The 79 Squares

by Malcolm Bosse

The trust and love that develop between Eric, who is on police probation, and old Mister Beck, who commands him to measure and study his garden, enable the teenager to defend his friend, an ex-convict, against the cruelties of gang members

Genres: Young Adult, Childrens, Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Malcolm Joseph Bosse (May 6, 1926 – May 3, 2002) was an American author of both young adult and adult novels. His novels are often set in Asia, and have been praised for their cultural and historical information relating to the character's adventures. Bosse mostly wrote historical fiction novels after the publication of The Warlord, a historical fiction work set in 1920's China, which became a best-seller.
He also won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in 1983.

Bosse was born in Detroit, Michigan and died in New York City. He was a graduate of Yale University and served in the U.S. Navy. Bosse was also an English teacher in City College of New York in Manhattan.

Reviews

[Branik · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the dusty shelf of Books I Remember Reading When I Was A Kid.

Read this one, I dunno, around 1982 or 1983, maybe.

Kid gets caught by an old man while crossing the old guy's yard, trespassing and generally causing trouble. Old man convinces him to come over again, after school, each day, and divide his yard into seventy-nine squares, and makes the kid look — really look! — at the details of each patch of yard. Each blade of grass, each pebble, each little bug. Really study them. See all the beauty therein, like that!

Kid is resentful of the old man at first, but then starts to respect him. And then, by the end...? Well, I won't tell you. You need to read it for yourself!

Spoiler alert! I cried my obnoxious, smart-ass teenage eyes out.

Loved this book, but today, what, 35+ years later...? I'm sure I have most of the details wrong. But I got the general gist of it, and this I know: Read it yourself, you'll be glad you did!

Just don't finish reading it in class, around your friends, because you're going to end up blubbering like a baby! That is, unless you're a soulless monster!

Now here's a bit of irony for you: When I read the book, I was a bratty teenager like one of the two main characters in this book. Today, as I write this review, I'm like the other main character in the book: the once bitter old man, full of important life lessons you should listen to.

Here's your life lesson, kiddo — read this book!

Also, get off my lawn.

[Aspen G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eric the main boy is turning into a bad boy.he's hanging out with bad kids the and is doing doing bad bad . I like that Eric is hanging out with the old man because its changed him.I also like the old man how he does not tell Eric what they are doing when he comes to visit.He just does whatever Mister beck (the old man)tells him maybe because its Mysterious ,and he wants to know.I would recommend this book to someone who takes time reading there books and it takes a while to understand it. I'm one of those people who don't want to read a huge books ,but besides my lack in reading i'd say i like it, its very interesting .

[Jasmine S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is about a boy named Eric who gets in a lot of trouble with his gang friends and in this book he is also on parol.But when Eric meets an old man in a garden named Mr.Beck, Maybe it will be a good thing for him.Eric never lies to Mr.Beck if something is on his mind he can tell Mr.Beck.But Eric still hangs out with his gang friends which do some pretty bad stuff.And the author really explains how the characters felt toward the other characters.One thing that I dislike about how the author wrote this book was it's way to wordy lots of big words as well.People who like long and mysterious books would love this one cause it has lots of mystery's and is also very long.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remembered this novel from the time that my 4th-6th grade teacher selected it as a read aloud and let my friend and I take turns reading it to our classmates. We must not have finished it, because when I read it as an adult, I found content that I did not remember and that I would only recommend for 7th grade and up. However, the book communicates valuable themes about making cross-generational friendships, not judging a person by his past, and of connecting with nature. While this author doesn't have much exposure, I would put this book up with young adult works like The Outsiders and The Chocolate War.

[Elizabeth Gibbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was captivating. I had a hard time putting it down! Eric is a young teenager who has been getting into trouble with his friends and is on probation with the police dept. While trespassing in a backyard he meets Mr. Beck, an old man who quickly becomes important in Eric's life. Mr. Beck teaches Eric how to see the world, but their friendship is threatened when the town starts to find out about Mr. Beck's past.

[Jan Hibbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unusual and interesting tale

I enjoyed this story about an unlikely friendship but would have enjoyed it more without all the many typos which spoiled what could have been a quality read

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story, but it was riddled with typographical errors! Where was the proofreading?

[Caz Songhurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in between the lines for lessons on mindfulness :)

[Sarah Rigg · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I enjoyed it" is all I wrote about this book when I read it in 1985.

[Louise Gaudrault · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging story

I really enjoyed this story showcasing the relationship between a thirteen year old boy and a 82-year old ex-convict. However, it desperately needs proofreading; the misspelled words and character names and the missing punctuation throughout the book is annoying. When the character of Mr. Beck suddenly becomes Bede, it does lead to confusion! Still, it’s worthwhile story for both teens and adults.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just remembered how much I loved this book when I read it in middle school. I can still "see" the young boy studying grass & learning about ants. My first encounter with the idea of "slow time"
A Beautiful book.

[Karen Strattan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story

This was an interesting read that stirred my emotions, but the many mistypes and numerous spelling errors took me out of the story so much that I had to fast forward through it. The ending also seemed contrived and abrupt.

[Jh6p · Rating 5 out of 5]

I book with two rich characters, an elderly regretful murder convict out on parole to die, and a young delinquent in need of guidance. To get his point across, the old man dares the boy study the garden, and thus establishes a commitment that the boy can care about.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young adult coming of age focusing on the relationship between a 14-year-old boy in trouble and an ex-con.

[Ian]

Read this when I was in grade 7 or 8, it was something I picked up at the library. It must have made an impression because I still remember bits of it nearly 40 years later.