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Moone Boy #1
Moone Boy: The Blunder Years
Martin Moone is eleven and completely fed up with being the only boy in a family of girls. He's desperate for a decent wingman to help him navigate his idiotic life. So when best mate Padraic suggests Martin get an imaginary friend―or "IF" for short―he decides to give it a go.
His first attempt is Loopy Lou, a hyperactive goofball who loves writing rubbish rap songs. But Martin soon gets fed up with Lou's loopiness and decides to trade in his IF for someone a little less wacky. Enter Sean "Caution" Murphy, an imaginary office clerk in a bad suit with a passion for laziness and a head full of dodgy jokes. Sean is full of tips and tricks to guide Martin through the perils of the playground, from dealing with his sisters' pranks to besting the bullying Bonner boys. But getting rid of Lou is not that easy, and having TWO imaginary friends is a recipe for trouble!
His first attempt is Loopy Lou, a hyperactive goofball who loves writing rubbish rap songs. But Martin soon gets fed up with Lou's loopiness and decides to trade in his IF for someone a little less wacky. Enter Sean "Caution" Murphy, an imaginary office clerk in a bad suit with a passion for laziness and a head full of dodgy jokes. Sean is full of tips and tricks to guide Martin through the perils of the playground, from dealing with his sisters' pranks to besting the bullying Bonner boys. But getting rid of Lou is not that easy, and having TWO imaginary friends is a recipe for trouble!
400 pages, Hardcover
First published October 16, 2014
39 people are currently reading
689 people want to read
About the author
Chris O'Dowd
22 books40 followersChristopher O'Dowd is an Irish actor, best known for comedic roles such as Miles Daly in the Epix comedy series Get Shorty and Roy Trenneman in the Channel 4 comedy The IT Crowd. O'Dowd created and starred in the Sky 1 television series Moone Boy, which aired between 2012 and 2015.He co-wrote a series based on his childhood called Moone Boy for Sky 1. Segments of the series are filmed in his hometown, Boyle. A book based on the series and also co-written by O'Dowd, Moone Boy: The Blunder Years, was published in May 2015. He had a recurring role on the comedy-drama series Girls.
O'Dowd is also known for his film roles, most notably Bridesmaids (2011), This Is 40 (2012), The Sapphires (2012), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Calvary (2014), and St. Vincent (2014). He made his Broadway debut in the play adaptation of Of Mice and Men in 2014, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award.
O'Dowd is also known for his film roles, most notably Bridesmaids (2011), This Is 40 (2012), The Sapphires (2012), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Calvary (2014), and St. Vincent (2014). He made his Broadway debut in the play adaptation of Of Mice and Men in 2014, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
August 30, 2015
Despite this book being laid out alot like Diary Of A Wimpy Kid, I'm surprised I didn't enjoy it.
I know I'm far too old to be reading this, but sometimes it's nice to have a quick and easy read. I found that the characters were all annoying and I didn't really want to read it.
Luckily I managed to get through this book after such a long time reading it. I can unfortunately only give this book 2 stars.
I know I'm far too old to be reading this, but sometimes it's nice to have a quick and easy read. I found that the characters were all annoying and I didn't really want to read it.
Luckily I managed to get through this book after such a long time reading it. I can unfortunately only give this book 2 stars.
November 9, 2015
Here's your fair WARNING: I am a fan of Chris O'Dowd and thoroughly enjoyed the TV version of Moone Boy, so I might just be a wee bit biased.
Imaginary friends are a common staple of a child as they grow up and learn to cope with life on their own...sort of.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Chris O'Dowd and Nick V. Murphy's Moone Boy: The Blunder Years brings to life on the page the characters and some of the introductory situations depicted in the show. Eleven year old Martin Moone is fed up with sisterly tyranny that he endures day after day as the only boy of four children in rural Ireland. After learning about his rather simple friend Padraic's imaginary friend (a.k.a. IF) he wants to get in on the deal. Martin's first IF is Loopy Lou and he's a real oddball character and not the kind of IF that Martin wanted. When a Customer Service representative, Sean "Caution" Murphy comes to follow up on Martin's desire to switch IFs, both their lives get a bit more interesting.
The story within the book is much like the television show, but there isn't a need to have seen the show to understand what's presented in the pages of O'Dowd and Murphy's imaginations. The writing and voice of the narrative is clever, witty, and infused with an age-appropriate honesty and humor. The format of the book with the loose-leaf lined pages and illustrations reminded me quite a bit of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, which is a good and a bad thing. The good aspects include the holistic concept and characters being conveyed through the presentation of the book in addition to the narrative. The bad aspects include being perceived as a derivative work without many unique elements to set it apart from the pack. I found that the illustrations and footnote definitions and explanations were helpful in depicting Martin's imagination thoroughly while still allowing the reader to employ their own imaginations to further the world built within the narrative.
