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A nine-year-old boy meets an array of colorful characters when he leaves his home in San Diego and takes a bus trip to Washington, D.C., to patent his toy bubble gun invention
234 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1975
6 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
Paul Gallico
186 books318 followersPaul William Gallico was born in New York City, on 26th July, 1897. His father was an Italian, and his mother came from Austria; they emigrated to New York in 1895.
He went to school in the public schools of New York, and in 1916 went to Columbia University. He graduated in 1921 with a Bachelor of Science degree, having lost a year and a half due to World War I. He then worked for the National Board of Motion Picture Review, and after six months took a job as the motion picture critic for the New York Daily News. He was removed from this job as his "reviews were too Smart Alecky" (according to Confessions of a Story Teller), and took refuge in the sports department.
During his stint there, he was sent to cover the training camp of Jack Dempsey, and decided to ask Dempsey if he could spar with him, to get an idea of what it was like to be hit by the world heavyweight champion. The results were spectacular; Gallico was knocked out within two minutes. But he had his story, and from there his sports-writing career never looked back.
He became Sports Editor of the Daily News in 1923, and was given a daily sports column. He also invented and organised the Golden Gloves amateur boxing competition. During this part of his life, he was one of the most well-known sporting writers in America, and a minor celebrity. But he had always wanted to be a fiction writer, and was writing short stories and sports articles for magazines like Vanity Fair and the Saturday Evening Post. In 1936, he sold a short story to the movies for $5000, which gave him a stake. So he retired from sports writing, and went to live in Europe, to devote himself to writing. His first major book was Farewell to Sport, which as the title indicates, was his farewell to sports writing.
Though his name was well-known in the United States, he was an unknown in the rest of the world. In 1941, the Snow Goose changed all that, and he became, if not a best-selling author by today's standards, a writer who was always in demand. Apart from a short spell as a war correspondent between 1943 and 1946, he was a full-time freelance writer for the rest of his life. He has lived all over the place, including England, Mexico, Lichtenstein and Monaco, and he lived in Antibes for the last years of his life.
He was a first-class fencer, and a keen deep-sea fisherman. He was married four times, and had several children.
He died in Antibes on 15th July, 1976, just short of his 79th birthday.
He went to school in the public schools of New York, and in 1916 went to Columbia University. He graduated in 1921 with a Bachelor of Science degree, having lost a year and a half due to World War I. He then worked for the National Board of Motion Picture Review, and after six months took a job as the motion picture critic for the New York Daily News. He was removed from this job as his "reviews were too Smart Alecky" (according to Confessions of a Story Teller), and took refuge in the sports department.
During his stint there, he was sent to cover the training camp of Jack Dempsey, and decided to ask Dempsey if he could spar with him, to get an idea of what it was like to be hit by the world heavyweight champion. The results were spectacular; Gallico was knocked out within two minutes. But he had his story, and from there his sports-writing career never looked back.
He became Sports Editor of the Daily News in 1923, and was given a daily sports column. He also invented and organised the Golden Gloves amateur boxing competition. During this part of his life, he was one of the most well-known sporting writers in America, and a minor celebrity. But he had always wanted to be a fiction writer, and was writing short stories and sports articles for magazines like Vanity Fair and the Saturday Evening Post. In 1936, he sold a short story to the movies for $5000, which gave him a stake. So he retired from sports writing, and went to live in Europe, to devote himself to writing. His first major book was Farewell to Sport, which as the title indicates, was his farewell to sports writing.
Though his name was well-known in the United States, he was an unknown in the rest of the world. In 1941, the Snow Goose changed all that, and he became, if not a best-selling author by today's standards, a writer who was always in demand. Apart from a short spell as a war correspondent between 1943 and 1946, he was a full-time freelance writer for the rest of his life. He has lived all over the place, including England, Mexico, Lichtenstein and Monaco, and he lived in Antibes for the last years of his life.
He was a first-class fencer, and a keen deep-sea fisherman. He was married four times, and had several children.
He died in Antibes on 15th July, 1976, just short of his 79th birthday.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
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January 23, 2009Have you ever wanted to run away from home? Have you ever wanted anything so bad that you would leave your home to go and get it? Have you ever wanted to prove something to your parents so bad that you would go to tremendous lengths to do so? That is exactly what Julian West, a nine and half year old boy, who is wise beyond his years, does when he runs away from home in order to patent his invention, a gun that shoots bubbles. Paul Gallico's The Boy Who Invented the Bubble Gun entertains in a cheesy style that leaves one smiling smuggly to himself and thinking about life.
