Marvin Redpost: A Flying Birthday Cake?

Marvin Redpost #6

by Louis Sachar

Marvin cannot get to sleep. It's late, the ground is hard in Nick Tuffle's garden, he is far too full on cake and he has drunk too much punch. Then he hears a low humming noise. He feels the earth shudder beneath him and there is a bright flash - sort of the same colour as the green icing on Nick's birthday cake. Is he dreaming or was that a flying birthday cake, candles aglow? Perhaps something much stranger is on the horizon...

Genres: Humor, Childrens, Fiction, Chapter Books, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1999

About the author

Louis Sachar (pronounced Sacker), born March 20, 1954, is an American author of children's books.

Louis was born in East Meadow, New York, in 1954. When he was nine, he moved to Tustin, California. He went to college at the University of California at Berkeley and graduated in 1976, as an economics major. The next year, he wrote his first book, Sideways Stories from Wayside School .

He was working at a sweater warehouse during the day and wrote at night. Almost a year later, he was fired from the job. He decided to go to law school. He attended Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.

His first book was published while he was in law school. He graduated in 1980. For the next eight years he worked part-time as a lawyer and continued to try to write children's books. Then his books started selling well enough so that he was able to quit practicing law. His wife's name is Carla. When he first met her, she was a counselor at an elementary school. She was the inspiration behind the counselor in There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom . He was married in 1985. Hisdaughter, Sherre, was born in 1987.

Reviews

[Samane Hatam · Rating 5 out of 5]

این جلدش یه طورایی من رو یاد آخرین گودال انداخت. نوستالژی!

[Cole Mathewson · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Marvin Redpost A Flying Birthday Cake?” by Louis Sachar, was a good book about a boy named Marvin and his Friend Joe. Joe is a new kid at their school and everybody besides Marvin picks on him. They call him names and don't let him play the games they play during lunch. Marvin feels bad and invites him over for a sleepover. The two boys have a great time. At school Joe shows everybody how to play a game that he made up when he lived in Chicago. All the kids love the game and realizes what a good kid Joe really is.

Marvin Redpost, is a third grader who is an average boy with red hair, he is very caring and is always making sure everybody is included and he doesn't want anyone to feel hurt. Joe is a little odd but very nice. He wears the same Mickey Mouse T-shirt and ball cap every day. His parents are always moving to different states and it is hard for Joe to make friends.

The theme of the book was great! The theme was: some people may look odd and weird but if you give them a chance they can be quite cool and very nice. the characters were just like people you see every day which made the book much more powerful because all these kids probably do exist.

I recommend this book for people who like very uplifting and powerful books! It is short and sweet!

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, a new boy comes to Marvin's class. He seems strange to most of the class but Marvin befriends him and eventually helps his other friends at school learn to like Joe too. But who is Joe Normal? Could the flying birthday cake Marvin saw at a sleepover explain anything about Joe?

This is really a cute book. My 1st grader and I read it together and we both thought it was delightful. I liked the theme of learning to accept new friends along with some wonderful Louis Sachar humor.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the sixth book in the Marvin Redpost series. The story introduces a strange new boy to the school, and when everyone else is being mean to him, Marvin finds the courage to be a champion and be his friend. Marvin wonders about Joe, and the story implies that Joe acts so strange that he could be an alien. The ending is quite interesting, too.

I thought it was apt that Marvin's friends displayed odd behavior and quirks while they were picking on Joe for being different. It provides a good lesson without being overly preachy.

We enjoyed reading this story together and will borrow more of the books in this series from our local library. I'm a little disappointed to note that we are coming to the end of the series. I wish there were more...

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, first off, all the characters sniping at Nick and Stuart gives me life, because they remain the worst (please tell me those two get some comeuppances before this series ends).

I love how Marvin feels like a real kid- he wants to be kind, but is scared how it will affect him, but in the end, he at least tries to be kind and will decide to be, even if it's in small ways. He's a wonderfully written character.

I also love how he always leaves his mysteries opened ended in a cheeky, winky way.

[Mr. W · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a new kid at school and Marvin must admit that he's a little strange. But still, that's no excuse for everyone to pick on him.
This is another solid story from Sachar. It is his classic simple writing style achieving success on many levels. Fun plotting, real characters (well, that could be a stretch with this particular story[wink]), and a solid voice with which kids of all ages may relate.

[Xyra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. Definitely geared toward third grade readers with a basic style and language.

The theme: a new kind in town who is out of place. The author takes on the feelings of a former new kid who was picked on until he made friends with a few people trying to help the new new kid. With a bit of science fiction thrown in the mix.

Joe Normal's status remains a mystery. He may be a bit more alien than just being the new kid in school. ;-)

I enjoyed this a lot and think the theme and moral were well encompassed. Subtle but not too subtle this author's message.

One of my favorite parts was when Joe visited Marvin's home and immediately figured out the fence symbol.

This is book 6 in the Marvin Redpost series, but it stands alone very well.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Marvin Redpost books are great because they’re about some basically good, decent kids and their basically good, decent families. Sachar, like Beverly Cleary, writes kids as they really are, capturing them with humor and empathy, never condescension. This book pushes against the down-to-earth nature of the Redpost books by introducing a mysterious new character who may or may not be a space alien. But in the end, it’s another sweet story that celebrates kindness and friendship; any sci-fi implications of the plot wind up being totally beside the point.

[Melissa Namba · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title of the book only has to do with the first two pages of the book. So don't expect anything about flying cakes.

