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tbonegreg's review against another edition
3.0
(3.5) The stories were all over the map, but were supposed to be held together because they were funny. Some managed this more than others. We especially liked the Christopher Paul Curtis story, though. The collection was worth it for that story alone.
staceym's review against another edition
4.0
I am enjoying the stories but I didn't think the first two were funny. So far my favorite is the mummy story by John Lubar, "Kid Appeal".
I enjoyed many of these stories but my original thought of them continued; many of the stories weren't funny. My least favorite story was "My Parents Give My Bedroom to a Biker" by Paul Feig. The story is about the kids parents and others get possessed by an alien and the day is saved with broccoli. It was really weird.
I enjoyed many of these stories but my original thought of them continued; many of the stories weren't funny. My least favorite story was "My Parents Give My Bedroom to a Biker" by Paul Feig. The story is about the kids parents and others get possessed by an alien and the day is saved with broccoli. It was really weird.
falconerreader's review against another edition
3.0
Mildly amusing business, maybe. With a heavy dollop of "that's a little creepy, actually."
maggie_daydreaming's review against another edition
3.0
Some of the stories I liked. Some I ABSOLUTELY DID NOT.
The last story, for example?
You'll regret reading it. It's that disgusting.
But Eion Colfer's?
Really interesting, and gave me an insight into his childhood (plus, in his biography at the end, he finally tells us how to pronounce his name)
And the one about "the school with the kids everyone writes about" was great too.
I'd list all of the others, but I don't remember them all at the moment.
Overall, I wasn't a huge fan.
The last story, for example?
You'll regret reading it. It's that disgusting.
But Eion Colfer's?
Really interesting, and gave me an insight into his childhood (plus, in his biography at the end, he finally tells us how to pronounce his name)
And the one about "the school with the kids everyone writes about" was great too.
I'd list all of the others, but I don't remember them all at the moment.
Overall, I wasn't a huge fan.
bethy_brew's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 - the kids thought this was hilarious, but there was a lot of gross humor.
readingonfordearlife's review against another edition
4.0
NOTE: I won this book on a GoodReads First Reads giveaway. This volume of ten short stories is a fun mix of silly and humorous writing from some of today's most popular children's and young adult authors and illustrators. As with any eclectic short story collection, I liked some pieces more than others. Several of the stories are obviously geared more toward preteen boys (but, hey I can't really fault the authors or editor for this...the book is called "Guys Read" after all!), and are therefore full of what my mother calls 'bathroom humor' and jokes about bodily functions. But then there were two stand-out stories in this collection that basically forced me to add another star to my rating of the book overall. Kate DiCamillo and Jon Scieszka teamed up and wrote "Your Question for the Author Here," which is an epistolary story that centers on a back-and-forth exchange between a preteen boy and a female author, when the boy is assigned an author study project for his English class. I loved this story...it is funny and sweet and just about perfectly written. The second story I liked was David Yoo's "Fistful of Feathers," about a father's quest to make his son more manly by bringing home a pet turkey...that turns out to have a very sinister side! This one made me laugh aloud several times because it was just so comically absurd! I would recommend this collection of short stories to boys 10 and up...and girls might even like a few of the stories too!
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.
emesskay's review against another edition
1.0
So first of all I was excited to see this book. I have a reluctant reader, but he has enjoyed other Scieszka books (Battle Bunny, The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales) and we were both hoping the book would have the kind of offbeat humor found in those books. Now about my reluctant reader - he is a good reader - reads above grade level - but it is hard to find a book that he likes. He doesn't like books that are too suspenseful as that stresses him out and ruins the enjoyment of the book. He doesn't like books where characters are mean to each other or really bad things happen to them (e.g. loss of parent or pet), because he thinks about how he would feel in that situation and that makes him sad. I still read to him at bedtime because if I can find a book he will like, he will read it on his own, but he is reluctant to start anything new on his own. So last night I read him the first story in the book. At the end of it he asked me "how is that story funny?" and I had to agree I didn't think it was very funny, either.
So how much did my kid dislike this book? Well, before this book we had been reading Swiss Family Robinson, which (if you haven't read it) is a very slow moving book, so no worries about suspense or anything, and all the adventures generally have a happy ending. My son has nicknamed the book "Animal Hell Island" because many of the adventures the people go on are as follows: find a new, exotic animal; Identify the animal and discuss its characteristics and where it is usually found; kill the animal and eat it. Usually when I pull out Swiss Family Robinson my son groans and pretends to be asleep because he finds the book so boring. Last night after reading the first story in Guys Read: Funny Business, my son asked me to please read him some from Swiss Family Robinson to counteract the unpleasant feelings engendered by the story.
There were some stories which were mildly amusing. The one about the homicidal turkey (while a funny concept) would have given my kid nightmares, as would the one about the aliens repelled by broccoli.
So to sum up - parents, you know your kid best, I recommend reading the book first for yourself and see if the kind of humor presented in the book is the kind of humor your kid appreciates.
So how much did my kid dislike this book? Well, before this book we had been reading Swiss Family Robinson, which (if you haven't read it) is a very slow moving book, so no worries about suspense or anything, and all the adventures generally have a happy ending. My son has nicknamed the book "Animal Hell Island" because many of the adventures the people go on are as follows: find a new, exotic animal; Identify the animal and discuss its characteristics and where it is usually found; kill the animal and eat it. Usually when I pull out Swiss Family Robinson my son groans and pretends to be asleep because he finds the book so boring. Last night after reading the first story in Guys Read: Funny Business, my son asked me to please read him some from Swiss Family Robinson to counteract the unpleasant feelings engendered by the story.
There were some stories which were mildly amusing. The one about the homicidal turkey (while a funny concept) would have given my kid nightmares, as would the one about the aliens repelled by broccoli.
So to sum up - parents, you know your kid best, I recommend reading the book first for yourself and see if the kind of humor presented in the book is the kind of humor your kid appreciates.
casualreader5's review against another edition
4.0
Great for reluctant middle age readers! Fun stories that are just gross enough to keep their attention!