As Julian West, the hero of the book, makes his way from San Fransisco to Washington D.C. he encounters a hijacker, a Russian spy (this book was written during the Cold War), and an ex-soldier who helps him along the way. Paul Gallico writes in these characters in a way that seems almost believable except for the dialouge of most of the book. The author is clueless of how a child's mind works. He fills in Julians speech with many a "Gee Willy" and youthful stutters. The book was funny because of the exaggerated character traits that each character seems to possess. No one in the book seems to be mediocre. Everyone seems to play an important over-dramatic role except for the blurry grey faces of a crowd. I was looking for a book that was super-cheesy and I believe that I found the correct one. The book had a great plot if your looking for an ironic corny adventure, with a side-plot of spies and conspiracies.
I would recomend this book, especially if you like cheesy books with exagerated characters. Paul Gallico wrote a great novel that ties in many moral issues that still confront the U.S. today.
P.S. Be prepared for some language - I thought this was somewhat of a child's novel but evidently there is quite a big of language in it.
As Julian West, the hero of the book, makes his way from San Fransisco to Washington D.C. he encounters a hijacker, a Russian spy (this book was written during the Cold War), and an ex-soldier who helps him along the way. Paul Gallico writes in these characters in a way that seems almost believable except for the dialouge of most of the book. The author is clueless of how a child's mind works. He fills in Julians speech with many a "Gee Willy" and youthful stutters. The book was funny because of the exaggerated character traits that each character seems to possess. No one in the book seems to be mediocre. Everyone seems to play an important over-dramatic role except for the blurry grey faces of a crowd. I was looking for a book that was super-cheesy and I believe that I found the correct one. The book had a great plot if your looking for an ironic corny adventure, with a side-plot of spies and conspiracies.
I would recomend this book, especially if you like cheesy books with exagerated characters. Paul Gallico wrote a great novel that ties in many moral issues that still confront the U.S. today.
P.S. Be prepared for some language - I thought this was somewhat of a child's novel but evidently there is quite a big of language in it.
September 22, 2013
I think this book was fantastic!!!!when I was reading this I thought I was watching a movie full of action.The writer has woven the story well with relevant incidents & they are matching all together as a nice movie.Also he has expressed the feelings of children who suffer without having the proper affection of their parents very nicely.We meet many characters in this story & they represent different characters in the present society.Also I think Marshall is a good person but he has become evil because he was ill treated by the society.I like the Ending very much & I think we must appreciate Little children like Julian who are born with talents:)
September 28, 2024
I first read this decades ago. I spotted my cop on the shelf, and decided it needed a reread. I’m very glad I did! I’d totally forgotten the entire Russian spies aspect of the plot!
Julian creates a design for a toy gun that shoots bubbles. His father,a very busy business man, brushes off Julian when he tries to show it to him. Well, Julian has a chunk of money from his birthday, so the 9 1/2 year old decides to take a bus from San Diego to Washington, D.C. to apply for a patent! He runs into an interesting variety of characters in his ride, including two teenagers planning to have sex for the first time, two dedicated chess players, a psychopath on the run, two very proper English sisters, a Colonel, a Russian spy trying to steal weapon designs, and a disillusioned Viet Nam vet whose just trying to find a way to make a living.
Gallico is probably best known for his Mrs. ‘Arris novels. His tales feature note worthy characters, deep emotions, and humor along with charm. It’s a very enjoyable novel.
Julian creates a design for a toy gun that shoots bubbles. His father,a very busy business man, brushes off Julian when he tries to show it to him. Well, Julian has a chunk of money from his birthday, so the 9 1/2 year old decides to take a bus from San Diego to Washington, D.C. to apply for a patent! He runs into an interesting variety of characters in his ride, including two teenagers planning to have sex for the first time, two dedicated chess players, a psychopath on the run, two very proper English sisters, a Colonel, a Russian spy trying to steal weapon designs, and a disillusioned Viet Nam vet whose just trying to find a way to make a living.
Gallico is probably best known for his Mrs. ‘Arris novels. His tales feature note worthy characters, deep emotions, and humor along with charm. It’s a very enjoyable novel.