Imaginary friends are a common staple of a child as they grow up and learn to cope with life on their own...sort of.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Chris O'Dowd and Nick V. Murphy's Moone Boy: The Blunder Years brings to life on the page the characters and some of the introductory situations depicted in the show. Eleven year old Martin Moone is fed up with sisterly tyranny that he endures day after day as the only boy of four children in rural Ireland. After learning about his rather simple friend Padraic's imaginary friend (a.k.a. IF) he wants to get in on the deal. Martin's first IF is Loopy Lou and he's a real oddball character and not the kind of IF that Martin wanted. When a Customer Service representative, Sean "Caution" Murphy comes to follow up on Martin's desire to switch IFs, both their lives get a bit more interesting.
The story within the book is much like the television show, but there isn't a need to have seen the show to understand what's presented in the pages of O'Dowd and Murphy's imaginations. The writing and voice of the narrative is clever, witty, and infused with an age-appropriate honesty and humor. The format of the book with the loose-leaf lined pages and illustrations reminded me quite a bit of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, which is a good and a bad thing. The good aspects include the holistic concept and characters being conveyed through the presentation of the book in addition to the narrative. The bad aspects include being perceived as a derivative work without many unique elements to set it apart from the pack. I found that the illustrations and footnote definitions and explanations were helpful in depicting Martin's imagination thoroughly while still allowing the reader to employ their own imaginations to further the world built within the narrative.
did-not-finish
May 20, 2015This one just wasn't for me. It's not one I'll be keeping around for my boys, either.
From reading around, it appears this book is a prequel to the HULU show, Moone Boy, which I haven't watched.
To start with, there's a great deal of footnotes, which bugged me to no end. You'll be reading along, and come to a word with an asterisk beside it. Knowing there's a note at the bottom of the page about that word, you'll feel the need to go ahead and read it. Then you'll have to go back and settle into the story again. Even if you resist reading the footnote immediately, you'll at least want to read it before going to the next page. These footnotes happen very regularly, sometimes multiple times per page. It was just super annoying, and made it impossible to settle into the story(for me, anyway). That said, without the footnotes, I wouldn't have had a clue what was going on half the time. Some of the words are used in America, and they seemed to be defined purely for humor, but there's lots of Irish things within the story that most of us Americans wouldn't know anything about. While I don't mind learning Irish things, I don't care to this way.
Next, while I'm not naive in the world of sibling rivalry(I had a sister and a brother, and I have 3 boys of my own....plenty of rivalry experience), I didn't really care for some of the remarks in here. At one point Martin struggles to get the image of his sister's weird mole, back acne, and tufts of shoulder hair out of his mind. Turning to physical issues for humor typically bugs me. I've worked hard with my little ones to not laugh or point out physical things/issues about people. Sometimes it's a live and learn kind of thing, but I wouldn't hand over a book like this to them. I stopped reading about halfway through, but from scanning through, Martin even offers his sister's boobs as bait for a bully problem at one point.
Due to the female "disrespect" within the book, I wouldn't recommend this to girls(at least). There's also gross stuff. At one point, a man holds one of his nostrils, sucks snot back into his nose, and then hocks and spits it on the ground. ((gag)) The books almost lost me completely right there. Showing it to my husband, he just shrugged in a carefree manner, so that kind of thing apparently doesn't bother the male gender as much as it does me(even as a young child). He didn't find it funny, though, thankfully.
Lastly, I didn't care for the profanity in the book. It seems like it's getting more and more common in middle grade books. I even have a few middle grade favorites with some here and there. Between the profanity and the slang and even some more mature things within the book, though, I was just surprised with this being in the middle grade realm.
So, if none of that bothers you, sure, give it a try. I'd be lying if I said I didn't laugh several times! Still, I won't be adding to my sons' bookshelf, nor could I comfortably recommend it.
*I was provided an ARC, in exchange for my honest opinion.
From reading around, it appears this book is a prequel to the HULU show, Moone Boy, which I haven't watched.
To start with, there's a great deal of footnotes, which bugged me to no end. You'll be reading along, and come to a word with an asterisk beside it. Knowing there's a note at the bottom of the page about that word, you'll feel the need to go ahead and read it. Then you'll have to go back and settle into the story again. Even if you resist reading the footnote immediately, you'll at least want to read it before going to the next page. These footnotes happen very regularly, sometimes multiple times per page. It was just super annoying, and made it impossible to settle into the story(for me, anyway). That said, without the footnotes, I wouldn't have had a clue what was going on half the time. Some of the words are used in America, and they seemed to be defined purely for humor, but there's lots of Irish things within the story that most of us Americans wouldn't know anything about. While I don't mind learning Irish things, I don't care to this way.
