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The Qwikpick Papers #1
The Qwikpick Papers: Poop Fountain!
This hilarious, highly original series, which so astutely captures the odd preoccupations of middle schoolers, will appeal to the many fans of the Origami Yoda series and such gross-out classics as How to Eat Fried Worms and Freckle Juice .
Lyle Hertzog and his friends Marilla and Dave expect to spend another dull holiday passing time at the local Qwikpick convenience store. Then an article in their hometown paper catches their eye—the sludge fountain at the nearby sewage plant is being retired. With this news, the three friends decide they’re not just normal kids who don’t have Christmas they’re the Qwikpick Adventure Society. Their first to see the “poop fountain” before it fades from glory.
Told with the mix of journal entries, doodles, and handwritten notes that has made the Origami Yoda books so appealing, this is another great series from a master chronicler of middle school.
Praise for The Qwikpick Papers
"Laugh-out-loud high jinks tailormade for reluctant readers. A hilarious and well- designed update."
-- School Library Journal
Summer 2014 Kids' Indie Next List
Lyle Hertzog and his friends Marilla and Dave expect to spend another dull holiday passing time at the local Qwikpick convenience store. Then an article in their hometown paper catches their eye—the sludge fountain at the nearby sewage plant is being retired. With this news, the three friends decide they’re not just normal kids who don’t have Christmas they’re the Qwikpick Adventure Society. Their first to see the “poop fountain” before it fades from glory.
Told with the mix of journal entries, doodles, and handwritten notes that has made the Origami Yoda books so appealing, this is another great series from a master chronicler of middle school.
Praise for The Qwikpick Papers
"Laugh-out-loud high jinks tailormade for reluctant readers. A hilarious and well- designed update."
-- School Library Journal
Summer 2014 Kids' Indie Next List
144 pages, Hardcover
First published May 10, 2007
295 people are currently reading
498 people want to read
About the author
Tom Angleberger
81 books794 followersTom Angleberger artist-turned-writer. He is a columnist for the Roanoke Times in Roanoke, Virginia, and began work on his first book while in middle school. Tom is married to author-illustrator Cece Bell. He lives in Christianburg, Virginia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
April 18, 2017
Can you resist a book called Poop Fountain!? I cannot.
This is an adventure story about three middle schoolers who live in a town where not much happens. So they make their own fun! They visit a poop fountain on Christmas!
The interplay between the three kids is appealing. I liked that two of the kids were from poorer families and one was not, and the poorer two sometimes had trouble with the richer kid's assumptions, but nobody actually said anything about it. I also liked that the hero of this book lives in a trailer and has parents who work as convenience-store clerks. It seems like most children's books are set in a middle-class or upper-class world, so this was a refreshing change.
This is an adventure story about three middle schoolers who live in a town where not much happens. So they make their own fun! They visit a poop fountain on Christmas!
The interplay between the three kids is appealing. I liked that two of the kids were from poorer families and one was not, and the poorer two sometimes had trouble with the richer kid's assumptions, but nobody actually said anything about it. I also liked that the hero of this book lives in a trailer and has parents who work as convenience-store clerks. It seems like most children's books are set in a middle-class or upper-class world, so this was a refreshing change.
June 3, 2014
A reprinting of my original review of the book back in 2007:
As a children’s book reviewer there is one fact that you must keep at the forefront of your mind at all times: You are not a kid. Not usually anyway. And because you are not a kid, you are not going to read a book the way a kid does. I keep talking in my reviews about how your own personal prejudices affect your interpretation of the book in front of you, and it’s bloody true. I mean, take scatological humor in all its myriad forms. When I read How to Eat Fried Worms as an adult, I didn’t actually expect the hero to eat worms (let alone 30+ of them). And when I read Out of Patience by Brian Meehl I really enjoyed it until the moment when the local fertilizer plant became... well, you’d have to read the book to grasp the full horror of the situation. Actually, Out of Patience was the title I kept thinking of as I got deeper and deeper into The Qwikpick Papers. Both books are funny and smart and both involve gross quantities of waste to an extent you might never expect. I am an adult. I have a hard time with poop. Poop aside (and that’s saying something) there’s a lot of great stuff going on in this book. It’s definitely a keeper, though it may need to win over its primary purchasing audience, adults.
