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maureen_fox's review against another edition
3.0
I just couldn't get into this one. I could see the humor, but it just didn't connect with me (with the possible exception of the Artemis Fowl story and the story with he letters between the author and student a la Dear Mr. Henshaw).
blackerbird's review against another edition
4.0
Great concept and funny short stories! I'm considering using this book for a 5th grade boys book club. Highly recommend for relunctant readers!
heather4994's review against another edition
5.0
I won this book in just a random Twitter follow a few months ago from Walden Pond Press. I don't read short stories very often but this one pulls you in and you can't help but read this one. First of all, it's got a plethora of funny kid authors. Then, they are writing funny stories. What more could you ask for? The stories range from chuckle funny to so funny I was wiping my eyes trying to read. Some of my favorites were the ones by Eoin Colfer with "Artemis Begins" and "Your Questions for Author Here" by Kate DiCamillo and Jon Scieszka.
In Artemis Begins, Eoin Colfer tells an apparently autobiographical story of growing up with four brothers and how one of his brothers lived a charmed life able to sweet talk his way out of anything. An unlikely role for the middle child, Donal was something of a hero in the neighborhood giving out and later trading his "favors, tricks, con jobs, and sob stories" for candy and what have you. Now, if you've ever read the Artemis Fowl series, you can appreciate the Artemis in Donal or the Donal in Artemis. The story has an ultimate piece de resistance that is a must read and had me laughing throughout thinking, "That is so Artemis!" But, even if you haven't read Artemis, you can appreciate the story for the sheer genuis of Donal.
The other story that I found so amusing was "Your Question for Author Here" by Kate DiCamillo and Jon Scieszka. It's the story of a boy with a school assignment to write to an author and he wants the author to do all the work. Instead, she ends up making him do the work and then some. Joe sends a Perfunctory letter, though he is supposed to send a Friendly letter and gets a Perfunctory letter back. Through a series of letters, he and the author become friends and Joe learns about writing fom the author. Even so, his assignment doesn't go as planned and the story ends with a surprising twist making authors the hereos of the day!
Many favorite authors are included in this book of short stories and if you have a reader that checks for how many pages are in the book, this is the book for him. (I've found boys do that for the most part in my library volunteering and mothering, but I"m sure girls do it, too.) I think reading short stories are easier sometimes for kids that don't like to read or who aren't as sure of their reading skills. This is the perfect book for them. But, if you aren't a kid, don't let that stop you from reading this book. I passed being a kid many years ago and I loved this book! And a must is the trailer that is posted on the Amazon site where you can order the book. It features all of the authors telling a joke and it is great!
I recommend this book to anyone. If you enjoy these authors, it's fun to see them write something outside their genre. Great for any age!
In Artemis Begins, Eoin Colfer tells an apparently autobiographical story of growing up with four brothers and how one of his brothers lived a charmed life able to sweet talk his way out of anything. An unlikely role for the middle child, Donal was something of a hero in the neighborhood giving out and later trading his "favors, tricks, con jobs, and sob stories" for candy and what have you. Now, if you've ever read the Artemis Fowl series, you can appreciate the Artemis in Donal or the Donal in Artemis. The story has an ultimate piece de resistance that is a must read and had me laughing throughout thinking, "That is so Artemis!" But, even if you haven't read Artemis, you can appreciate the story for the sheer genuis of Donal.
The other story that I found so amusing was "Your Question for Author Here" by Kate DiCamillo and Jon Scieszka. It's the story of a boy with a school assignment to write to an author and he wants the author to do all the work. Instead, she ends up making him do the work and then some. Joe sends a Perfunctory letter, though he is supposed to send a Friendly letter and gets a Perfunctory letter back. Through a series of letters, he and the author become friends and Joe learns about writing fom the author. Even so, his assignment doesn't go as planned and the story ends with a surprising twist making authors the hereos of the day!
Many favorite authors are included in this book of short stories and if you have a reader that checks for how many pages are in the book, this is the book for him. (I've found boys do that for the most part in my library volunteering and mothering, but I"m sure girls do it, too.) I think reading short stories are easier sometimes for kids that don't like to read or who aren't as sure of their reading skills. This is the perfect book for them. But, if you aren't a kid, don't let that stop you from reading this book. I passed being a kid many years ago and I loved this book! And a must is the trailer that is posted on the Amazon site where you can order the book. It features all of the authors telling a joke and it is great!
