Kritzerland

Ten-year-old Benjamin Kritzer is back. Having survived his Martian parents (thus far), having
survived a broken heart (when the nine-year-old love of his life, Susan Pomeroy, moved to
Canada), and having survived the Bad Men, Benjamin has a whole new slew of adventures to
deal with in Kritzerland. They include the horrifying prospect of going to junior high school (and
the more-horrifying prospect of having to wear a jockstrap in Gym class), visiting the new
amusement park, Pacific Ocean Park, where he finally gets to visit his parents' home planet on
the Flight to Mars ride, meeting The Three Stooges, visiting a movie set at Paramount Studios,
going to St. Louis, dealing with his psychotic brother and "What is it, fish?" grandfather, and,
most importantly, meeting his first real friend, Paul Daley.

The story of that close and endearing friendship is hilarious and touching, and the portrait of
growing up in the magical city that was Los Angeles in the late 1950s is vivid and razor-sharp,
and will make you feel like you've taken a time machine back to another wonderful, more
innocent era.