Lyle Hertzog is going to level with you right from the start. In this story he and his friends, “didn’t stop a smuggling ring or get mixed up with the mob or stop an ancient evil from rising up and spreading black terror across Crickenburg.” Nope. This is the story of Lyle, Dave, and Marilla and their club’s first adventure. The kids say that they’re The Qwikpick Adventure Society because they meet regularly in the break room of the local Qwikpick convenience store where Lyle’s parents work. When it occurs to the three that they’ll all be available to hang out on Christmas Day, they decide to do something extraordinary. Something unprecedented. And when Marilla discovers that the local “antiquated sludge fountain” at the Crickenburg sewer plant is about to be replaced, they know exactly what to do. They must see the poop fountain before it is gone. The result is a small adventure that is exciting, frightening, and very very pungent.
Someone once told me that this book reminded them of Stand By Me, “except no dead bodies and no Wil Wheaton.” They may be on to something there. Author Tom Angleberger works the relationships between the kids nicely. It’s a little hard to get into the heads of all the characters considering that we’re seeing everything through Lyle’s point of view, but the author does what he can. As for the “sludge fountain” itself, kids looking for gross moments will not be disappointed. You might be able to sell it to their parents with the argument that it’s actually rather informative and factual on this point (though I suggest that you play up the relationship aspect instead).
There are few kid-appropriate taboo topics out there, but if I was going to suggest one I might say it was the issue of class. Oh, you’ll get plenty of books where a kid lives a miserable life in a trailer park and gets teased by the rich/middle class kids in their class about it, sure. Now name all the books you can think of where the main characters live in a trailer park and that’s just their life. Or have parents that work in a convenience store and there isn’t any alcohol abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, etc. I swear, a kid who actually lived in a trailer park these days who tried to find a book containing kids like themselves would have to assume that abuse was the norm rather than the exception. So when I saw that both Lyle and Marilla lived in a trailer park and it wasn’t a big deal, that was huge for me. Also, sometimes a book with kids of different religions or ethnicities will make a big deal about the fact. Here, Lyle’s Christian, Dave’s Jewish, and Marilla’s a Jehovah’s Witness and not white but not identified as anything in particular. Quick! Name all the Jehovah’s Witnesses you’ve encountered in children’s books where the story wasn’t ALL about being a Jehovah’s Witness! Riddleburger is making people just people. What a concept.
I’ve been talking a lot this year about books that don’t slot neatly into categories. The kinds of books that mix genres and styles. The Qwikpick Papers will be classed as fiction, no question about it, but its prolific use of photographs certainly separates it from the pack. For example, there’s a moment when the kids are trying to figure out what to do for Christmas. One of them suggests opening a fifty-gallon drum of banana puree that’s been sitting behind an empty Kroger store and there, lo and behold, is an actual honest-to-goodness photograph of a rusty, decaying, very real banana puree barrel. I don’t know whether to hope that Mr. Angleberger took the picture years ago and was just itching for a chance to get to use it, or that he created the barrel himself for the sole purpose of including a photo of it in his book. I also enjoyed the hand-drawn portions. The comic strip All-Zombie Marching Band deserves mention in and of itself (though technically William Nicholson’s The Wind Singer did it too).
I say that the poop, the sheer amount of it, will turn off a lot of adults. At the same time though there are plenty of moments that will lure the grown-ups back in again. Particularly librarians. Particularly librarians that have ever attempted an origami craft with a bunch of kids. For these brave men and women Lyle’s line about the process of doing an unfamiliar animal will ring true. “You follow the instructions through like thirty-four steps and all of a sudden there’s this funky zigzag arrow and on the next page it has turned from a lump of paper into a horse with wings.” YES! Exactly! Thank you!
All in all, I’m a fan. The characters ring true, the dialogue is snappy, the unique format will lure in reluctant readers, and talk about a title custom made for booktalking! There’s not a kid alive today who wouldn’t want to read the book when confronted with the plot. It has ups. It has downs. It has a great sense of place and a whole lot of poop. Take all angles into consideration when considering this book. On my part, I like it and that is that.
For ages 9-12.
