Talk Back

[el dogo]

Daniel Pinkwater is a commentator on NPR, and a writer of some remarkably subversive children's books. The four short novels in 4 Fantastic Novels are aimed roughly at a Harry Potter level of reading comprehension. I'd have to believe an adult (well, a cool adult) would get as much enjoyment out of them, if not more, than a young teenager.

The plots of the novels are pretty insignificant compared to the crazy invention and whimsy. But anyway, here are some brief synopses:

Borgel - A mysterious old guy claiming to be a distant relative moves in with a kid and his boring family. Said old guy takes kid on a bizarre trip through time and space. This was great! It read like a fusion of Dr. Who, Willy Wonka, and old Yiddish folk tales. And the climax is genuinely terrifying in an okay-for-kids sort of way.

Yobgorgle: Mystery Monster of Lake Ontario - A kid is stuck in boring old Rochester, NY with his fast food obsessed uncle, and stumbles into an expedition to find a legendary monster living in the Great Lakes. I can pretty much guarantee you will not guess the secret behind the monster. A fun example of illogical logic. Or would that be logical illogic?

The Worms of Kukumlima - Another kid on another expedition. This time it's to find a race of giant intelligent earthworms in Africa. This was a touch less interesting than the other two stories. Not that it's substandard, maybe the kid-swept-on-crazy-adventure-by-wacky-old-guy formula was getting a bit old. It still has fun moments.

The Snarkout Boys and the Baconburg Horror - Two boys and a girl, who are fond of sneaking out late at night to attend all-night movie theatres and diners, run into a mystery involving an apparent werewolf. Although it gets a little scattershot at the end, this might be my favorite story of the four. It has a more sophisticated mosaic-like narrative than the other three stories, more nuanced protagonists, and is more of a horror story than a wacky comedy. At least, it's a toss up between this and Borgel.

I don't like to make huge pronouncements, they tend to rear up and bite you in the butt later. But I will make this huge pronouncement: a person who does not enjoy Daniel Pinkwater is a person with whom I'm unlikely to get along. I'm temped to use this book as kind of a screening process for potential dates. Still, it might be a good idea to mix up the reading of these four short novels with some other stuff. Reading them all in one shot was a bit like eating all the frosting roses off a giant wedding cake. But, darn it all, the world needs more Pinkwater in it.

[jeffp]

I've never read any of Pinkwater's works, but I've heard him on NPR and love what I've heard. He's funny and charming and his stories are so different from what I've considered normal kids books.

I may have to go hunt a few of his works up.

Thanks for sharing!