Next, while I'm not naive in the world of sibling rivalry(I had a sister and a brother, and I have 3 boys of my own....plenty of rivalry experience), I didn't really care for some of the remarks in here. At one point Martin struggles to get the image of his sister's weird mole, back acne, and tufts of shoulder hair out of his mind. Turning to physical issues for humor typically bugs me. I've worked hard with my little ones to not laugh or point out physical things/issues about people. Sometimes it's a live and learn kind of thing, but I wouldn't hand over a book like this to them. I stopped reading about halfway through, but from scanning through, Martin even offers his sister's boobs as bait for a bully problem at one point.
Due to the female "disrespect" within the book, I wouldn't recommend this to girls(at least). There's also gross stuff. At one point, a man holds one of his nostrils, sucks snot back into his nose, and then hocks and spits it on the ground. ((gag)) The books almost lost me completely right there. Showing it to my husband, he just shrugged in a carefree manner, so that kind of thing apparently doesn't bother the male gender as much as it does me(even as a young child). He didn't find it funny, though, thankfully.
Lastly, I didn't care for the profanity in the book. It seems like it's getting more and more common in middle grade books. I even have a few middle grade favorites with some here and there. Between the profanity and the slang and even some more mature things within the book, though, I was just surprised with this being in the middle grade realm.
So, if none of that bothers you, sure, give it a try. I'd be lying if I said I didn't laugh several times! Still, I won't be adding to my sons' bookshelf, nor could I comfortably recommend it.
*I was provided an ARC, in exchange for my honest opinion.
July 31, 2015
Chris O'Dowd, why are you so awesome? Leave some awesome for the rest of us, you're using it all up, Sir! I have been a fan of pretty much everything O'Dowd has been in, so for me this review is probably biased at best. I guess I'm just a fan of his type of humor.
I had already seen the television series that inspired this book, so I pretty much knew that I was going to enjoy it. I wasn't wrong.
Martin Moone is the youngest and malest kid in the Moone family. Having three older sisters an even older mother and a slightly not quite there dad leaves Martin in a bit of a pickle. He needs a wingman, a role model, a fellow dude to help him with his troubles; mainly the Bonner brothers a pair of bullies who're making Martin's life hell.
Martin also has another problem; his imagination is sorely lacking. Who better to help with imagination issues and wingman duties than an imaginary friend? Martin's friend Padraic introduces him to the world of IFs and soon Martin has his own IF, Loopy Lou. But, ol' Lou isn't the best wingman. In fact, he gets Martin into more trouble and drives him up the wall to boot.
When CustServRep263 enters Martin's wardrobe, Martin is certain he's found his perfect IF, but with Loopy Lou still on the loose will he be able to defeat the Bonners, deal with his dead arm expert sisters and keep his parents from sending him to the loony bin? I was a little worried about the fact that to become an 'official' IF one's middle toes have to be removed. What!? That put me right off applying for IF status, I'll tell you.
Martin Moone is The Wimpy Kid for the weird kids. I think both adults and kids would get the jokes and humor in the story and for me the illustrations and footnotes added to the feel of the book and the imagination of it all. Sure, there's gross parts and sometimes Martin can be a bit thick and a bit mean to his sisters, but that's because he's a kid. I don't like books that make children out to be learning lessons all the time or always making the 'right' choice, because that's totally unrealistic (not to mention pretty boring). People do find farts funny, people will judge based on appearance (come on, admit it), and everyone will make mistakes and not realize the consequences of their actions until it's too late. We're not all Boxcar Children. Some of us are only human.
I had already seen the television series that inspired this book, so I pretty much knew that I was going to enjoy it. I wasn't wrong.
Martin Moone is the youngest and malest kid in the Moone family. Having three older sisters an even older mother and a slightly not quite there dad leaves Martin in a bit of a pickle. He needs a wingman, a role model, a fellow dude to help him with his troubles; mainly the Bonner brothers a pair of bullies who're making Martin's life hell.
Martin also has another problem; his imagination is sorely lacking. Who better to help with imagination issues and wingman duties than an imaginary friend? Martin's friend Padraic introduces him to the world of IFs and soon Martin has his own IF, Loopy Lou. But, ol' Lou isn't the best wingman. In fact, he gets Martin into more trouble and drives him up the wall to boot.
When CustServRep263 enters Martin's wardrobe, Martin is certain he's found his perfect IF, but with Loopy Lou still on the loose will he be able to defeat the Bonners, deal with his dead arm expert sisters and keep his parents from sending him to the loony bin? I was a little worried about the fact that to become an 'official' IF one's middle toes have to be removed. What!? That put me right off applying for IF status, I'll tell you.
