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Daniel Pinkwater
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5 Novels: Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars; Slaves of Spiegel; The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death; The Last Guru; Young Adult Novel Paperback – September 30, 1997

by Daniel Pinkwater (Author), Jules Feiffer (Foreword)
4.8 out of 5 stars 74 ratings
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Purchase options and add-ons

5 Novels -
Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars
Slaves of Spiegel
The Last Guru
Young Adult Novel
The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death

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  1. Reading age
    10 - 14 years
  2. Print length
    656 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    5 - 9
  5. Lexile measure
    920L
  6. Dimensions
    5.7 x 1.74 x 8.21 inches
  7. Publisher
    Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
  8. Publication date
    September 30, 1997
  9. ISBN-10
    0374423296
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0374423292
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5 Novels: Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars; Slaves of Spiegel; The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death; The Last Guru; Y
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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

Review

“Here, in an appropriately fat trade paperback...is a collection of the Master's greatest works: Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars; Slaves of Spiegel; The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death; The Last Guru; and Young Adult Novel. . .Daniel Pinkwater is so obviously the funniest writer of children's books that he should be made a Living National Treasure.” ―The Washington Post Book World

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); First Edition (September 30, 1997)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 656 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0374423296
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0374423292
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 10 - 14 years
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 920L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 5 - 9
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.3 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.7 x 1.74 x 8.21 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 out of 5 stars 74 ratings

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Daniel Pinkwater

Daniel Pinkwater

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Daniel Pinkwater lives with his wife, the illustrator and novelist Jill Pinkwater, and several dogs and cats in a very old farmhouse in New York's Hudson River Valley.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
74 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the author's work wonderful, with one noting it's great for 10-year-old boys. The book is hilarious, with one customer mentioning it made them laugh out loud. They appreciate its readability, with one describing it as the best read-aloud material.

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4 customers mention "Author quality"4 positive0 negative

Customers praise the author's writing style, with one noting it's suitable for smart children and another mentioning it's great reading for 10-year-old boys.

"Daniel Pinkwater is a wonderfully imaginative author...." Read more

"Wonderful writer..more ...we want MORE!!" Read more

"A smart writer for smart children..." Read more

"Great reading for 10 year old boys..." Read more

3 customers mention "Humor"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book humorous, with one mentioning it made them laugh out loud.

"...now 30 years ago, it was the first thing I had ever read that made me laugh out loud. My paperback copy is held together with rubber bands...." Read more

"...Daniel Pinkwater does it all - satire/humor/the human condition (especially as seen through the eyes of a boy) and did I say SO FUNNY!..." Read more

"Hilarious and thought-provoking." Read more

3 customers mention "Readability"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, with one mentioning they enjoyed reading it during dinner, while another describes it as the best read-aloud experience.

"Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars, is hands down the best read-aloud my boys heard as they were growing up...." Read more

"...He carried it around in the car, read it during dinner, he absolutely loves it. Thank you, Daniel Pinkwater!" Read more

"Life altering reading...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • mam
    5.0 out of 5 stars great
    Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Daniel Pinkwater is a wonderfully imaginative author. I bought this for my 37 year old son who wants to share it with his own sons, and can't find his copy. They all love it.
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  • William Lewis Read
    5.0 out of 5 stars Life altering reading.
    Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    How can I not have written a review for Alan Mendelsohn? At the time I read it, now 30 years ago, it was the first thing I had ever read that made me laugh out loud. My paperback copy is held together with rubber bands. On buying this thick 5 novel set (purportedly for my daughter) it presents a hazard to my own continuity of task. I find myself engrossed for at least 10 pages before life makes me put it down. Alan Mendelsohn is my favorite story of all time.

    And Snarkout Boys: in eighth grade I handwrote a play based on the actions in this book. Because of that book, I have always sought out avocados that were "black and blasted looking". The most memorable part: Beanbenders bar. I have to think the author had been to Beanbenders, it is so well depicted. The proprietor bakes potatoes, stuffs in his thumb, drops in a piece of butter, and passes it to you to eat out of hand. The section when the Boys leave the dark night and enter Beanbenders scratched a new groove in my brain.

