ship, a deli-meat slicing would-be Cupid, a fact-shrugging journalist, and a reluctant legionnaire. Nearly every episode ends with Pepper scampering away not only from the death he thinks is nipping at his heels, but also all manner of incensed people, culminating in a hectic free-for-all that ties everything together in one charming, messy bow. McCaughrean's exuberant prose and whirling humor animate an unforgettable cast of characters, from the good-hearted Pepper, who lies and impersonates without the barest inkling of consequence, to the cross-dressing steward who trails along in Pepper's chaotic wake like a clumsy guardian angel. The whole is a more whimsical, French cousin to Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book (2008), with a similar sort of timelessly classic feel that emphasizes the value of finding family, but never at the expense of storytelling that delights in its own joyful sense of improbability.

Starred Review for Publishers Weekly (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Kindhearted Pepper Roux has been led to believe that “[c]hildhood was a mouse trap from which he could never expect to escape,” his death by age 14 foretold in a dream. His maiden Aunt Mireille takes it upon herself to pave Pepper's path to heaven with daily prayer, constant confession, and rote memorization of last rites. So when Pepper awakens on his 14th birthday still alive, he launches himself on a sea voyage, intent on outrunning death. Mistaken for the ship's captain (his father), he is befriended by a compassionate, cross-dressing steward, Duchesse. Creating vivid characters is just one of McCaughrean's (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">The White Darkness) gifts—Aunt Mireille joins Dahl's Spiker and Sponge as one of the Most Evil Aunts in children's literature. Pepper flees across the French countryside from one disastrous job to another—delivery boy, horse wrangler, deli clerk, and even journalist, which allows McCaughrean to wink at readers as Pepper complains, “Copy editors cannot read anything without changing it.” As his journey ends in a cleverly orchestrated climax, readers will root for Pepper to get the ending he deserves—a happy one. Ages 10–up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Jan.)

Kirkus Reviews

Poor Pepper Roux (his nickname " le pauvre ," or "pitiful one," was confused at school with " poivre ," French for "pepper") has been waiting for death for as long as he can remember. <p>Poor Pepper Roux (his nickname "<i>le pauvre</i>," or "pitiful one," was confused at school with "<i>poivre</i>," French for "pepper") has been waiting for death for as long as he can remember. According to his malevolent Aunt Mireille, Saint Constance had foretold he'd die by age 14, and due to his rather awful family's quotidian reminders of this, "The days clattered down like rows of dominoes." When he finds himself still alive on his 14th birthday, Pepper escapes, and the string of adventures and grim-reaperdodging identity shifts that follows (from sea captain to telegram boy) comprise this laugh-out-loud funny, picaresque adventure set in early-20th-century France. British novelist McCaughrean's frequently over-the-top metaphors mirror the delightfully implausible plot--a slapstick story salted with colorful characters both cruel and kind, anchored in the emotional reality of a painfully naive boy who gets quite a bit wiser. The refrain--"Well, people see what they expect to see. Or do they see what they want?"--sits at the heart of this poignant, odd, wonderfully composed and vastly entertaining novel. <i>(Fiction. 12 & up)</p>

Voice of Youth Advocates

Pepper Roux is doomed. Upon his birth, his aunt predicts that Pepper will not live past his fourteenth birthday, and so his family spends PepperÆs childhood preparing for the inevitable. Even Pepper is resigned to his fate, but at the last minute, an opportunity presents itself. Pepper impersonates his sea-captain father and steals his ship, embarking on the first of many adventures. Pepper disguises himself by turns as a delicatessen clerk, a journalist, a telegram boy, and more, remaining in each persona until he inadvertently calls attention to himself. Pepper enjoys many of his adventures, but he is wracked by guilt and fear, believing he has cheated the angels by not dying on schedule. An award-winning author, McCaughrean has no lack of imagination, and PepperÆs foray as a sea captain is quite enjoyable. There is plenty of action as Pepper moves from role to role, but there is also a sense of randomness that sometimes makes the story feel a little pointless. On the other hand, the bookÆs slight surrealism and tidy structure, which comes full circle in the end, may appeal to fans of Louis SacharÆs Holes (Farrar Straus Giroux/Macmillan, 1998/VOYA December 1998), for instance. The catch is that the younger teens most likely to enjoy this book will need to be fairly skilled readers to manage the vocabulary, whereas older, more sophisticated readers might ultimately be a little bored. Still the book is refreshing and could catch on with some pushing.ùAmy Sisson.

School Library Journal Starred Review (Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2010)

Gr 6-9 A charming tale about Pepper Roux, whose jealous and cruel Aunt Mireille foretells, at his birth, his death at age 14. A devout Catholic, she insists that he learn Last Rites rather than nursery rhymes. When his 14th birthday arrives, Pepper runs away to sea in an attempt to stay a step ahead of death. He steps into many different lives, largely because, as the author repeatedly points out, people see what they expect to see. Pepper becomes the captain of a coffin ship, has a brief career as a journalist who will only write good news, and joins the Foreign Legion (until he realizes that he'll have to kill people). Each role is an adventure that leaves chaos in its wake and good-hearted Pepper one step ahead of getting caught. The story is set in France and has a 1930-ish feel. While the episodic plot may not be its strongest draw, the memorable characters and lyrical prose make the novel hard to put down. Pepper, in all his endearing innocence and goodness, will capture readers' hearts, and Duchesse, the cross-dressing steward, may be the most hilarious yet wise character in children's literature this decade. McCaughrean tackles big issues here: families, faith, loss, jealousy, and the expectations of others. The question with this book may be one of audience: Will kids understand its subtleties and some of the references, particularly the religious and political ones? But in the hands of the right child, this novel will be savored. Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME