The Secret Life of Owen Skye

Owen Skye #1

by Alan Cumyn

Three brothers find fun - and puppy love -in this wise, witty novel for young readers. Owen Skye lives in a small village with his brothers Andy and Leonard, their parents, and their weird Uncle Lorne. The Skye boys have a knack for turning innocent events into full-blown escapades. An argument about girls and God leads to a ruckus, and Leonard loses his glasses in the river. This induces the boys to skinny-dip, and they are promptly discovered by girls who chase them home. There they break out in a mysterious rash that confines them to bed for a week and subjects them to their mother's homemade poultices. Another time, the boys sneak out on a winter night to listen for aliens on the crystal radio in their snow fort, which necessitates a rescue by Uncle Lorne. On another occasion, a plan to sell old comics leads to a melee with bullies, a boxing lesson from their father, and an eerie moment of truth at the site of a tragic train accident. Owen's days are magical and full of adventures with his brothers as they observe the curious world of adults and ponder the secret mysteries of life, death, and love.

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Canada, Childrens, School

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[zahraa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the last book I had to read for my Children's Literature course.
I didn't really enjoy this one. Maybe it's because it's the end of the semester and I practically forced myself to keep reading. But I can see children loving this book. It shows the imaginative ways in which children think and how exciting they think the world is. It's fun and creative but I just didn't find myself enjoying it.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a hilarious tale of 3 young brothers, their family, and their childhood adventures. The narrative moves swiftly from one escapade to the next, and the imaginative exploits of the boys are shown from a truly kid-centric viewpoint. I laughed out loud as I was reading, startling those around me on the airplane. I loved this gentle and innocent story that seemed out of another time.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a higher standard of fiction for tweens to teens. Very humorous and interesting stories that will keep their attention. It can be read as short stories or as a novel as each chapter resolves itself, but the characters and the time period remain the same throughout the book. This is one of those books that can be enjoyed by both children and adults.

[Cathryn Wellner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adults who can remember childhood from the inside out are rare. Alan Cumyn is one of them. He crawls inside the mind of his protagonist and relates adventures from Owen's point of view, rather than an omniscient adult writer. Mischief, yearning, and imagination are all part of the lives of this trio of young brothers, and Owen's take on everything rings true.

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for my children's literature class, and I'm very glad my professor included an author who lives in Ottawa. It's probably my favourite of the books we have read, and I can definitely see myself reading it to children. It was fun and the narrator was excellently child-like.

[Ginger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Owen Skye, middle brother in a family of adventurous boys. Slightly episodic in nature. Highly recommended.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential Canadian read.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was reading an interview with his brother Richard, who is an adult novelist, and one of the five books Richard said he would never give up is a copy of this book by his brother. Sounded interesting. And a bit of "boys growing up" nostalgia YA lit is fun now and then.
It started out a bit slow, but picked up the more there was about his love interest, Sylvia. And other issues with girls.
The problem here is that there is no local color at all (Cumyn is from Ottowa, CN) - it could be anywhere that has snow and a rural area outside of a city (mid-sized? - can't tell). And it is hard to figure out the time frame. It feels kind of '50's-ish, but Cumyns was born in 1960.
Yet is was enjoyable enough for me to have just bought his next volume on the 3 book series, "After Sylvia".
And enjoyable enough for me to have stayed up a little later in order to finish reading this in one sitting.
3 out of 5.

[Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this book’s story made me nostalgic for my childhood. All the shenanigans my brother and my friends got ourselves into. The make-believe stories and games we came up with were endless. Owen and his two brothers were very adventurous and had some wild imaginations. Whether it was a monster called the Bog Man or aliens visiting from other worlds or trying to spot a giant squid in the nearby lake…. I’m just glad that Owen didn’t burn down his house when playing with matches.

Having a first kiss or liking a girl in class, that becomes your first crush, those are special memories the author catches and weaves into this story really well. I am amazed how well he kept a child’s perspective on life. These are my thoughts after cherishing this book. 4.5 to a full 5 stars from me.

[Hong Anh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hi guys, I have decided to make an early post for today. I am going to introduce to you the book The secret life of Owen Skye written by Alan Cumyn. Let's start now.
Owen Skye is a young boy who had many adventures. One time, he was in a haunted house with his brothers on halloween. Another time, Owen was finding aliens at a barn. In Owen Skye's life, there are be many adventures you would love to know about.
Now, I am going to give my opinions about the book.
In this story, I like the part when Owen found out that he had written his valentine's name wrongly so he tried to fix it. I really like the idea that he gave an attempt to fix it although he had to go to the principle's office because he left his seat at the wrong time.
I have given my opinions about this book and introduced it. I hope you enjoyed my post. Bye.

[Dylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book is fantastic. The collection of stories build upon one another to create a fuller narrative that is imbued with the essence of childhood. Cumyn writes of childhood in all its glory, pain, comedy and drama, with such precision that it feels almost too real to be possible.

I love this book and think that it will appeal more to adults than to children, but that children will enjoy it nonetheless.

[Mitch James]

Ive read this book in public school and connected with it very well, including the last 2 pages where Owen loses his chances with his public school crush. The book really depicts a young boys life in a small town, and is very similar to what I experienced growing up.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 brothers, ages 6 to about 9??

The text exhibits extreme ADHD. Uneven reading. Bouncing ideas. A heavy sugar load. Inspired by imagination.

The plot is strong, and the 3 boys are good kids -- never bored or mean-spirited.

What do young readers have to say about this book?

[Gabriella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the episodic chapter style, I was enthralled by the main character Owen. I couldn't put it down, it's ending felt abrupt. I wish it could have been a standalone rather than what has happened (I now NEEEEED to know what happens next)!!!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually have this book signed by Mr Cumyn, who attended my children's lit class where this book was assigned.

This book has such a huge heart. It's a lovely story about a young boy that I love to pick up and read every once in a while.

Highly recommend.

[Rad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the great pleasure of hearing Alan Cumyn read one of the chapters out loud. The rest of the book was similarly funny and sweet.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll keep this book, I liked it.

[Michelle Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for class

[kamryn ౨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

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i loved the vibe this book gave me, it gave me a little summery vibes.

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book!