Jeremy and the Aunties

Elizabeth Siegel Masih is the editor of Write On: The Newsletter for
Young Canadian Writers and Readers.

This is a fair book that could have been great. It starts off with an
unusual and captivating idea: the life-size mannequins of three elderly
women, made by Jeremy’s creative mother, are alive, but only in
Jeremy’s presence. These “little-old-lady” dolls, called the
“Aunties,” are bored and lead 11-year-old Jeremy into some wacky
adventures.

A further promise of adventure is introduced when Jeremy receives a
clue about how the Aunties came to life: once real people, they were
caught up in an inventor’s experiment “to project a living moving
form through time and space.” At the same time, Jeremy finds himself
involved in the Aunties’ plan to capture a gang of bank robbers.

Here the story begins to unravel. The “Banks Brothers” are
stereotyped bad guys who have a gun named “Black Boomer,” and who
use outdated gangster expressions like “dame” and “taking a spill
in the drink.” Even the youngest of readers will be insulted by the
flatness of these characters. With the introduction of the Banks
Brothers, Jeremy’s adventures become more unbelievable and less
entertaining until, finally, the story comes to a predictable finish
with the capture of the robbers. The promise of an interesting subplot
involving the Aunties’ origin is never fulfilled.

Despite its disappointing finish, Jeremy and the Aunties is frequently
entertaining, and the Aunties endearingly eccentric. Felicity Finn
obviously has a great deal of talent, but in this story it is not fully
expressed. Recommended with reservations.