Martin Moone is The Wimpy Kid for the weird kids. I think both adults and kids would get the jokes and humor in the story and for me the illustrations and footnotes added to the feel of the book and the imagination of it all. Sure, there's gross parts and sometimes Martin can be a bit thick and a bit mean to his sisters, but that's because he's a kid. I don't like books that make children out to be learning lessons all the time or always making the 'right' choice, because that's totally unrealistic (not to mention pretty boring). People do find farts funny, people will judge based on appearance (come on, admit it), and everyone will make mistakes and not realize the consequences of their actions until it's too late. We're not all Boxcar Children. Some of us are only human.
October 29, 2015
My husband brought Martin Moone and his crazy Irish family into my life this past summer and my life has never been the same. I loved this TV show and it brought back so many memories for me because this show felt like The Wonder Years and well that was MY show back in the day. Imagine my surprise when I discovered Martin and Sean had their very own book! I had to have this little gem so I one click bought it and couldn't wait to read more Moone adventures!
This book is exactly like the show. It revolves around Martin, his crazy family full of sisters, his friend Padraic, and his imaginary friend Sean Murphy. Yes you read that right his imaginary friend ha! I love Sean Murphy and he brings that inner voice that we all loved in The Wonder Years to life! In this story though we get to see how Sean Murphy came about and that was super fun. I enjoyed seeing how these two crazy characters came together and how imaginary friends actually work. Having this as part of the book is great because it makes the reader understand what Martin is going through and why he chose to find an IF (Imaginary friend) It's not for any big drama reason so don't go looking to far into it lol, it's strictly because he needed a wingman to keep him sane.
I will say I don't know if this will work for those who haven't seen the show. This book might just seem really silly, but if you find yourself saying I just don't get it watch the show! It's on Hulu and I promise after you watch the show you will definitely get it!
I've seen this compared to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but this is not that type of book. This is for middle grade because Martin is in sixth grade but it has more teenage situations than middle grade so I wouldn't recommend this for younger readers.
One side note I loved the addition of the footnotes. Sometimes when I read books published in another country I have a hard time grabbing the lingo so this little cheat sheet was well appreciated and I found them hilarious! This was super fun and I will definitely read the next book!
This book is exactly like the show. It revolves around Martin, his crazy family full of sisters, his friend Padraic, and his imaginary friend Sean Murphy. Yes you read that right his imaginary friend ha! I love Sean Murphy and he brings that inner voice that we all loved in The Wonder Years to life! In this story though we get to see how Sean Murphy came about and that was super fun. I enjoyed seeing how these two crazy characters came together and how imaginary friends actually work. Having this as part of the book is great because it makes the reader understand what Martin is going through and why he chose to find an IF (Imaginary friend) It's not for any big drama reason so don't go looking to far into it lol, it's strictly because he needed a wingman to keep him sane.
I will say I don't know if this will work for those who haven't seen the show. This book might just seem really silly, but if you find yourself saying I just don't get it watch the show! It's on Hulu and I promise after you watch the show you will definitely get it!
I've seen this compared to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but this is not that type of book. This is for middle grade because Martin is in sixth grade but it has more teenage situations than middle grade so I wouldn't recommend this for younger readers.
One side note I loved the addition of the footnotes. Sometimes when I read books published in another country I have a hard time grabbing the lingo so this little cheat sheet was well appreciated and I found them hilarious! This was super fun and I will definitely read the next book!
April 11, 2019
Sometimes I love reading something very light and Moone boy was exactly what I needed ..... laughed through out the whole book and I enjoyed it so much
It’s a book that taught me about friends no matter how annoying they are sometimes you can’t just break a friendship like how you break a glass
To break a friendship is something you need to think about
because you don’t know how much it will affect your friend and it might also affect your happiness if he keeps bugging your life
It’s a book that taught me about friends no matter how annoying they are sometimes you can’t just break a friendship like how you break a glass
To break a friendship is something you need to think about
because you don’t know how much it will affect your friend and it might also affect your happiness if he keeps bugging your life
Want to read
March 7, 2015I adore Moone Boy! It's such a weird and charming TV series.
May 5, 2017
That was ridiculous, and really well read in the audiobook. It may not have been perfect for me, but I know the perfect people for it, and will be recommending it asap.
The definition footnotes are the best part and I love them.
The fact that this was apparently written as revenge upon his sister makes everything crystal clear. Obviously a lot of affection there now, which was probably not present growing up :D
The definition footnotes are the best part and I love them.
The fact that this was apparently written as revenge upon his sister makes everything crystal clear. Obviously a lot of affection there now, which was probably not present growing up :D
October 21, 2021
Listened to this with Sophie. It’s rated 10+
Had to stop listening to it with her at about 2/3rds in as there is about whole section about trying to get one of his sisters to let a boy he needs a favour from feel her boobies!!
