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elyssam's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Weird one. It felt like I was reading a book written in THAT time period. That makes it good in terms of tone/voice haha
millierose2010's review against another edition
5.0
Really witty book that has an original story line.
meghan111's review against another edition
5.0
One of the things I really like about Pinkwater's books is that they lack an urgent plot - you never end up worrying too much about things working out, or the kid being in Mortal Peril. Instead you can enjoy the quirky details. What stands out about this book to me is that this non-urgency is brought to the foreground. The main character is entrusted with the care of a stone turtle that has been passed from shaman to shaman for a long time. The shaman that gives him the turtle is constantly reinforcing the idea that wherever the turtle is, that's where it's supposed to be. When the kid worries about losing it, or having it fall into the wrong hands, the shaman's attitude is basically that it will all work out, because whatever's happening is supposed to happen. It's refreshing.
sadieregnier's review against another edition
4.0
Great middle school level book packed with fantastic turtle facts for all of us turtle lovers out there!
saidtheraina's review against another edition
3.0
TBCD
What a strange book. It felt like a combination of the classic "Growing up in the early 20th century" memoir, an episodic adventure-roadtrip story, and Runaways. This kid comes from an eccentric family (shoelace entrepreneurs), who is moving from Chicago to LA. Along the way, he meets a ghost, becomes stranded from his family, starts a road trip with a movie star, sees the grand canyon, and procures a turtle, which turns out to be the key to the world's status quo survival. Somewhere in there it gets sci-fi, and all along the way there are historical tidbits and screwball comedic portions.
Read by the author, who I don't think is a particularly good reader, except that he read the whole adventure in a very deadpan way which made everything seem that much more absurd. The kid explains in the book that he always expected to grow up to have adventures, so everything seems entirely ordinary.
Definitely worth a listen. Trying to figure out a booktalking strategy.
What a strange book. It felt like a combination of the classic "Growing up in the early 20th century" memoir, an episodic adventure-roadtrip story, and Runaways. This kid comes from an eccentric family (shoelace entrepreneurs), who is moving from Chicago to LA. Along the way, he meets a ghost, becomes stranded from his family, starts a road trip with a movie star, sees the grand canyon, and procures a turtle, which turns out to be the key to the world's status quo survival. Somewhere in there it gets sci-fi, and all along the way there are historical tidbits and screwball comedic portions.
Read by the author, who I don't think is a particularly good reader, except that he read the whole adventure in a very deadpan way which made everything seem that much more absurd. The kid explains in the book that he always expected to grow up to have adventures, so everything seems entirely ordinary.
Definitely worth a listen. Trying to figure out a booktalking strategy.
zevester's review against another edition
4.0
Just as joyful as it was in my childhood!! It’s always fun to reread a book you haven’t read in over a decade. I was surprised how much I remembered about this one and how much it informed my humor and interests. Sweet little read :)
steller0707's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, recommended to me by my turtle-loving, 9-year-old grandson. It's unusual for a book aimed at this age group to take place in the 1940's with references to spam and the (unheard of!) cost of going to the movies. But it has adventure, odd characters, mysterious happenings, ghosts and enough silliness to keep you page-turning.
corvinaq's review against another edition
Nothing much happens in this book, but that doesn't bother me at all. It's more about the enjoyment of Pinkwater's weird, warm, loopy writing.
hstapp's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It took me a long time to get into the book but things become interesting and fun once we get to la
blakehalsey's review against another edition
3.0
An odd book, but fun. I enjoyed it's quirkiness but do admit that by the end, I was ready for it. But I will follow up on Pinkwater in the future.