As a children’s book reviewer there is one fact that you must keep at the forefront of your mind at all times: You are not a kid. Not usually anyway. And because you are not a kid, you are not going to read a book the way a kid does. I keep talking in my reviews about how your own personal prejudices affect your interpretation of the book in front of you, and it’s bloody true. I mean, take scatological humor in all its myriad forms. When I read How to Eat Fried Worms as an adult, I didn’t actually expect the hero to eat worms (let alone 30+ of them). And when I read Out of Patience by Brian Meehl I really enjoyed it until the moment when the local fertilizer plant became... well, you’d have to read the book to grasp the full horror of the situation. Actually, Out of Patience was the title I kept thinking of as I got deeper and deeper into The Qwikpick Papers. Both books are funny and smart and both involve gross quantities of waste to an extent you might never expect. I am an adult. I have a hard time with poop. Poop aside (and that’s saying something) there’s a lot of great stuff going on in this book. It’s definitely a keeper, though it may need to win over its primary purchasing audience, adults.
Lyle Hertzog is going to level with you right from the start. In this story he and his friends, “didn’t stop a smuggling ring or get mixed up with the mob or stop an ancient evil from rising up and spreading black terror across Crickenburg.” Nope. This is the story of Lyle, Dave, and Marilla and their club’s first adventure. The kids say that they’re The Qwikpick Adventure Society because they meet regularly in the break room of the local Qwikpick convenience store where Lyle’s parents work. When it occurs to the three that they’ll all be available to hang out on Christmas Day, they decide to do something extraordinary. Something unprecedented. And when Marilla discovers that the local “antiquated sludge fountain” at the Crickenburg sewer plant is about to be replaced, they know exactly what to do. They must see the poop fountain before it is gone. The result is a small adventure that is exciting, frightening, and very very pungent.
Someone once told me that this book reminded them of Stand By Me, “except no dead bodies and no Wil Wheaton.” They may be on to something there. Author Tom Angleberger works the relationships between the kids nicely. It’s a little hard to get into the heads of all the characters considering that we’re seeing everything through Lyle’s point of view, but the author does what he can. As for the “sludge fountain” itself, kids looking for gross moments will not be disappointed. You might be able to sell it to their parents with the argument that it’s actually rather informative and factual on this point (though I suggest that you play up the relationship aspect instead).
There are few kid-appropriate taboo topics out there, but if I was going to suggest one I might say it was the issue of class. Oh, you’ll get plenty of books where a kid lives a miserable life in a trailer park and gets teased by the rich/middle class kids in their class about it, sure. Now name all the books you can think of where the main characters live in a trailer park and that’s just their life. Or have parents that work in a convenience store and there isn’t any alcohol abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, etc. I swear, a kid who actually lived in a trailer park these days who tried to find a book containing kids like themselves would have to assume that abuse was the norm rather than the exception. So when I saw that both Lyle and Marilla lived in a trailer park and it wasn’t a big deal, that was huge for me. Also, sometimes a book with kids of different religions or ethnicities will make a big deal about the fact. Here, Lyle’s Christian, Dave’s Jewish, and Marilla’s a Jehovah’s Witness and not white but not identified as anything in particular. Quick! Name all the Jehovah’s Witnesses you’ve encountered in children’s books where the story wasn’t ALL about being a Jehovah’s Witness! Riddleburger is making people just people. What a concept.
I’ve been talking a lot this year about books that don’t slot neatly into categories. The kinds of books that mix genres and styles. The Qwikpick Papers will be classed as fiction, no question about it, but its prolific use of photographs certainly separates it from the pack. For example, there’s a moment when the kids are trying to figure out what to do for Christmas. One of them suggests opening a fifty-gallon drum of banana puree that’s been sitting behind an empty Kroger store and there, lo and behold, is an actual honest-to-goodness photograph of a rusty, decaying, very real banana puree barrel. I don’t know whether to hope that Mr. Angleberger took the picture years ago and was just itching for a chance to get to use it, or that he created the barrel himself for the sole purpose of including a photo of it in his book. I also enjoyed the hand-drawn portions. The comic strip All-Zombie Marching Band deserves mention in and of itself (though technically William Nicholson’s The Wind Singer did it too).
I say that the poop, the sheer amount of it, will turn off a lot of adults. At the same time though there are plenty of moments that will lure the grown-ups back in again. Particularly librarians. Particularly librarians that have ever attempted an origami craft with a bunch of kids. For these brave men and women Lyle’s line about the process of doing an unfamiliar animal will ring true. “You follow the instructions through like thirty-four steps and all of a sudden there’s this funky zigzag arrow and on the next page it has turned from a lump of paper into a horse with wings.” YES! Exactly! Thank you!
