Entries Categorized as 'Funny'

The Peterkin Papers

Our rating:***½

Younger Readers

The Peterkin Papers (New York Review Children’s Collection) (Hardcover)
by Lucretia P. Hale
ISBN: 1590172124

Price: USD 12.89
28 used & new available from USD 7.51

One day, Mrs. Peterkin discovers that she has put salt in her coffee by mistake. She can’t drink it this way, so her family consults several people in the hopes that one of them can fix the coffee. However, all of these people only make the coffee worse. Then one of the Peterkins remembers that there is a wise lady from Philadelphia in town who might be able to help.

This is only the first of many silly escapades in the The Peterkin Papers. The Peterkins also try to go for a drive, but the horse won’t move. They try to summon the telegraph boy and end up calling the fire department. Each chapter is a different story about the Peterkins’ mishaps. All of them are funny in varying degrees. The Peterkin Papers is just the book to enjoy when you feel the need for a good laugh.

Why did I read it?Could have been betterAverageFantastic!Incredibook! (No Ratings Yet)
Loading ... Loading ...

Giant John

Our rating:****

Picture Books Younger Readers

Giant John (Hardcover)
by Arnold Lobel
ISBN: 0805082956

Price: USD 11.53
1 used & new available from USD 11.53

Giant John and his mother have no food except two potato chips, so John goes off to get a job and make some money. What kind of job will he get? And what will happen when his friends the fairies want him to dance?

I was quite pleased to discover that Giant John is coming back into print. The story ends in a fun way that will leave everybody laughing at John’s attempts to help. Arnold Lobel’s pictures may be the best part, and I always get a kick out of the picture of John’s mother when he comes home at the end.

Why did I read it?Could have been betterAverageFantastic!Incredibook! (No Ratings Yet)
Loading ... Loading ...

The Story of the Treasure Seekers

Our rating:***½

All Ages

The Story of the Treasure Seekers: Complete and Unabridged (Puffin Classics) (Paperback)
by E. Nesbit
ISBN: 0140367063

Price: USD 4.99
65 used & new available from USD 0.10

The six Bastable children have realized that their father is out of money, and because of this he has no time to spend with them anymore. So they decide to restore their family fortunes by finding treasure. They all sit down in the nursery and brainstorm ideas. Then they start trying them, one by one. Some ideas are reasonable, like going into business. Others a bit more far fetched, such as becoming highwaymen (but not robbing anybody nice).

E. Nesbit wrote this book before any of her other children’s stories. She had just finished writing breezy stories that magazines would print, and the haphazard style lingers here. The Story of the Treasure Seekers is quite enjoyable, but the writing style could turn off some people. However, fans of Nesbit will pick up on her subtle humor, which is absolutely hilarious in this one. I nearly died laughing quite a few times as the Bastables stumbled their way through money-making schemes.

Why did I read it?Could have been betterAverageFantastic!Incredibook! (No Ratings Yet)
Loading ... Loading ...

The Discovery of Dragons

Our rating:*****

All Ages Incredibook! Picture Books

The Discovery of Dragons: New Research Revealed (Hardcover)
by Graeme Base
ISBN: 0810959674

Price: USD 10.59
40 used & new available from USD 7.98

A collection of letters (with illustrations) from various, obscure explorers who are credited with discovering several of the major types of Dragons. The letters have been compiled and illustrated by a Professor Rowland W. Greasebeam, B.Sc (Serp.), F.R.Aud.

This book is absolutely hysterical! I found the Eleventh Anniversary Edition at the library just the other day. I had read the original several years ago, (enough years ago that I forgot the title) and finally rediscovered it! Much to my enjoyment, there was an extra chapter of dragons. If you read it, read everything in it. The acknowledgements, the disclaimers in the back, the introductions to each chapter, everything. It is sooooo funny! (See? I resorted to a typical extention of a two letter word to fully express my enthusiasm, e.g. I really like it.) It would be good for all ages, as the younger ones can enjoy the illustrations and the older (but young at heart) can laugh themselves silly at the humor.

Why did I read it?Could have been betterAverageFantastic!Incredibook! (No Ratings Yet)
Loading ... Loading ...

Kidnapped

Our rating:****

Older Readers

Kidnapped (Scholastic Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)
by Robert Louis Stevenson
ISBN: 0439295785

Price: USD 3.99
67 used & new available from USD 0.89

After the death of his father, sixteen-year-old David Balfour is preparing to leave the village he grew up in and seek his fortune. As he is leaving, an old friend of the family gives him a sealed letter, written by David’s father, with the instructions to take it to the House of Shaws. David wonders at this, because the Shaws are a wealthy family. Could he be related to them? When he reaches the tumbledown manor house he discovers that the man living there is his uncle. Despite his uncle’s apparent unwillingness to welcome him, David stays a couple of days and stumbles across a mystery. He had always supposed his father to be the younger of the two brothers, but circumstances point to his being the elder, and therefore rightful heir to the estate. When David presses his uncle for the truth in the matter, the cantankerous old man avoids the question, promising to tell David the truth the next day. During the night the uncle tries to kill David, who luckily survives, to the great surprise of his uncle. In one last, desperate attempt to conceal the truth, David’s uncle has him kidnapped and sent away to the Carolinas to be sold as a slave. However, during the early stages of the sea voyage, David falls into the company of a Scottish Rebel called Alan Breck, who helps him escape. Together they make their way through Scotland—Alan set upon his work for the King of France, (much to David’s dismay) and David seeking to return to the House of Shaws and discover the truth.

Great, great story. I enjoyed every page of it. It’s set in Scotland, in 1751, and it’s chock full of adventure. All of the things David goes through, running with Alan, ha ha! David is for King George of England and Alan is for the King of France and Scotland. Much to David’s chagrin, he ends up having to help Alan in his resistance work and gets pinned as a rebel for his pains!

Why did I read it?Could have been betterAverageFantastic!Incredibook! (No Ratings Yet)
Loading ... Loading ...