Sink the Gizmo

Gizmo #4

by Paul Jennings

Cal and Ricky both stare at the one-eyed seagull. You wanted food, Ricky whispers. There it is.

A seagull? You'd eat a seagull?

I'd eat anything, says Ricky. Anything.

When Ricky and Cal wag school, they bite off more than they can chew... At last, another amazing Gizmo story from Australia's master of madness.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Humor

Audio CD

First published June 1, 1998

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Paul Jennings was born in Heston near London, and at the age of 6 emigrated to Melbourne, Australia on a boat. He was on the boat for 5 weeks with his family. He attended Bentleigh West Primary School and Caulfield Grammar School.

After graduating from school, he went to Frankston Teachers College (now part of Monash University) and became a teacher. He taught students at Frankston State School, Kangaroo Flat State School, the Turana Youth Training Centre, and the Royal Children's Hospital State School in Mount Eliza. He later went on to study at the Lincoln Institute of Health Science (now part of LaTrobe University) and became a speech pathologist, then worked as a Lecturer in Special Education at Burwood State College (now part of Deakin University). In 1979 he became Senior Lecturer in Language and Literature at Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education (now part of Deakin University).

In 1985, Jennings' first book of short stories, Unreal! was published, during which he worked as a lecturer and wrote part-time; in 1989, he made the decision to devote his full time to writing. Many of his short stories, published between 1985 and 1991, were also adapted into the first and second series of the popular Australian television show Round the Twist.

Winner of the Dromkeen Medal (2000).

Reviews

[Jessica Gehrels · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolute classic. Found this in my garage and re read as an adult, edge of my seat.

[Nico Pat. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book when I was really young, (and I'm not saying that this is factual) but I remember being horrified at the terror and the boys going through pretty much what was torture on the boat.
I believe they ran out of fresh water, and didn't want to drink the sea water, so they resorted to drinking their own urine. Although this book scared me shitless, I kind of loved it????
3/5 stars, I have find it at my local library so I can re-read it now that I'm older.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Jennings book and another series of four books this time it is the fourth in the series but only the first I have read, and again it does not appear to matter that much. Jennings is sort of seen as the master of madness, and his plots are a bit mad cap so to speak, not truly memorable but entertaining.

[Neon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best one so far out of the series of four books. I really enjoyed it and there were no annoying characters like in the past books.

[Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

A childhood classic.

[Aidan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Childhood memories.

[Shanna_redwind · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very unusual story. Not for me, but perhaps it would appeal to the target audience of children more.

[Jack Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That's how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day.