Gary "Goon" Boone tells jokes instead of having conversations; almost everyone—parents, teachers, schoolmates—is tired of him. When a talent show with a $100 prize is announced at school, Gary decides to make his stand-up debut memorable. His parents promise him another $100 if he stops telling jokes for three weeks. For Gary this is a minor struggle; he tries to understand why other boys his age collect baseball cards, and he gains gradual acceptance in their friendly football games. Their practical joke on Gary. does help launch his career as a comedian, but it is his hard work and practice that lead to his overwhelming success at the show. Readers themselves may feel benumbed by the endless litany of bad jokes; even Sachar's talent for creating humorous situations (There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom, 1987; Sideways Stories from Wayside School, 1985—which gets a plug in this book) can't Shine through the too-familiar riddles. Still, Gary is a likable, completely good-hearted boy who turns out to be refreshingly frank about his own shortcomings. (Fiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1991
ISBN: 0679833722
Page Count: 184
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1991
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A deliberate sense of the absurd infuses Kirk’s story of a boy and his dog with great humor and appeal. Young Willy Joe Jehosephat loves gazing at the moon through his telescope, but his parents want him to have a real playmate, a dog. Willy readily agrees—to a moondog, “the perfect pet for me./I watch them through my telescope./They’re real, I guarantee!” After Willy builds a spaceship and is on his way to the Moon, he discovers a stowaway on board, a scrappy Earth mutt that Willy intends to leave in the care of the moondogs after he has made his selection. Once on the moon, Willy establishes contact with an enormous pack of moondogs, but also with a hideous moon man, who threatens to eat Willy. While the moondogs quake and quiver, the Earth mutt gives the moon man a good nip and sends him running. That’s the dog for Willy. Questions of loyalty are obviously raised here, but Kirk’s story allows for the pleasures of the here-and-now as well as acknowledging the dreams attached to distant stars. As always, the palette is robust and retro, with images that are invitingly participatory. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-399-23128-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999
Three fish and a curious cat make for a rambunctious tale in this Level 2 Holiday House Reader from Weston (Bad Baby Brother, 1997, etc.). When Dot brings her new fish home, she introduces the three of them to her cat Fuzzy. After several minutes of watching the fish circle the bowl, Dot determines that they must be bored and surrounds their bowl with exciting treasures such as books and a play dinosaur. However, Fuzzy has other plans for the fish and Dot has to rescue them several times from the feline’s searching paws. After a close encounter in the night, Dot’s mother builds a high shelf for the fish bowl, far out of reach of Fluffy, and Dot rediscovers the merits of her furry friend. Weston’s humorous take on the feline mind permeates the tale, while soft watercolors with jagged, loose lines highlight all the action. In four manageable chapters, this warm story offers an achievable challenge to those moving beyond beginning reader status. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: March 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-8234-1419-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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