I recommend this book to anyone. If you enjoy these authors, it's fun to see them write something outside their genre. Great for any age!
shicklin's review against another edition
1.0
I really wanted to like this. Based on the idea, it would have been a perfect choice for my fourth grade library time--HOWEVER-- I felt like there was a lot of inappropriate material that was just not necessary, and as much as I like the individual authors, the stories did not stand out as anything special, or even worth class time. Disappointing.
readerpants's review against another edition
2.0
Updated review: apparently I read this in 2011 and gave it three stars. Tried again (searching for something that would work for specific students) and ugh just so meh. Downgrading to two stars. I'm willing to believe that it's just not my jam , as opposed to being actually bad, but honestly I think it could go either way. Definitely some gross moments but nothing that made me laugh. Take with a grain of salt, obviously, I am not the audience for this book.
crystal_reading's review against another edition
3.0
I really loved Eoin Colfer's story about how he came up with Artemis Fowl. I also loved the story by DiCamillo and Sciezska. The mummy story was pretty funny too, but the others didn't hit my funny bone as much. I have shared my two favorites with 5th grade students and they enjoyed them too.
karennaftel's review against another edition
3.0
Really didn't meet my expectations...I expected a whole lot more silly. Only Adam Rex's story, 'Will', was good-ish. I was never one for short stories anyways.
mrerickeith's review against another edition
3.0
Preface: I am not a 12 year old boy. I am a nearly 30 year old 4th grade teacher.
I was hoping for some stories that were a bit funnier. I felt the book was inconsistent in its humor. Jeff Kinney's story was perhaps my favorite. Kate DiCamillo and Jon Sciezka wrote a fun story. Jack Gantos's story made me queasy but I found it funny. The rest to me were somewhat forgettable. Some stories used humor at the expense of others which I didn't appreciate. But once again, I'm not a twelve year old boy.
I was hoping for some stories that were a bit funnier. I felt the book was inconsistent in its humor. Jeff Kinney's story was perhaps my favorite. Kate DiCamillo and Jon Sciezka wrote a fun story. Jack Gantos's story made me queasy but I found it funny. The rest to me were somewhat forgettable. Some stories used humor at the expense of others which I didn't appreciate. But once again, I'm not a twelve year old boy.
alinaborger's review against another edition
I haven't thought about Jack Gantos in a long time, but his story in this collection--of pulling a wart out of his foot with a pair of garden shears--left my son and I in absolute tears of laughter. I think what makes his story compelling is the internalization of his voice coupled with the kinds of details and metaphors a kid--specifically a boy--that age would use. Like when his foot is bleeding, he talks about the blood squirting out like water from the water fountain, leaving a little trail down the hall.
Gantos also manages the relationship between the kid and his mother effectively; it reminded me a bit of Diary of a Wimpy Kid in that way, actually. What do you do with a perfectly sane, loving mother? You introduce mischief that she simply has to deal with. Of course she does it like an adult, and her kid does it like a kid, and kids always do mischief better than adults--until they're at risk for blood poisoning and have to come clean about their shenanigans, anyhow.
We also had a rollicking time with Paul Feig's story, "My Parents Gave My Bedroom to a Biker," which turned out to be quite a bit more speculative than we expected. In that story, it's not mischief, it's genuine trouble, and the kid turns out to be the hero who saves his parents.
Kate DiCamillo's epistolary contribution to this collection had me hooked from start to finish (my son much less so). In her case, the dry adult/author voice paired with a clueless and relentless kid was almost the reverse of Gantos; in DiCamillo's story, the adult genuinely understands more than the kid all along, and her understanding progresses the plot and saves the day.
The craft takeaway is pretty clear to me: it's funnier when the kids are in charge.
Gantos also manages the relationship between the kid and his mother effectively; it reminded me a bit of Diary of a Wimpy Kid in that way, actually. What do you do with a perfectly sane, loving mother? You introduce mischief that she simply has to deal with. Of course she does it like an adult, and her kid does it like a kid, and kids always do mischief better than adults--until they're at risk for blood poisoning and have to come clean about their shenanigans, anyhow.
We also had a rollicking time with Paul Feig's story, "My Parents Gave My Bedroom to a Biker," which turned out to be quite a bit more speculative than we expected. In that story, it's not mischief, it's genuine trouble, and the kid turns out to be the hero who saves his parents.
Kate DiCamillo's epistolary contribution to this collection had me hooked from start to finish (my son much less so). In her case, the dry adult/author voice paired with a clueless and relentless kid was almost the reverse of Gantos; in DiCamillo's story, the adult genuinely understands more than the kid all along, and her understanding progresses the plot and saves the day.
The craft takeaway is pretty clear to me: it's funnier when the kids are in charge.