    A last thought - Mr Pinkwater, if your visage must grace the cover, consider donning a motorcycle jacket and channelling Clarence Yojimbo, offering the intrepid reader a bowl of Green Death chili. You could photoshop your eyes to look more Venusian.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • M.K. Clarke, Red-Pilled & Rogue
    5.0 out of 5 stars Dr. Seuss, Without the Pictures
    Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    I've been looking for Pinkwater's ALAN MENDELSOHN read for some time, and finally came across it here. It's been YEARS since I last read this, but being a YA writer, I've a son whom I write for. I want him to enjoy the reads I did when I was his age. This is one of them.

    I don't remember much about this book (I'll post a review of this more adequately when I do), but one thing I recall: Pinkwater's ability to make the nonsensical make sense, like Dr. Seuss without pictures or rhyme. It's the magic in his imagination that moved the cadence through his words. The beauty of those words made the illogical logical, the impossible possible and the unlikely, likely. He put into words what you can't do with your dreams; while you're dreaming them, they make sense.

    Books today sure aren't written in this fashion. Death by avocado? Genius! Shooting your eye out via a ricocheting bobby pin? It can happen. Maiming by a rogue Popsicle? Sure, why not? Pinkwater makes having an imagination and dreams deeply embedded in said imagination justified and worth paying attention to.

    Be it MENDELSOHN or GREEN EGGS & HAm, both men and their imaginations on 'roids are timeless.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Pop Bop
    5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Middle Grade Pinkwater
    Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    There's beginning reader Pinkwater, (Larry the Polar Bear, Bad Bears in the City), and early reader Pinkwater, ("Hoboken Chicken Emergency"), and older teen Pinkwater, ("Education of Robert Nifkin"), but these 5 novels count as the essential middle grade and early teen works.

    This is a huge, reasonably priced, collection of some of Pinkwater's very best work. Especially entertaining is the Snarkout Boys episode, and of course, Alan Mendelsohn, The Boy From Mars. And you really should be familiar with the Moscow.

    So, if you have a middle grade or up reader with even a slightly kinked sense of humor, this is a wonderful book to try. On another hand, this book could also be titled "Chicken Soup for the Smart Mildly Nerdy Teen's Soul". So if you have a smart teen, or a mildly nerdy teen, or any kind of teen at all, this book is worth a try. That's especially so because these novels are not "I'm too hip for the room" books that impress you but keep you at a distance; these are books that invite you to the party and invite you to join the fun.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Sheila
    5.0 out of 5 stars 5 Novels"Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars; ...
    Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars, is hands down the best read-aloud my boys heard as they were growing up. They were about 8 - 10 years of age when I read it to them, and now as they enter their forties, they still remember the story with fondness. In fact, this book went to a grandson! Daniel Pinkwater does it all - satire/humor/the human condition (especially as seen through the eyes of a boy) and did I say SO FUNNY! Highly recommend it!
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  • reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book
    Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Although everyone seems to talk about Alan Medelsohn, the Boy form Mars, and rightly should - it is that much fun. I just loved Slaves of Spiegel. The accepted insanity of it all just cracked me up. It appears that being carried away in a space ship is not as incredulous as cheating on a receipe. Buy the book, you'll have so much fun!
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  • David L. Nordin
    5.0 out of 5 stars A smart writer for smart children
    Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    If you haven't read Pinkwater before, this is a good place to start. If you are familiar with his work then rejoice for here are five books in one. And not just any five books... oh no. This collection contains not only Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars and Young Adult Novel but the first and best of the Snarkout Boy books. Buy it, read it, and know that you and your children will never be the same.
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  • Fishergirl Seattle
    4.0 out of 5 stars Alan Mendelsohn Boy from Mars
    Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I love this author and have fun memories of reading his books when I was a kid, so I wanted to share them with my 9 year old son. He didn't want to read it because the cover of this book is... well, boring. Pinkwater's work deserves to be in print and read, but I have to agree this cover (sorry, Daniel!) and the poor quality binding and paper don't encourage the age group that the stories aim to reach to "reach for this book" --- and that is a shame. My son did enjoy the stories when I read them to him at bedtime, especially Alan Mendelsohn Boy from Mars.
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Martha Henrickson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful books
    Reviewed in Canada on May 20, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    All his books are great!
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  • Larry M Roy
    5.0 out of 5 stars You Need This Book
    Reviewed in Canada on August 27, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    All three of us kids(in our 60's) have a copy and love it.
    Report