Maybe I’m a prude but I didn’t want to explain booby feeling to my 9 year old.
So, I listened to the rest myself.
Hilarious.
I’ve never laughed as hard to a book.
Has to be listened to - Chris O’Dowd is a genius.
I’m off to watch the series now.
Had to stop listening to it with her at about 2/3rds in as there is about whole section about trying to get one of his sisters to let a boy he needs a favour from feel her boobies!!
Maybe I’m a prude but I didn’t want to explain booby feeling to my 9 year old.
So, I listened to the rest myself.
Hilarious.
I’ve never laughed as hard to a book.
Has to be listened to - Chris O’Dowd is a genius.
I’m off to watch the series now.
April 6, 2018
I vowed for this year to be a year I purposely read books about people living different lives than me, that is people of other races, other religions, people living in other countries, etc. I hoped to learn a bit about Irish culture from this book, while enjoying an entertaining and humorous story. I mostly learned that the way the Eskimo have numerous words for "snow" the Irish have numerous ways to say "having fun." Also numerous ways to call someone an "idiot." This was great on audio, and I'll be sure to suggest it this summer to all the families looking for road trip listens (with a bit of a content warning: there is some conversation about young women's bodies, and what obligation they are under, if any, to let young men touch them, which may be an uncomfortable topic for some families, but I personally feel it's okay, in fact, good for families to address uncomfortable topics such as this.)
July 4, 2023
The TV show was way better this was not great tbh
January 7, 2023
TV show was so good I couldn’t resist reading the book.
October 28, 2014
When 11 year old Martin Moone can not stand or cope with the constant accusations, dead legs and arms, and bullying from his three sisters. And that his best friend Padraic can't play out with him over the summer holidays. Bored, bullied, and friendless he decides he needs a co-pilot, a wingman, an imaginary friend to help him out.
Ordering one's not easy, but the lure of a free chocolate fish with a certain if (imaginary friend) in the catalogue makes Martin's decision a lot easier. Enter Loopy "Loopington" Lou. Loopy Lou is the most annoying, stupid, if ever, and Martin can't stand him and wants to send him back. When if customer service representative or CustServRep263 has he's known comes through the wardrobe to fill in the paperwork to send back Loopy Lou, Martin decides that CustServRep263 with his too small suit, red bobble hat, and beard would be the perfect replacement for Lou he just keeps him. Simple-as right? Wrong! It's against the rules for anyone who's not a qualified if becomes an if, and with Loopy Lou evicted from Martin's imagination he's still around and he's going to make life for CustServRep263 or Sean "Caution" Murphy as he's now known to Martin and the iffy council life a misery.
This is the perfect children's read. It's funny, clever, a bit naughty, a bit stupid, lots of fun, and has a great build up of suspense, power, and emotion. Not only that though, parents and old children who read this will love it too. Why? Because it's all them things I've just said. It's quirky and charming and had you laughing along from the start. You adore Martin even though he is a bit thick, and your heart goes out to him when he constantly bullied by his sisters and the school bullies the Bonner Brothers. You fall in love with Sean and his dry witt straight away. They make a brilliant pairing. We are also introduced to a brilliant array of characters on top of them two too. We meet Scandinavian tree Bruce the Spruce, and his pal Laurel the Laurel bush from Cork. Ming the Magpie with the hypochondriac wife, and Magic poop. And two haystack thugs called Ron and Reg Hay. Just from their descriptions you can see what a fantastic array they are, and how much life, fun, and interest they bring to the read. You know what else is brilliant about it too? There's little *'s to explain certain words to the kids if they don't understand them right, and they are hilarious! I loved them.
This is without a doubt the funniest children's book I've ever read. I will be recommending it to all my friends with children and I will be passing my copy on to my boys to read.
Great fun!
5/5
Ordering one's not easy, but the lure of a free chocolate fish with a certain if (imaginary friend) in the catalogue makes Martin's decision a lot easier. Enter Loopy "Loopington" Lou. Loopy Lou is the most annoying, stupid, if ever, and Martin can't stand him and wants to send him back. When if customer service representative or CustServRep263 has he's known comes through the wardrobe to fill in the paperwork to send back Loopy Lou, Martin decides that CustServRep263 with his too small suit, red bobble hat, and beard would be the perfect replacement for Lou he just keeps him. Simple-as right? Wrong! It's against the rules for anyone who's not a qualified if becomes an if, and with Loopy Lou evicted from Martin's imagination he's still around and he's going to make life for CustServRep263 or Sean "Caution" Murphy as he's now known to Martin and the iffy council life a misery.