All in all, I’m a fan. The characters ring true, the dialogue is snappy, the unique format will lure in reluctant readers, and talk about a title custom made for booktalking! There’s not a kid alive today who wouldn’t want to read the book when confronted with the plot. It has ups. It has downs. It has a great sense of place and a whole lot of poop. Take all angles into consideration when considering this book. On my part, I like it and that is that.
For ages 9-12.
April 16, 2024
THIS BOOK IS STRAIGHT FIRE 🔥🔥🤪🤪
im a supporter of the furry community myself (we love those furries) IM THE ALPHA MALE!!!! 🐺so i truly understand this meaningful message. i dont know what it is but this book tastes rly good almost as good as my butt. bye my fellow children good night!🤪🥔🎀💩🍑
stay well and have a good night sleep and sweet dreams to you and your family and friends!
POV: i have a crush on you 😝🤓🥰😚🤞🖕👋
im a supporter of the furry community myself (we love those furries) IM THE ALPHA MALE!!!! 🐺so i truly understand this meaningful message. i dont know what it is but this book tastes rly good almost as good as my butt. bye my fellow children good night!🤪🥔🎀💩🍑
stay well and have a good night sleep and sweet dreams to you and your family and friends!
POV: i have a crush on you 😝🤓🥰😚🤞🖕👋
June 20, 2018
I was expecting a nice light , slightly ridiculous read.
Although slightly ridiculous this book had a much mired depressing tone than I would have expected.
I liked it but was surprised to see such deep themes in a kids book.
Although slightly ridiculous this book had a much mired depressing tone than I would have expected.
I liked it but was surprised to see such deep themes in a kids book.
February 23, 2018
I love Origami Yoda, and that has lots of smart and subtle humor... but even though this was about poop I didn’t find myself laughing very much. I guess I never felt like there was ever a moment that I was super “into” the story.
Definitely quirky, and some kids will get a chuckle out of it because the premise is so unique and the format stands out, too.
Definitely quirky, and some kids will get a chuckle out of it because the premise is so unique and the format stands out, too.
January 6, 2016
For kids who like series such as Diary of a Wimpy kid, but find those stories just a bit too average, The Qwikpick Papers add a little something more. The story is about three kids who want to find adventure in their very boring town. When they discover that the local sewage treatment plant is closing after Christmas to get renovated/enlarged along with their town. The story also takes place in 2000, when computers were a newer thing that not every person had and things like Facebook and youtube didn't exist. So the kids needed to find adventure outside of browsers.
I like the fact that the characters represented are not middle class kids, Lyle's family lives in a trailer park and his parents both work full time at a convenience store, both his parents have crippling student loans. For his Christmas present, instead of a computer or a video game system, his parents buy him a used typewriter. Although readers can tell that Lyle isn't thrilled about it, he doesn't complain and instead makes use of the typewriter to start his career as a reporter, and types up his report on the Poop Fountain. Marilla Anderson is also a Jehovah's Witness, which is another group that is little known or represented in YA (or anything else really), she is also moving into the same trailer park as Lyle, her family's house is being foreclosed on. Marilla is also mixed race and adopted. Dave is Jewish, a nerd, good at basketball and wears really old hand-me-down clothing.
So when the Christmas holiday comes around, Marilla's family doesn't celebrate, Dave's family has already finished their celebrations and Lyle's family always works double holiday shifts. The three kids decide that they should hang out together and have a big adventure. Everyone else will be celebrating, the whole town will be empty, but what to do?
When they hear about the upcoming changes to the treatment facility and the prospect of being the last people to witness the great poop fountain, spurred by Marilla the two boys agree to bear witness to 20 million gallons of sewage.
I also enjoyed the use of illustrations and photographs in the story, which were provided by the other two members of the club, illustrations by Dave and photos by Marilla. Marilla also mentions right away that just because she's friends with Dave and Lyle, she's not going out with either of them and doesn't plan on falling in love with them. Which was funny and I appreciated it. Though both boys do have crushes on her and seem to be in competition for her attention.
Even though the time period is the 2000s it feels about the same as now, dealing with a lot of issues that I foresee coming up, parents with student debt, families being forced to sell houses and move into apartments or trailer parks, kids growing up feeling self-conscious about having old technology when their parents cannot afford the newest iPhone.
