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omgbeansgoreadabook's review
As soon as I opened this book, I knew it was going to be super entertaining to read. Brooke Allen is a wonderful illustrator! All of the drawings absolutely cracked me up. Imagine a boy riding an alligator back to where it came from after he's lasso'd it with some bed sheets from a hotel. Pretty funny in your head, right? It's even better to see. I'd show some of the artwork but since it said that the art may not be final, I'm going to exclude it for now.
P.T. Wilkie is hilarious. Above all else, he's imaginative. Spinning stories much to his classmates' delight, even some of the teachers, (except for grumpy old Mr. Frumpkes) and getting himself out of trouble on multiple occasions. The book does have some sad parts that deal with P.T. Wilkie's father, but it's made up for in non-stop funny shennanigans that him and his friend new friend Gloria get into.
We follow P.T., Gloria, and occasionally P.T.'s grandpa on hilarious antics in order to save their beloved motel from the hands of some horrid businessmen. Before they know it, they're caught up in a years old mystery surrounding a bank heist two robbers had pulled off. Now, the robbers are out of jail and snooping around the motel looking for their loot. P.T. and Gloria must find the jewels before they do and before Spring Break is over to keep the Wonderland Motel up and running and out of the grasp of people who don't deserve the motel.
P.T. Wilkie is hilarious. Above all else, he's imaginative. Spinning stories much to his classmates' delight, even some of the teachers, (except for grumpy old Mr. Frumpkes) and getting himself out of trouble on multiple occasions. The book does have some sad parts that deal with P.T. Wilkie's father, but it's made up for in non-stop funny shennanigans that him and his friend new friend Gloria get into.
We follow P.T., Gloria, and occasionally P.T.'s grandpa on hilarious antics in order to save their beloved motel from the hands of some horrid businessmen. Before they know it, they're caught up in a years old mystery surrounding a bank heist two robbers had pulled off. Now, the robbers are out of jail and snooping around the motel looking for their loot. P.T. and Gloria must find the jewels before they do and before Spring Break is over to keep the Wonderland Motel up and running and out of the grasp of people who don't deserve the motel.
hezann73's review
3.0
I think 4th and 5th graders would like this. To be honest, I think I may have liked it a little more if I had read, rather than listened to, it.
kacy_elise's review
3.0
My third graders loved P.T, Gloria, Grandpa, and all the Wonderland fun! The last page was perfect, so sweet. ☺️ All the razzle dazzle you could ask for!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - students’ rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - students’ rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️
theknitpick's review
4.0
A fun, wacky, summertime adventure. P.T. is good at telling tall tales, selling a story, and creating fun and wonder - a trait he picked up from his grandfather, the owner of Walt Wilky's Wonderland Motel. It's set as a parody of Disney World, but on a small scale. The story is clever, including moments of fun, storytelling, and even a bit of a mystery. It was a fun journey.
I enjoyed the illustrations that went along with this book. They really added to the cartoonish style of P.T. and his grandfather, who embody that old-fashioned salesman, complete with the "ol razzle dazzle." I also very much enjoyed Gloria, P.T.'s new friend and stock market wiz. The play between her and P.T. was really fun to read, with P.T. being a big goofball adding fun to Gloria's fact-oriented outlook. Between the two of them, their ideas truly work contribute to P.T.'s family's efforts to save their motel.
While some elements of the story are very clearly wild impersonations of life, including the Sneemer brothers, Big Irv, and Mr. Frumpkes, not to mention the whole Safariworld scene, it didn't feel too out of place, as it seemed right in line with P.T.'s outlandish storytelling. It felt like the characters were stepping right out of one of his stories, and so it never felt strange to see adults making such foolish mistakes.
This book would be a great summer read - it's fast paced, full of humor, and has that adventurous, save-the-day feel to it that would keep readers hooked. I didn't enjoy it as much as some of Mr. Grabenstein's other work, but it is still an enjoyable read and one that I would definitely recommend.
I enjoyed the illustrations that went along with this book. They really added to the cartoonish style of P.T. and his grandfather, who embody that old-fashioned salesman, complete with the "ol razzle dazzle." I also very much enjoyed Gloria, P.T.'s new friend and stock market wiz. The play between her and P.T. was really fun to read, with P.T. being a big goofball adding fun to Gloria's fact-oriented outlook. Between the two of them, their ideas truly work contribute to P.T.'s family's efforts to save their motel.
While some elements of the story are very clearly wild impersonations of life, including the Sneemer brothers, Big Irv, and Mr. Frumpkes, not to mention the whole Safariworld scene, it didn't feel too out of place, as it seemed right in line with P.T.'s outlandish storytelling. It felt like the characters were stepping right out of one of his stories, and so it never felt strange to see adults making such foolish mistakes.
This book would be a great summer read - it's fast paced, full of humor, and has that adventurous, save-the-day feel to it that would keep readers hooked. I didn't enjoy it as much as some of Mr. Grabenstein's other work, but it is still an enjoyable read and one that I would definitely recommend.
cweichel's review
3.0
The beginning didn't excite me and I wasn't sure if I would finish this. Then somewhere in there, I was hooked and couldn't stop listening.
libscote's review
4.0
I enjoyed this one. I hoped that maybe P.T. would get in a little bit of trouble for one of his outlandish stories (and maybe, in a way, he did). Overall, I loved this story of two plucky kids figuring out how to save a place they love.
imzadirose's review
3.0
Typical Grabenstein ~ humorous MG, over the top, but cute. Not his best stuff, not in the same league as Lemoncello, but good enough.
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