This is the perfect children's read. It's funny, clever, a bit naughty, a bit stupid, lots of fun, and has a great build up of suspense, power, and emotion. Not only that though, parents and old children who read this will love it too. Why? Because it's all them things I've just said. It's quirky and charming and had you laughing along from the start. You adore Martin even though he is a bit thick, and your heart goes out to him when he constantly bullied by his sisters and the school bullies the Bonner Brothers. You fall in love with Sean and his dry witt straight away. They make a brilliant pairing. We are also introduced to a brilliant array of characters on top of them two too. We meet Scandinavian tree Bruce the Spruce, and his pal Laurel the Laurel bush from Cork. Ming the Magpie with the hypochondriac wife, and Magic poop. And two haystack thugs called Ron and Reg Hay. Just from their descriptions you can see what a fantastic array they are, and how much life, fun, and interest they bring to the read. You know what else is brilliant about it too? There's little *'s to explain certain words to the kids if they don't understand them right, and they are hilarious! I loved them.
This is without a doubt the funniest children's book I've ever read. I will be recommending it to all my friends with children and I will be passing my copy on to my boys to read.
Great fun!
5/5
November 27, 2016
O’Dowd, Chris and Murphy, Nick Moone Boy: The Blunder Years, 381 pgs. Feiwel and Friends, 2014. $14.99. Content: Language: PG (No official swears but other things parents wouldn’t like); Mature Content: G (boobs, chest sacks and many more) Violence: G
Martin is a very negative child who has a ton of sisters. His best mate Padraic is constantly busy so Martin is in need of a full time friend. Padraic tells him how to get his very own imaginary friend, but things get out of hand quite quickly. Loopy Lou is too goofy and Martin tries to fire him, hiring a customer service rep named Sean instead, but Loopy Lou is determined. Sean tries his best to help out Martin, together they deal with bullies named the Bonner Boys.
This book is over the top nonsensical and overly long. I absolutely 100% hated reading this book. Now onto the intended audience, would they like it? I can’t imagine a fifth or sixth grade boy wanting to read almost 400 pages about a pathetic boy who hates life to the fullest and has an imaginary friend. That is the whole plot, imaginary friends. From a school librarian point of view, there is both an overt (boob talk) as well as an underlying current of inappropriateness that makes me think Freud would have a hay day with these authors, and it honestly creeped me out. One of many off-putting examples is that they refer to his bed as the place “where the magic happens”. Well grownup know what that is referring to, and the book puts an asterisk and clarifies that magic mean “dreams”. Basically, a perverse reference gets to be made while getting to say ‘just joking’. Yuck on every level.
EL, MS –NO Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2016/...
Martin is a very negative child who has a ton of sisters. His best mate Padraic is constantly busy so Martin is in need of a full time friend. Padraic tells him how to get his very own imaginary friend, but things get out of hand quite quickly. Loopy Lou is too goofy and Martin tries to fire him, hiring a customer service rep named Sean instead, but Loopy Lou is determined. Sean tries his best to help out Martin, together they deal with bullies named the Bonner Boys.
This book is over the top nonsensical and overly long. I absolutely 100% hated reading this book. Now onto the intended audience, would they like it? I can’t imagine a fifth or sixth grade boy wanting to read almost 400 pages about a pathetic boy who hates life to the fullest and has an imaginary friend. That is the whole plot, imaginary friends. From a school librarian point of view, there is both an overt (boob talk) as well as an underlying current of inappropriateness that makes me think Freud would have a hay day with these authors, and it honestly creeped me out. One of many off-putting examples is that they refer to his bed as the place “where the magic happens”. Well grownup know what that is referring to, and the book puts an asterisk and clarifies that magic mean “dreams”. Basically, a perverse reference gets to be made while getting to say ‘just joking’. Yuck on every level.
EL, MS –NO Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2016/...
April 13, 2015
~This book was won from a Goodreads Giveaway~
I'm going to preface this with the fact that I've never even heard of the show, and also with the fact that that is absolutely not a prerequisite to enjoying this book - because I did really enjoy it. It was funny, like, seriously funny - I was snorting with laughter, and I am probably not the target audience.
The book follows Martin Moone, an eleven-year-old who's having some problems trying to get the perfect imaginary friend. And shenanigans. And funny characters - seriously, the humor in this book is my type of humor. I'm not saying that middle-grade humor is my type of humor, really, I'm mostly saying that the sort-of dry, sort-of just flat humor is something that I really enjoy.
I thought this would run along the same veins of, say, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: #1-4, and that was cool, because I enjoyed that as a kid - I actually remember spending all of my little elementary-school computer time up on Funbrain, reading it as it was put out there, it was great - but this was... better? I mean, if I picked up one of those books now, I'd probably dismiss it as stupid and sort of just put it down and walk away. And sure, this had stupid moments. It's a middle grade. But it was fun. And I feel like people who are probably the target audience - say, children from the ages of about nine to thirteen - would enjoy this even more than I did. It was solid, man. Solid.
