Rating: 
Summary: It's a girl's life too
Review: This is a wonderful romp through a boy's childhood in Zephyr, Alabama. It is set in 1964, but could be set in modern times. We all have to face some hard facts as we shed our childhood innocence: our parents make mistakes; people are not always what they seem; adults can be bullies, too; the world is not a fair place in general. Cory learns all of these things, but also retains his belief in magic. The author makes clear his belief that this is what comprises a successful transition into adulthood.McCammon gets the details of small-town childhood just right. His characters are three-dimensional and their dialogue is real and believable. Cory's family life, while truly ideal, still has its problems and struggles associated with having parents who are real people rather than Leave-It-To-Beaver creations. The central plot involves Cory's investigation into a murder that occurred in his hometown. Don't be deceived--this isn't the true focus of this story. The true focus is Cory's relationship with his family and friends. If you focus too much on the mystery aspect of this story, you may be disappointed. I felt that the murderer was easily spotted while not being a central enough character in the book to be that interesting. Overall, I was thoroughly entertained and even enchanted by this novel about a boy's coming of age. I could relate to Cory's experiences and sometimes painful realizations, and I am a girl who "came of age" in 1980's Michigan. Some childhood experiences are universal.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful, spooky, rambling romp through a lost childhood
Review: McCammon's best known for his true horror books, like "They Thirst" and "The Night Boat" and for his thrillers, like "Speaks the Nightbird," "Mine" and, in a broad sense, "Swan Song." So, when I heard his next book was going to be about his childhood, I was expectant, but reserved. I wasn't sure he could conjure up the necessary awe and wonder of childhood. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the book not only met my expectations for a coming of age story, but exceeded them. McCammon's protagonist is a believable child, a precocious kid with a fierce imagination and a selective memory. The stories he recalls are generally fantastical, full of far more detail than ought to be readily available so many years later. Despite this lack of believability, the stories entertain and enchant, as is their purpose. Tales of a magical bike, a creature from a lost world and a dozen others are priceless, and just the way I recall my own childhood. This book misses five stars only for the failings of its central narrative, the boy's father's search for the person responsibility for the death witnessed at the beginning of the book. So many clues are dropped with such force that the culprit is easy to spot, and believability is strained to the breaking point in the "startling" final action sequence. Still, the book has so many strong points, so many beautiful stories, that it easily ranks four stars. A must-read, just don't pay too much attention to the "main" plot.
Rating: 
Summary: Great story
Review: Its got everything a story needs.Adventure ,mystery,humour,fantasy ,horror,suspens and sadness.
Extremely good just read the book and you will see.
Its worth the 5 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: The new McCammon
Review: Mr. McCammon is one of my favorite writers, at least in the supernatural horror fiction genre. This book is his second along the suspense/horror line, diverging from his classic writing genre. His prose and characters are still vivid and emotionally involving. His style still has a cinematic quality in terms of movement and detail, but the content has shifted from monsters and supernatural creepiness to more down-to-earth, plain ol' nasty people doing nasty things. I know the author has basically exhausted his pallete of classic horror icons to work into stories. From zombies and demons to werewolves and vampires, he's touched on them all. Apparently, he's moved into a more mass-market arena covering more everyday settings and happenings such as you might find Stephen King or Dean Koontz writing about. I am one of his fans who'd love follow-ups on stories like "The Wolf's Hour," but for now at least this new suspense fiction is what McCammon is writing for us. Ever since the publication of "Mine," I've stopped being an avid reader of his work.
Rating:
Summary: imagination-key to infinitity
Review: I cannot explain this book in words. The imagination of the child in this book, his experiences, his friends, the long summers, the memoir-like writing of the novel... it just feels like an amazing journey into the era of the 50s, a time in which I never lived.
The main character's imagination and creativity, along with the amazingly intricate plot with complex characters makes for a slow, yet absolutely compelling read.
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Summary: Pure magic - perfect for a summer read
Review: Just make sure you have nothing else to do when you pick this book up. Give yourself a real treat.
Rating:
Summary: Imagine a world where anything is possible.
Review: I'm not going to tell you about this novel. Instead, I want you to do the biggest favor you've done for yourself in years... buy this book and read it. When you've turned the last page, go directly to the beginning and start all over again. That is exactly what I did three times. Even though I wasn't a child of the '60s and I've never been to Alabama, the amount of depth and feel Robert McCammon extends to the reader is immense. I have literally read thousands of books, and whenever someone asks the common question of which is my favorite, Boy's Life is always the first to spill out.
I want you to ask yourself truthfully if you have ever spent a great deal of time being involved in a novel and when it is finally finished, do you walk away completely satisfied? Has it been years since you have read the novel and you still think of it from time to time? Were some of the scenes in the novel created so real that you could honestly mistake those experiences for one of your own? It has happened to me. It can happen to you.
If you have read this book, read it again. Recapture the magic of youth, friendship, and the adventures of life that can never fade, they only grow brighter.
And to those of you who are about to experience this novel for the first time, I envy you greatly.
Rating:
Summary: Magical Ride
Review: I usually read mystery and thrillers. I picked this book up because of all the 5 star reviews. It is one of the nicest stories I have ever read. Would love to see it as a movie but I am not sure it could be translated in such a way that it would be as magical as the book was.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I read this book years ago...and I loved it, the characterization was excellent, and the story was superb...after this book, I read about 3 other books by McCammon. Excellent that is all that I can say!!
Rating:
Summary: Can't put it down.
Review: Someone in a chatroom told me about A Boys Life. I went and bught the book and found myself falling in love with it. This is my third time reading this great book and every time I find something new in it.The book has it all: mysteries, loving family, worlds explored by an 11 year old boy. I found myself laughing out loud at parts of the book and I always get a lump in my throat at the sad moments. The characters in this book are so great. You end up liking everyone of them. There are moments in the book that I truly feel the reader can relate to. I have to skip over the chapter about the boy and his dog...Oh, how I cried and cried when I read that part. My heart went out to the lttle boy who was killed in the fire....I had to take a few minutes to control myself when I got to this chapter. I coud not stop crying.I only hope if Hollywood does a movie from this book, it will be just lke the book. This is the best book I have ever read. I tell everyone I come in contact with about this awesome book.
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