I also have to mention that the author Daniel M. Pinkwater was mentioned twice in the book. When I told this to my brother his immediate response was, 'that's dangerous.' At first I didn't understand what he meant, because I was just thinking how it added to the plot that Lyle's favorite author was Pinkwater and he thinks the best book ever is the Hoboken Chicken Emergency (which coincidentally is another book I'm planning on reading this December). It's dangerous to mention a great author like Pinkwater in one's book, because that will automatically draw a comparison between one's book and Pinkwater's, which could be dangerous. I think Angleberger gets away with it, his book is a bit zany, has elements that are added to give kids some exposure to different lives, but with a story that brings characters/readers together.
I would recommend this to kids who like zany stories, will laugh at the word poop no matter how many times it's brought up and adults who are looking for something to read with their kids and enjoy just as much. Oh yeah and for urban explorers of any age.
I like the fact that the characters represented are not middle class kids, Lyle's family lives in a trailer park and his parents both work full time at a convenience store, both his parents have crippling student loans. For his Christmas present, instead of a computer or a video game system, his parents buy him a used typewriter. Although readers can tell that Lyle isn't thrilled about it, he doesn't complain and instead makes use of the typewriter to start his career as a reporter, and types up his report on the Poop Fountain. Marilla Anderson is also a Jehovah's Witness, which is another group that is little known or represented in YA (or anything else really), she is also moving into the same trailer park as Lyle, her family's house is being foreclosed on. Marilla is also mixed race and adopted. Dave is Jewish, a nerd, good at basketball and wears really old hand-me-down clothing.
So when the Christmas holiday comes around, Marilla's family doesn't celebrate, Dave's family has already finished their celebrations and Lyle's family always works double holiday shifts. The three kids decide that they should hang out together and have a big adventure. Everyone else will be celebrating, the whole town will be empty, but what to do?
When they hear about the upcoming changes to the treatment facility and the prospect of being the last people to witness the great poop fountain, spurred by Marilla the two boys agree to bear witness to 20 million gallons of sewage.
I also enjoyed the use of illustrations and photographs in the story, which were provided by the other two members of the club, illustrations by Dave and photos by Marilla. Marilla also mentions right away that just because she's friends with Dave and Lyle, she's not going out with either of them and doesn't plan on falling in love with them. Which was funny and I appreciated it. Though both boys do have crushes on her and seem to be in competition for her attention.
Even though the time period is the 2000s it feels about the same as now, dealing with a lot of issues that I foresee coming up, parents with student debt, families being forced to sell houses and move into apartments or trailer parks, kids growing up feeling self-conscious about having old technology when their parents cannot afford the newest iPhone.
I also have to mention that the author Daniel M. Pinkwater was mentioned twice in the book. When I told this to my brother his immediate response was, 'that's dangerous.' At first I didn't understand what he meant, because I was just thinking how it added to the plot that Lyle's favorite author was Pinkwater and he thinks the best book ever is the Hoboken Chicken Emergency (which coincidentally is another book I'm planning on reading this December). It's dangerous to mention a great author like Pinkwater in one's book, because that will automatically draw a comparison between one's book and Pinkwater's, which could be dangerous. I think Angleberger gets away with it, his book is a bit zany, has elements that are added to give kids some exposure to different lives, but with a story that brings characters/readers together.
I would recommend this to kids who like zany stories, will laugh at the word poop no matter how many times it's brought up and adults who are looking for something to read with their kids and enjoy just as much. Oh yeah and for urban explorers of any age.
May 4, 2016
Having thoroughly enjoyed all of the Origami Yoda books (and seeing as today is May the 4th be with you) I was excited to see a new book by Tom Angleberger and on top of that for it to be about poop! The first thought that came to my mind while reading this book was how similar it was to the Origami series and I instantly started to wonder why this escapade didn't just involve some Star Wars characters and Angleberger could have just added it on as another book in the series (I mean this book does have an Origami Pegasus in it). That's when I looked at the publication date and realized that this book was actually written before the Origami books and was obviously a springboard for his million dollar idea. I felt like this book was a rougher version of his great success and understandably, but it was written in a very similar style. I enjoyed this book for what is was and could see any fan of the Origami series enjoying it too. I'm also really pumped to see that he has gone back to this series and has continued to publish some sequels to go along with it recently. Everyone should take a second to read the background information about Angleberger (and his wife Cece Bell) because it is pretty inspirational and I'm glad they have both become beloved authors of many many kids (and adults too)!
February 10, 2018
Quirky, fun, and gross. I'm not quite sure how I missed this one when it came out. I can't wait to put it on display at my library.