October 3, 2023
Deserves all the stars. Been reading Mr. Gallico’s work for sometime, this might be his best.
Takes place in 1973, this is the story of a 9-and-a-half-year old boy traveling cross country to get a patent for his bubble gun. He knows if it makes him millions his distant father will respect him.
He is traveling by bus. So this lad comes across many characters on his quest; a war vet, 2 British spinster sisters, teen lovers, an American spy, a Russian spy, a classical musician and a psychotic killer to name a few.
Some of the story is gripping, some quite humorous,some touching but balanced and told in a very compelling manner. You’re rooting for him the whole way.
Takes place in 1973, this is the story of a 9-and-a-half-year old boy traveling cross country to get a patent for his bubble gun. He knows if it makes him millions his distant father will respect him.
He is traveling by bus. So this lad comes across many characters on his quest; a war vet, 2 British spinster sisters, teen lovers, an American spy, a Russian spy, a classical musician and a psychotic killer to name a few.
Some of the story is gripping, some quite humorous,some touching but balanced and told in a very compelling manner. You’re rooting for him the whole way.
September 22, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this coming of age story. A boy from San Diego who invented a bubble gun travels by greyhound to Washington where he plans to patent his invention. Quite interesting how his innocence fairs with the corrupt adult world. As always, Gallico's style of writing is engaging and reflective of the era and setting. Absolutely loved it, and I would surely read it again.
January 14, 2026
I read this almost fifty years ago and still enjoyed having read it.
January 7, 2025
Finally, here was a book that my husband and I could not put down. I read the whole book aloud to him, and it felt like we had not enjoyed a book this much in years. Usually, I ignore the reviews on the back cover, thinking what do critics know? This time, they were right. It was "delightfully refreshing," "a delight," and "not lacking in action and in tense situations." How this book was never turned into a movie or a Japanese anime is beyond me. I thought it was perfect.
Now, I had known how good Paul Gallico was as a writer ever since I was in the seventh grade. We read the Christmas story, The Snow Goose. At the time, I was completely mesmerized by Gallico's use of language. He was the best visual writer I had ever read. I never forgot his name. Later, I learned that he wrote both The Poseidon Adventure and Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. He has written way more than that. Reading this book, I was just as impressed with Paul Gallico's writing today as I had been in the seventh grade. I thought, I wish I could write like this. One cannot read this book without picturing oneself right in the thick of it all.
The title of the book is an understatement. The story only starts this way. It builds and continues building from there. To read it aloud, as I did, it felt like an old time radio serial. We could not wait for the next installment.
This book has been classified as a young adult novel. Because of the cursing by several characters and one tense scene, I would rate it PG-13.
Not only is this an adventure, it is also funny. There are wacky characters and mishaps aplenty. We laughed so hard reading it. I hope you will give this book a read.
Now, I had known how good Paul Gallico was as a writer ever since I was in the seventh grade. We read the Christmas story, The Snow Goose. At the time, I was completely mesmerized by Gallico's use of language. He was the best visual writer I had ever read. I never forgot his name. Later, I learned that he wrote both The Poseidon Adventure and Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. He has written way more than that. Reading this book, I was just as impressed with Paul Gallico's writing today as I had been in the seventh grade. I thought, I wish I could write like this. One cannot read this book without picturing oneself right in the thick of it all.
The title of the book is an understatement. The story only starts this way. It builds and continues building from there. To read it aloud, as I did, it felt like an old time radio serial. We could not wait for the next installment.
This book has been classified as a young adult novel. Because of the cursing by several characters and one tense scene, I would rate it PG-13.
Not only is this an adventure, it is also funny. There are wacky characters and mishaps aplenty. We laughed so hard reading it. I hope you will give this book a read.
January 14, 2016
Paul Gallico es uno de esos autores que uno comienza a amar, aunque sólo se haya leído de él una sola novela. Eso es lo que me sucedió. Por lo tanto, este segundo libro del autor, que conseguí por esas causalidades de la vida (vino dentro de una caja que compré de libros usados, que terminaron saliendo alrededor de dos pesos argentinos cada uno), y que atesoré en mi biblioteca hasta que el destino me dijese que era el momento de leerlo, lo comencé con mucha expectativa, pero a medida que avanzaba en la lectura creía que era un libro bastante diferente de Los inmortales tontos, aunque aún así me entretenía.
