Eoin Colfer hits a home run with Benny and Babe in both content and style. Benny and Babe is a classic coming of age story about 13 year old Benny who is a hurling all-star plagued with a very liberal mother and a little brother who won't behave like little brothers should. Benny also still play with dolls (technically its an action figure, but no one would care about the difference if they ever found out). Benny's life changes while visiting his grandfather for the summer in a small fishing village where he meets Babe, a rambunctious Tomboy with a "crazed one-eyed" dog named Conger. Benny and Babe end up friends and partners in a lure business where they find old lures and sell them to fisherman. All is fine an well until Furty Howlin enters the mix, then things get interesting.
Colfer uses a very fun writing style that can be described as tongue in cheek at times. Although the main character is 13, Benny and Babe can appeal to older audiences because of the humor and writing style included. Themes include, coming of age, friends, entrepreneurship, juvenile delinquency, alcoholism, and responsibility. Colfer touches on all of these themes in a tactful and very realistic way, bringing a sense of truth to the story. Benny and Babe, is an excellent book that is definitely worth the read.