Other notes - it tackled some pretty tough things in a way that felt so genuinely right for the age of the characters and for the intended readers; issues around class/money and the strange place many middle-schoolers find themselves as friendships grow and change.
I appreciated that the three friends are very different in lots of ways, including ethnicity and religion. It was awesome to have a real feeling Jehovah's Witness character. I can't remember ever coming across another, and I've been reading children's books as a librarian for over 20 years.
I guess everyone has there own sensitivities about stereotypes, and I probably would have loved this book even more if the Jewish kid wasn't the one who had money. However, my overall impression is that this book will serve as both mirror and window for many different kids, all wrapped up in kind of appealing style that so many middle grade readers cannot get enough of. There is a good chance that along with the entertainment, some readers may come away with a bit more empathy than they had before. (I do want to mention, though, that it did not feel didactic, at least to me.)
Thank you, Tom Angleberger for your fantastic work that my patrons adore.
Other notes - it tackled some pretty tough things in a way that felt so genuinely right for the age of the characters and for the intended readers; issues around class/money and the strange place many middle-schoolers find themselves as friendships grow and change.
I appreciated that the three friends are very different in lots of ways, including ethnicity and religion. It was awesome to have a real feeling Jehovah's Witness character. I can't remember ever coming across another, and I've been reading children's books as a librarian for over 20 years.
I guess everyone has there own sensitivities about stereotypes, and I probably would have loved this book even more if the Jewish kid wasn't the one who had money. However, my overall impression is that this book will serve as both mirror and window for many different kids, all wrapped up in kind of appealing style that so many middle grade readers cannot get enough of. There is a good chance that along with the entertainment, some readers may come away with a bit more empathy than they had before. (I do want to mention, though, that it did not feel didactic, at least to me.)
Thank you, Tom Angleberger for your fantastic work that my patrons adore.
August 25, 2016
We have all wondered what a water treatment plant is really like. This book is about 3 kids who go on an adventure to see the poop fountain before it shuts down on Christmas Day!!!! You will never believe what happens when they get there!!! Also, I'm just a big kid and I giggle every time poop is mentioned!!!!
June 8, 2024
WONDERFUL book. I read it in a fancy coffee shop while drinking tea and eating a chocolate eclair (the perfect accompaniment for this story).
December 29, 2016
Tom Angleberger is the best.
July 24, 2018
This book is downright hysterical. By hysterical I mean the funniest thing I’ve read since Dave Barry’s The Worst Class Trip Ever, which I read, well, two days ago.
Let me start this off by mentioning the historical intro. Turns out this book was inspired by real events. The Qwikpick gas station is a real place and there’s a real photo to prove it. Angleberger does this cool thing of inserting photos throughout the book. The pages are another cool thing. They look like photocopies of actual typewritten text. What I love most about Angleberger’s writing is how he goes off on tangents to explain things that no one would think needs explaining. For example, he explains how Lyle ends up with a typewriter instead of a computer in 2000 when typewriters were already becoming obsolete. This is Angleberger’s signature style, which I’m a little addicted to.
The thing I was not expecting from this book was a feeling of nostalgia. Not a feeling I like, because it means you want something that’s gone. In this case, it brought back the memory of a time (not that long ago) when kids came up with the cleverest ideas to stave off boredom. Sometimes they were so simple it’s hard to believe, like trying to throw a football into a space a foot wide without touching the walls. Sometimes they required more bravery, such as breaking into a sewage plant.
How does this come to be? Well, Lyle’s parents manage the Qwikpick gas station and always work on Christmas Day. Marilla is a Jehovah’s Witness and Dave is Jewish. This means Christmas Day is usually boring. As members of the Qwikpick Adventure Society they are obligated to thwart boredom on Christmas Day. Marilla comes up with the idea to sneak into the local sewage plant to see the poop fountain before it is dismantled in January. This book is the record of the Society’s first adventure.
Let me start this off by mentioning the historical intro. Turns out this book was inspired by real events. The Qwikpick gas station is a real place and there’s a real photo to prove it. Angleberger does this cool thing of inserting photos throughout the book. The pages are another cool thing. They look like photocopies of actual typewritten text. What I love most about Angleberger’s writing is how he goes off on tangents to explain things that no one would think needs explaining. For example, he explains how Lyle ends up with a typewriter instead of a computer in 2000 when typewriters were already becoming obsolete. This is Angleberger’s signature style, which I’m a little addicted to.
The thing I was not expecting from this book was a feeling of nostalgia. Not a feeling I like, because it means you want something that’s gone. In this case, it brought back the memory of a time (not that long ago) when kids came up with the cleverest ideas to stave off boredom. Sometimes they were so simple it’s hard to believe, like trying to throw a football into a space a foot wide without touching the walls. Sometimes they required more bravery, such as breaking into a sewage plant.
How does this come to be? Well, Lyle’s parents manage the Qwikpick gas station and always work on Christmas Day. Marilla is a Jehovah’s Witness and Dave is Jewish. This means Christmas Day is usually boring. As members of the Qwikpick Adventure Society they are obligated to thwart boredom on Christmas Day. Marilla comes up with the idea to sneak into the local sewage plant to see the poop fountain before it is dismantled in January. This book is the record of the Society’s first adventure.
October 9, 2019
There is an interesting premise regarding presenting the dire poverty of a town and people and how kids need to find mystery and fun in ordinary things as a result. The bombardment the reader receives of imagery of just how impoverished two of the three main characters are I felt was incredibly depressing - you are left reeling in a desperately bleak landscape of empty fields covered in dried cow dung, plastic Walmart bags, and barbed wire.
At the same time I was unsure how to react when a completely unnecessary point was made about the one Jewish character in the group of kids who made it a point to brag about his apparent parents' prosperity. The dire straights are reinforced by a somewhat unbelievable point that the two poorer kids would risk life and limb to retrieve an absolutely poop-drenched wallet with the hope of capturing a few poop-drenched dollars but then (in a sudden turn of morality) spend cash to mail it back to its owner (with what money?... we don't know).
The gross final quarter was both absurd and funny to a degree, but hardly worth the slog through the colorless meanderings that proceeded it.
At the same time I was unsure how to react when a completely unnecessary point was made about the one Jewish character in the group of kids who made it a point to brag about his apparent parents' prosperity. The dire straights are reinforced by a somewhat unbelievable point that the two poorer kids would risk life and limb to retrieve an absolutely poop-drenched wallet with the hope of capturing a few poop-drenched dollars but then (in a sudden turn of morality) spend cash to mail it back to its owner (with what money?... we don't know).
The gross final quarter was both absurd and funny to a degree, but hardly worth the slog through the colorless meanderings that proceeded it.
May 5, 2019
Young kids go to a sewage plant on Xmas to see a fountain of feces they read about in an article. It has the potential to thrive on juvenile humor (not a bad thing) without needing much of a plot, but it fails in both regards. While there are some suspenseful moments, once at the plant they are caught by a creepy guy who works there. Within minutes, he's convinced one of the kids to shower on site to clean up. He then drives them home. It's not exactly "stranger danger" in the sense that anything bad ultimately happens, but the kids are so quick to trust this guy it's probably not the best book to read to really small kids.
From the adult reading a kids book perspective, I was consistently bored. The kid audience I read it to found it intermittently entertaining. I think a book of poop jokes would have sufficed.
From the adult reading a kids book perspective, I was consistently bored. The kid audience I read it to found it intermittently entertaining. I think a book of poop jokes would have sufficed.
June 17, 2022
I'm sorry to give this such a poor review because I do genuinely appreciate Tom Angleberger. Not every children's author can create an authentic-sounding voice and I genuinely think he has a gift for this.
In this book he almost succeeds with channeling his subject too well because the story gets so sidetracked with kid-like asides and tangents that it tests the readers endurance. It's totally possible to turn a single escapade. In this case, a trip of kids snooping around to get a peek at their town's waste processing facility--nto an epic adventure, but we get too bogged down with the setup to make it feel very epic. Unfortunately with this book, that means all you're left with is the poop. Not recommended, but if you do read it, at least trust me and don't make the mistake of reading it before a meal. I hadn't realized just how literal the title was.
In this book he almost succeeds with channeling his subject too well because the story gets so sidetracked with kid-like asides and tangents that it tests the readers endurance. It's totally possible to turn a single escapade. In this case, a trip of kids snooping around to get a peek at their town's waste processing facility--nto an epic adventure, but we get too bogged down with the setup to make it feel very epic. Unfortunately with this book, that means all you're left with is the poop. Not recommended, but if you do read it, at least trust me and don't make the mistake of reading it before a meal. I hadn't realized just how literal the title was.
January 20, 2022
Yes, I read a book called Poop Fountain. Actually, I listened to it in the car with my kids.
The kids in the book become obsessed with a poop fountain/sewage treatment plant and that is literally what the book is about. It’s not necessarily relaxing to drive around envisioning the smell of a sewage treatment plant.
The upside is that Tom Engleberger, the author, is GREAT. Our family LOVES listening to his Origami Yoda series. Engleberger has a great way of portraying adolescents in a realistic and believable but highly entertaining way.
If I were looking for fun books to listen to (and you’re a Star Wars fan), I would definitely recommend Origami Yoda rather than Poop Fountain.
The kids in the book become obsessed with a poop fountain/sewage treatment plant and that is literally what the book is about. It’s not necessarily relaxing to drive around envisioning the smell of a sewage treatment plant.
The upside is that Tom Engleberger, the author, is GREAT. Our family LOVES listening to his Origami Yoda series. Engleberger has a great way of portraying adolescents in a realistic and believable but highly entertaining way.
If I were looking for fun books to listen to (and you’re a Star Wars fan), I would definitely recommend Origami Yoda rather than Poop Fountain.
August 14, 2018
Ok don't let the name get in the way. This was ok, was not what i was expecting. I like how he typed it all (well looked like it) lol. Well I do have to say I did find myself giggling a little when Lyle went swimming up to his shoulder for Marilla's camera in the poop. Then listening to the jokes from Santa. And really how could a wallet belonging to a man in Floyd County flushing it to Crickenburg (why shopping at the local Walmart of course) :)
October 5, 2020
This is a quick read about the Qwikpick Adventure Society, three kids who live in the same town and hang out a lot at the local Qwikpick. When all of them are looking for something to do on Christmas Day they decide to travel over to the water treatment plant to hopefully see the fabled poop fountain that is soon to be replaced by a new, state-of-the-art facility. What ensue is a very stinky adventure.
Good for ages 8 and up.
Good for ages 8 and up.
December 4, 2017
Told in the form of a typewritten diary the Qwikpick Papers details the quest to find Poop Fountain before it is rendered obsolete by the new water treatment plant. Although there were some moments that made me a bit queasy this was ultimately a good story that is about the lengths we’ll go for our friends. I enjoyed this book and plan to check out the other titles in the series.
November 12, 2018
Ok so this was weird, I like a fart gag as much as the next guy, unless he is the guy you farted on of course, but you know Poop Fountain? It was a strangely designed book, almost ergodic in style but really just did not overtly grab me, it was humorous in parts and the author is it seems someone who ikes =the absurd, but this had something missing.
May 13, 2017
My 12 year old gave this 4.5 while the 10 year old gave it 4 stars. It's been sitting on our bookshelf for a couple of years and I didn't think they'd get around to it. I'm glad we did. They found it funny and of course gross which is always a plus.
October 3, 2018
I liked the diversity of characters in this book, three very different people who share adventures. However, something didn’t gel for me with this book. I love this authors other series but this seemed to be a stepping stone to that.
September 30, 2019
Funny book with enough entertainment to keep younger readers of any level engaged and laughing. An interesting format, jumping between the typed, official story, the unofficial handwritten inclusions and notes, etc.
June 11, 2017
I liked the "To kick a corpse" book. Which is #3 out of 3 of the books in the series.
So, I picked out this. It's not interesting.
So, I picked out this. It's not interesting.
January 15, 2018
Great book
I just thought that it was a great and funny story about their adventure and how they were last people to ever see the amazing poop fountain
I just thought that it was a great and funny story about their adventure and how they were last people to ever see the amazing poop fountain
February 10, 2018
Great young fiction book. It had me at “poop fountain”. Enjoyed the matter of fact treatment of the diverse socioeconomics, written from the point of view of the kids.
August 13, 2018
Not as gross as the title suggests!
Great story. Easy and quick read with my daughters aged 7 and 9 and not the gross out book I imagined from the title. Recommended
Great story. Easy and quick read with my daughters aged 7 and 9 and not the gross out book I imagined from the title. Recommended
September 14, 2018
Hilarious. It didn't "stink." It was just stinking funny.
January 21, 2019
I love the report format and the pictures. Very funny book. 4.5 stars!!
March 28, 2019
I like poop
Good read for 9 year old boy. Story about adventure and friendship. Pictures were an added bonus. Wonder if it was true.
Good read for 9 year old boy. Story about adventure and friendship. Pictures were an added bonus. Wonder if it was true.
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