I'm going to preface this with the fact that I've never even heard of the show, and also with the fact that that is absolutely not a prerequisite to enjoying this book - because I did really enjoy it. It was funny, like, seriously funny - I was snorting with laughter, and I am probably not the target audience.
The book follows Martin Moone, an eleven-year-old who's having some problems trying to get the perfect imaginary friend. And shenanigans. And funny characters - seriously, the humor in this book is my type of humor. I'm not saying that middle-grade humor is my type of humor, really, I'm mostly saying that the sort-of dry, sort-of just flat humor is something that I really enjoy.
I thought this would run along the same veins of, say, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: #1-4, and that was cool, because I enjoyed that as a kid - I actually remember spending all of my little elementary-school computer time up on Funbrain, reading it as it was put out there, it was great - but this was... better? I mean, if I picked up one of those books now, I'd probably dismiss it as stupid and sort of just put it down and walk away. And sure, this had stupid moments. It's a middle grade. But it was fun. And I feel like people who are probably the target audience - say, children from the ages of about nine to thirteen - would enjoy this even more than I did. It was solid, man. Solid.
June 28, 2016
Oh my word. We listened to this with the kids on our road trip to California. I'm giving it four stars because it was freaking hilarious to hear Chris O'Dowd and Nick Murphy read this book aloud. However, I will say that some of the humor was a bit more mature than my kids needed to hear, so that's a caution to parents. It also is not Disney and doesn't teach your kids to make real friends, but rather to cherish their invisible ones. Hilarious.
April 27, 2016
It's very funny. What more do you need? I think it certainly helps is you grew up in rural Ireland around the same time he did, as there are so many little details that are spot on, but there are footnotes to help, which actually contain the best jokes. Read it and laugh.
January 30, 2016
This book was funny and weird and made me laugh. I loved the whole Imaginary Friend story though I was slightly disappointed with the outcome. I also loved the distinctly Irish voice and culture that is woven through this book.
July 5, 2016
Brilliant book but there is one thing that sways me to choose 4 ⭐️s because it uses a few rude phrases such as 'Oh Balls!'
January 18, 2017
Characters, language & IFs all annoying & in order for Moone to get protection he needs from bullies, he strikes a deal to offer up one of his sisters to a sexual assault. Not funny.
February 3, 2017
Not great, but fun enough. A very Boyle book
November 17, 2022
I really liked this show when it was on TV. It was like a funnier, Irish version of The Wonder Years. From what I remember though, and I may be wrong, when the series started, Martin Moone, our young hero, already had his imaginary friend Sean Murphy. So this book fills in the backstory of how he got him.
It's not bad, but unlike the TV show, it does feel like it's aimed at kids only. It also lacks some of the charm of the TV show. It's a rare thing when the book isn't as good as the TV show, but this is one instance of it. It's just a bit short on jokes, and nowhere near as funny as I was hoping it would be. When it is funny, it's great, but it's just not often enough.
If you know a ten year old who's never seen the show, they'll probably enjoy it, but when they're done, show then the TV show and they'll love it.
It's not bad, but unlike the TV show, it does feel like it's aimed at kids only. It also lacks some of the charm of the TV show. It's a rare thing when the book isn't as good as the TV show, but this is one instance of it. It's just a bit short on jokes, and nowhere near as funny as I was hoping it would be. When it is funny, it's great, but it's just not often enough.
If you know a ten year old who's never seen the show, they'll probably enjoy it, but when they're done, show then the TV show and they'll love it.
January 8, 2018
Like with the TV series, I have no idea who this book is for. Definitely not in the kids section where I found it, as there is a decent amount of swearing and the main character being totally okay with letting another kid touch his sister's boobs in order to get protection from bullies. That I could have done without.
Nor could I see a teenager reading it, as it's a bit too juvenile and deals with imaginary friends. It's kind of baffling.
Now there were some things I liked about it, mainly that Martin's imaginary friend is more of someone he can talk to rather than someone he can go on wacky adventures with. That was something a little more original.
Nor could I see a teenager reading it, as it's a bit too juvenile and deals with imaginary friends. It's kind of baffling.
Now there were some things I liked about it, mainly that Martin's imaginary friend is more of someone he can talk to rather than someone he can go on wacky adventures with. That was something a little more original.
April 30, 2018
If you're a fan of the Mooney Boy series (and you should be) then you'll enjoy the book. It's basically Sean's origin story and a retelling of the first episode but with some changes here and there. I think the fact I recognized a lot of it from the series mad eit funnier to me because I was able to read it in the voices of the actors.
At any rate, I wish I could have read this to my son because there are quite a few LOL moments in it. Why didn't I, you ask? Because he found them when I brought them home and read them himself! The cheeky bugger. Anyway, it was fun to hear him (and see him) literally rolling on the floor laughing. Check it out.