I really enjoyed this particular Marvin Redpost book because it taught a lot about empathy and accepting people even if they seem weird. Louis Sachar is a gem. He can teach these kinds of lessons without coming off preachy or moralistic. Marvin is just a good kid who recognizes that it isn't easy being the new kid.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this story because you just don't exactly know who Joe and his family are, and it leaves you to wonder, but not in an annoying way. They are friendly and nice, if not strange and somewhat unbelievable. And you don't see a lot of books with a title that is asking a question, so I enjoyed that aspect as well. We might try playing wizzle-fish too!

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 4 out of 5]

[placeholder]

I remember this was cute and funny. More than that, I need to find the book again. Placeholder to remind myself when I read it, since I have a record of when that was... now I just need to write up a proper review for personal reasons, haha.

[A. Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.4⭐️

[Sakura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvin tried to believe Joe and didn't give it up. I love it.

[Hikari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvin tries to be good at his new classmates, but his friend doesn’t

[Ciera Legue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it but it is absolutely wacky and crazy but interesting to see where everything will go

[Squire Whitney: Hufflepuff Book Reviwer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marvin Redpost: Flying Birthday Cake? contains helpful messages for young readers, and Joe Normal is probably the first interesting character in the series. Humor gets incorporated organically into the story. That said, the title yet again has nothing to do with the narrative, except for a brief and deeply unimportant scene at the beginning. And the ending feels insufficiently explained. I enjoy revisiting books that I read as a kid to see what they succeeded in and what they did not, but I am starting to fathom that I merely have become too old for this series.

[Cyndy Aleo · Rating 2 out of 5]

My third-grader asked me to join a school book club with her, which I have dutifully read for every month. Unfortunately, aside from the single Judy Blume title (FRECKLEJUICE), I haven't enjoyed a single one of them.

Louis Sachar is an award-winning children's writer (for HOLES), and the Marvin Redpost series (of which A FLYING BIRTHDAY CAKE is a part) has been very popular.

However, neither my third-grader nor I particularly cared for the book.

Mind you, it's a bit beneath her reading level at this point, but even if it did take her longer than 30 minutes to read this, I'd still probably have the same reaction: just because readers are children doesn't mean they need to be hammered over the head.

The book seems to lose its train of thought at several places. It begins at a sleepover party, then a new boy arrives at school. We have the moral story of "it's good to not go along with the crowd when they're bullying that is so outrageous even my daughter said "Uh, is the teacher even there?" and then some allusion back to the beginning of the story.

At times it's difficult to even tell who the main character is supposed to be, especially at the beginning, and the entire story seems awkwardly set up.

It leaves me to wonder whether the market is so small for chapter books because so many of them seem designed just to get children to read words rather than actually make them want to know more about a story.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like Louis Sachar books and this story is no exception to that rule. Marvin Redpost befriends a really strange boy that starts at his school and despite others, he really enjoys his company and friendship. Joe Normal is really a strange boy, that just wants to be normal like the rest of the class. But sadly, when you get children that call you names like door-key (dorkie) - poor Joe has a little bit f trouble fitting in. Such a sweet story about going against what others think about you and befriending that weird new child in the school.

[Wags · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a new kid at school and Marvin must admit that he's a little strange. But still, that's no excuse for everyone to pick on him.
This is another solid story from Sachar. It is his classic simple writing style achieving success on many levels. Fun plotting, real characters (well, that could be a stretch with this particular story[wink]), and a solid voice with which kids of all ages may relate.

[Tanja · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I found the title not the best of choices as the flying birthday cake appears just once at the very beginning of the story and is never heard of again, I did like this book so much better than the Class President. Funny, and yet giving the young reader something to think about: how do we treat people who are different from us. While serious at times, it is still funny and entertaining at the same time.

[Calvin Kwon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvin and Joe are good friends but Joe is really crazy. He says that Lake Wizzle is in Chicago where the Wizzle fish are wiggling all over the pond. And this is really unusual because there are the sharks beneath the Wizzle fish. In a pond? Joe is really weird. He wears the same clothing everyday except for one thing, Joe has lots of random ideas and he went to Lake Wizzle when he was young. Read this book to find out more if Joe is an alien or a human.

Calvin

[Cheongna Dalton]

(AR level: 3.2, AR points: 1.0, Lexile: 460)

Summary from Goodreads:
When Marvin and Stuart sleep over at Nick Tuffle s house for Nick s birthday, they set up sleeping bags in the back yard. Stuart and Nick go right to sleep, but Marvin tosses and turns. Then he hears a noise and something glowing zooms over his head. Is it really a flying birthday cake? Or could it be something even more bizarre? The next day, a very strange new kid shows up at school.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this was my favorite Marving Redpost so far. It is a fun book. The only problem is that I was totally expecting a twist ending and, well, there wasn't one. A twist ending would have been great.

Still, it is a neat book.

[Emily Bernd · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clever story that is funny but also helps students think about how we treat people differently. It is a good book for students that are not getting along with others as wella s when there is a new kid coming to class.

[Emaan Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still remember the day I bought this book. I was SUPER excited. It was my first ever book with actual chapters in it. I still remember every vivid detail of this book and the time I first read it. An amazing read.

I was 8.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wonder where the flying birthday cake really came from? It doesn't exactly tell you in the book. It makes me wonder if Joe is an alien...

[Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book got five because there was a flying birthday cake with green icing and the candles made it glow. Ha ha! Could you ever imagine that? I couldn't. This message is done now. Bye.

[Julisa Guzman]

i like this book beacuse it funny and i read all the book it makes me wanna read more of the books

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Louis Sachar is a great writer for mid-grammar school age kids--The Marvin Redpost series is a great example of his talent at accessible writing and reading for this age group

[Nova · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good quick read about friendships.