Cuando llegó la última noche de lectura, donde lo terminé, la intención era sólo leer un par de capítulos, pero resultó ser que uno de ellos fue como un cachetazo en la mejilla.
La historia parecía contar la odisea de un niño que quiere patentar su revolver de burbujas, un objeto que él mismo ha inventado, sin ayuda de ningún adulto. Pero cuando el libro está por terminar la trama parece dar un giro, que en cierta medida es previsible, y seguramente lo que sorprende no es el desenlace sino la astucia que tiene Gallico para narrarlo.
El autor es un escultor que talla la piedra dándole una forma hermosa, pero antes de finalizarla su obra da unos pequeños golpes, y aquello que era hermoso termina asemejándose a la cruda realidad.
La verdad es que sólo puedo decirles que si tienen la suerte de conseguir el libro, lo compren y lo lean. Paul Gallico es un escritor al que, aunque se lo odie un poquito por los finales de sus novelas, es imposible no amar.
Cuando llegó la última noche de lectura, donde lo terminé, la intención era sólo leer un par de capítulos, pero resultó ser que uno de ellos fue como un cachetazo en la mejilla.
La historia parecía contar la odisea de un niño que quiere patentar su revolver de burbujas, un objeto que él mismo ha inventado, sin ayuda de ningún adulto. Pero cuando el libro está por terminar la trama parece dar un giro, que en cierta medida es previsible, y seguramente lo que sorprende no es el desenlace sino la astucia que tiene Gallico para narrarlo.
El autor es un escultor que talla la piedra dándole una forma hermosa, pero antes de finalizarla su obra da unos pequeños golpes, y aquello que era hermoso termina asemejándose a la cruda realidad.
La verdad es que sólo puedo decirles que si tienen la suerte de conseguir el libro, lo compren y lo lean. Paul Gallico es un escritor al que, aunque se lo odie un poquito por los finales de sus novelas, es imposible no amar.
February 21, 2014
Here's another novel which full of adventure of a boy who wanted to prove himself to his father by making a patent of his invention. He was only 9 years-old, and he already had experienced many things happened on his way to patent his invention.
It was fun reading this novel, many laughters. But, I felt sorry for Julian because Marshall stole Julian’s invention after having a journey together. There're so many unfortunate happened to him as a boy. So, that's what made him wiser.
Overall, this novel was ok, not as great as I expected. Yet it's worth reading it to kill ur boring time.
It was fun reading this novel, many laughters. But, I felt sorry for Julian because Marshall stole Julian’s invention after having a journey together. There're so many unfortunate happened to him as a boy. So, that's what made him wiser.
Overall, this novel was ok, not as great as I expected. Yet it's worth reading it to kill ur boring time.
April 9, 2010
Julian, the little boy in the story, reminded me a bit of Forest Gump. Forest Gump, the movie, had me choking up every 5 minutes and left me longing for a world in which any of it could be possible. This book left me feeling the same way despite...well I won't mention any particulars...I loved this book, I fell head-over-heels for Julian; I want to be Julian.
March 11, 2008
a story of a boy who is a great deal wiser and more sensitive for his age.
July 16, 2009
I read this so long ago that I remember very little about it. I can remember that I liked it, though.
January 23, 2011
I love how the kids accidentally catches the interest of the Russian spy with his bubble gun blueprints.
November 14, 2012
I'm going to steal a comment from the back of the book: A DELIGHT.
A completely different coming of age story and a true pleasure to read.
A completely different coming of age story and a true pleasure to read.
April 25, 2013
Clever and entertaining. A little too much unfortunate language, though
July 14, 2014
Good characterisation, coming of age story, shows how life is unfair, fantastical in that it would never happen in real life, in this day or age.
March 30, 2015
Cute story. At first the characters got tumbled together but finally I was able to sort them out. Quick read.
March 1, 2016
Paul Gallico, RDC-M V 4-74, 7/76. Novel. Okay.
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March 8, 2016czu83032@euaqa.com
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2016
I used to read books from the used book store, books I found on my parents' shelves, books from the library. I read everything. I remember this story with
July 7, 2012
Action-packed and moving.
December 31, 2017
well written suitable for young readers
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews