[.ca] Five Novels (ISBN 0613049837)

From Amazon.com:
There are many words that could be used to describe Daniel Pinkwater's books. Wacky comes to mind. Outrageous. Lively. Real. Unreal. Comic genius Jules Feiffer, in his foreword to 5 Novels, says, "Pinkwater's thoughts don't connect like yours or mine. His 'tab A' does not fit into 'slot A' the way it's supposed to in a well-thought-out thought. More likely, his 'tab A' will fit into 'slot 14' or 'slot X79,' the kind of fit that might drive you or me crazy if we tried it, but when Pinkwater does it, you read it and say to yourself, 'Why, of course, this is how it should be.'" Performing chickens, a New Jersey Martian, an orangutan orchestra conductor from Ceylon ... the details are what jump out of his novels. The ice cream dish in Slaves of Spiegel, for example, consisting of an eggplant, two slabs of whole-wheat pizza dough, 16 flavors of ice cream, fresh figs, pistachio nuts, a lobster, and assorted fresh garden vegetables and fruit. (It's served piping hot from the microwave, in a freshly laundered regulation army knapsack, to the accompaniment of Franz Liszt music.) This is what Pinkwater is all about. A junior-high schooler's dream of an author. In 5 Novels, you can feast upon five beloved and quirky favorites: Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars, Slaves of Spiegel, The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death, The Last Guru, and Young Adult Novel. And if you still need more Pinkwater novels (and you definitely do), explore 4 Fantastic Novels. (Ages 9 and much, much older.) --Emilie Coulter

Unique:
I was going to write that Pinkwater is not your normal young adult author and then I got to thinking--what is your normal young adult author? Lewis Carroll had his thing for photographing young girls, C.S. Lewis was a bit of a hermit, Roald Dahl played with perversity (if you think his children fiction are dark, try some of his adult stuff, which I couldn't finish). The women might be sane, for I've never heard a nasty story about Madeline L'Engle, Diana Wynne Jones, or E. Nesbit (well, she was a bit of a socialist radical). It does not matter. Pinkwater is akin to all of these in that no one else could quite copy the things that he writes. This is a collection of Pinkwater novels that have been out of print for years (the original copyrights on these range from 1978 to 1982), but not out of mind. Alan Mendelsohn, in particular, seems to be well-loved and is often mentioned as a favorite of the younger set. I'm glad to finally have this opportunity to read it, for it is indeed a fun book, full of exceedingly strange twists and turns. You aren't sure if Alan is from Mars, or if he's just playing, and then you are sure, and then you aren't. It's Philip K. Dick lite, but it's fun. Slaves of Spiegel and The Last Guru are much more simple (I would even think that they are meant for less mature readers than for the other three in this book), but like the best children's literature, they have something for everyone. I chuckled through Slaves of Spiegel, finding the contest quite amusing, especially the description of some of the delicacies concocted in the name of food, and I thought the satire, while obvious, in The Last Guru quite effective. The Snarkout Boys resembles Alan Mendelsohn in its convoluted plot, but it seems much more grounded in reality, if a particularly eccentric reality, at least until the last quarter of the book. Its depiction of high school is stiletto sharp, but nothing as cutting as in Young Adult Novel. All the books have a jaundiced view of school, noting the common problems of cliques, moribund teachers, and the energy of youth (yes, that last is a problem--hey, you didn't think, as a teacher, that I would side totally for the kids, did you?). All of these novels were fun, and I would recommend them to your local dissident youth.

Pure Genius:
I have read and loved Daniel Pinkwater for as long as I can remember. His books are witty, creative, laugh-out-loud-funny, and at times pure genius. This is a collection of some of his finest novels. I keep my copy of this book by my bed so I can pick it up any time and read. I will never tire of "Alan Mendolsohn, Boy from Mars," the adventures of two students and their unlikely adventures in mind-control, or any of the other novels. I can always read this book and you should, too.

Pinkwater: the choice of a new generation!:
My only complaint about Pinkwater is that he makes me want to live in a Chicago that never existed, where the Snark shows 24-hour double billings of obscure films, and where you can go to Beanbender's on Lower North Aufzoo Street and get the best beer and baked potato of your life. Where the Chicken Man shows up wherever you least expect him. Where talking lizards take over late-night TV (although that's in Lizard Music, another book). However, the mere fact that I have this complaint shows how well he's done his job -- he's made his books so much fun I want to be able to live my own version of them. If you loved these books -- and I think you will -- try his collection 4 Fantastic Novels, of course, but also try his collected NPR commentaries, Hoboken Fish and Chicago Whistle (originally two books, now available as one). P.S. I started reading these books when I was around 12. I'm still reading them at 24. Tell you anything about how good they are?

Fun for all ages!:
I was a huge fan of Mr Pinkwater as a young adult, voraciously reading all of his work that I could get my hands on. The strange, yet appealing stories, clicked with me in my awkward teen years. As I grew up I forgot his work, but to my delight rediscovered his work one day in my favored book store with this book. 5 Novels contains some of his BEST work, and it was a grand way for me to relive my earlier years. His stories are relavent to young and old alike, and I highly recommend you pick up this book!

4/5ths of a really great collection:
I hadn't heard of Daniel Pinkwater until I got this colelction from my aunt, so I reluctantly began reading "Alan Mendelsohn". The five books are: "Alan Mendelsohn: The Boy From Mars": Loner meets friend, loner and friend use mind control, loner and friend go to "lost continent". The best of the best, it combines humor with the not-so-supernatural but not grounded in reality. That's what's the best with all of Pinkwater's books. Most of them aren't fantasy, so technically, they can happen. You COULD have something called "Green Death Chili". "Alan Mendolsohn": 9/10 "Slaves of Spiegel": I read about one page of it and I couldn't read any more, it was just plain horrible. Sorry, but I could not bear to read any more. "Slaves": 1/10 "The Snarkout Boys and the Avocodo of Death": Yet again, loner meets friend. Loner and friend sneak out to movies. Loner and friend meet another friend. Then they go looking for someone's Uncle. Not the greatest, not the worst. It seems too muddled, but I still award "Snarkout" a 7/10 "The Last Guru": 12 year old Harold Blatz becomes a millionaire. That usual story. Another one of those "fiction/supernatural" books: 7/10 "Young Adult Novel": A weird group at school decides to exult one student as being superior. Funny yet weird, I enjoyed this one a lot. 8/10