At any rate, I wish I could have read this to my son because there are quite a few LOL moments in it. Why didn't I, you ask? Because he found them when I brought them home and read them himself! The cheeky bugger. Anyway, it was fun to hear him (and see him) literally rolling on the floor laughing. Check it out.
September 7, 2019
Odlična!!!
Sm se lotu brat ves vesel po gledanju serije. V knjigah je velik več o namišljenem svetu, o tem kako je sploh prišlo do tega da ima namišljenega prijatelja, kako se s prvim ni obneslo - ker je dobil enega v akciji, pa je bil preveč zmešan in potem pride "costumer service" pa njega prepriča naj bo bjegov namišljeni prijatelj :) Ampak so potem problemi ker on ni uradni namišljeni prijatelj, ni šolan, pa ne moreš met veš kot enega na enkrat in je potem iskal novega lastnika za tazmešanega IF... cela zmašnjava namišljenih stvari :)
Pa tok fino k sm bral po seriji, sem vse bral v irski angleščini :)
Naslednjo prosim !
Sm se lotu brat ves vesel po gledanju serije. V knjigah je velik več o namišljenem svetu, o tem kako je sploh prišlo do tega da ima namišljenega prijatelja, kako se s prvim ni obneslo - ker je dobil enega v akciji, pa je bil preveč zmešan in potem pride "costumer service" pa njega prepriča naj bo bjegov namišljeni prijatelj :) Ampak so potem problemi ker on ni uradni namišljeni prijatelj, ni šolan, pa ne moreš met veš kot enega na enkrat in je potem iskal novega lastnika za tazmešanega IF... cela zmašnjava namišljenih stvari :)
Pa tok fino k sm bral po seriji, sem vse bral v irski angleščini :)
Naslednjo prosim !
October 8, 2021
Martin Moone is an 11 year old boy in the West of Ireland surrounded by sisters, in looking for more male company he decides to get an imaginary friend.
I adore the TV series Moone Boy and had not felt like it was necessary to read this but during the pandemic thought 'why not?' This book is almost word for word the script for the first episode with a few additions. The show is better, by far, you need to hear the accents and get the atmosphere of the Moone house. I don't love how in the book they made Debra kind of dopey.
Would be a great book for middle age kids, if you're older than that watch the show.
I adore the TV series Moone Boy and had not felt like it was necessary to read this but during the pandemic thought 'why not?' This book is almost word for word the script for the first episode with a few additions. The show is better, by far, you need to hear the accents and get the atmosphere of the Moone house. I don't love how in the book they made Debra kind of dopey.
Would be a great book for middle age kids, if you're older than that watch the show.
October 1, 2017
This is a prequel to a TV show called Moone Boy which is an amazing show. That said, unless your Irish or are extra laid back, you probably aren’t going to enjoy this off-the-cuff humor and the wacky scenes in this story. It’s about a kid who falls into misfortune quite often and has an imaginary friend to help him out. In this story he has an imaginary friend named Lou who is no help at all but later he gets a fantastic friend named Sean who really helps him navigate his minefield of a life. Absolutely Hilarious but really only for a select audience.
June 15, 2019
I liked the TV show so I thought I’d give this book a try. It is written as a prequel to the TV show and I really enjoyed it. I found this book at the library in the children’s books section, but I wouldn’t recommend it to any children. I know the TV show was really made for more mature viewers. I liked the humor and the story of acquiring an imaginary friend. Oh, hoopla has the audiobook and the actors read it in their Irish accent which made listening to/reading this book even more entertaining! 😊
April 22, 2019
I love Moone Boy, I love it even more when read by Chris O'Dowd. Definitely recommend the audio if you can. It's a book for middle grade students, but I found myself laughing out loud many times, his definitions are hilarious and there's even a reference to the Pogues. Martin Moone is the lone boy in a family full of girls, and decides he needs a wing man, or imaginary friend. I thought it was very well written, the characters are fantastic and will continue with the series.
August 1, 2019
Hilarious definitions of Irish concepts or words a kid might not be familiar with yet. I read the book imagining how Chris O’Dowd would narrate it. Lol. I love Martin Moone’s choice of imaginary friend, his evil sisters, and his oblivious, frugal parents.
I let my 10 year old son read it when I didn’t realize there was a part where the local bully, as acceptable payment for protecting Martin from other bullies, wanted a feel of Martin’s sister’s boobs. Oops. Bad mom moment. Lol.
I let my 10 year old son read it when I didn’t realize there was a part where the local bully, as acceptable payment for protecting Martin from other bullies, wanted a feel of Martin’s sister’s boobs. Oops. Bad mom moment. Lol.
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