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Grouch Bag: A novel
In GROUCH BAG, Josh Markowitz, the class clown of Patton Middle School in McMinnville, Oregon, goes back in time to save comedy! In this time-travel adventure, an ageless clown named Slivers enlists the help of Josh, the funniest 12-year old kid in school, to go back in time to convince the youthful Marx Brothers that their futures lie in being funny. Josh is sent back to New York City in 1908, where he meets three very funny brothers named Julius, Adolph and Leonard -- long before they would become known to the world as Groucho, Harpo and Chico, the hysterical, wise-cracking Marx Brothers of the movies, vaudeville and Broadway stage. In 1908 the brothers have a singing act that is going nowhere, but they don't even realize their comedic destinies until Josh shows up. But living in the past is tricky and dangerous. Josh gets chased by a cop on the take and is sent upriver to work in forced labor in a textile factory before the Marx Brothers can save him in a hysterical scene that foreshadows one of their greatest and funniest movies. Josh's friends in 2012 also are trying to figure out where he is, and how to save him. Say the secret word and be returned to your own time...or be stuck forever in the past! GROUCH BAG is a funny story that kids will enjoy on its own merits, and a tribute to a bygone era of comedy that adults will love to revisit. And remember the immortal words of Groucho "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. And inside of a dog, it's much too dark to read."
228 pages, Paperback
First published September 2, 2015
1 person want to read
About the author
Jim Gullo
14 books2 followersOregon author Jim Gullo's tenth book, THE COMEDY KEEPER, is a historical comedy for serious class clowns! In this book intended for a 10-15 year old reader (and their parents), 7th-grader Josh Markowitz gets sent back in time to convince some very funny brothers named Marx that their futures lie in being comedians. Groucho, Chico and Harpo need some help from the future to begin their famous careers, and The Comedy Keeper is just the kid to help.
Gullo has been writing funny, engaging stories for over thirty years, with a career that has included travel writing, novels, journalism and the memoir about teaching baseball to his son, TRADING MANNY: HOW A FATHER AND SON LEARNED TO LOVE BASEBALL AGAIN.
Previous books include FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH,” a novel about overcoming loss; guidebooks and non-fiction books for middle-school readers.
Gullo’s comic voice and insightful reporting have been displayed as the “How-to Guru” columnist for Premiere magazine, the “Video Vagabond” reviewer for the Chicago Tribune for several years, and as a columnist for Diversion and Wingspan magazines.
As a travel writer and journalist, Gullo searched northern Thailand for noodles for Saveur; chronicled the feats of Duke Kahanamoku, Hawaii’s greatest athlete, for Sports Illustrated; played the golf courses of Scotland as a P.G. Wodehouse character for Islands; asked his butler to bring pizzas and Yoohoos to his St. Regis hotel suite for Virtuoso Travel Life; and written about Microsoft millionaires, Mexican resorts and scuba-diving in Indiana sloughs for Town & Country, Bon Appetit and Aqua, respectively.
Gullo grew up in Penn Yan, New York on Keuka Lake, where his father, Dr. Joseph F. Gullo, was a professor at Keuka College. Gullo studied journalism and creative writing at the University of Arizona and has taken writing workshops at the Field’s End program on Bainbridge Island, Washington, where he lived for several years.
He now resides in McMinnville, Oregon, in the heart of Oregon's wine region with wife Kris and sons Joe and Henry; his son Michael is a professional jazz singer and producer in New York City. When not writing or sampling Oregon wines, Gullo is an avid baker and author of the PastryRanch.com baking blog.
www.jim-gullo.com
www.pastryranch.com
Gullo has been writing funny, engaging stories for over thirty years, with a career that has included travel writing, novels, journalism and the memoir about teaching baseball to his son, TRADING MANNY: HOW A FATHER AND SON LEARNED TO LOVE BASEBALL AGAIN.
Previous books include FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH,” a novel about overcoming loss; guidebooks and non-fiction books for middle-school readers.
Gullo’s comic voice and insightful reporting have been displayed as the “How-to Guru” columnist for Premiere magazine, the “Video Vagabond” reviewer for the Chicago Tribune for several years, and as a columnist for Diversion and Wingspan magazines.
As a travel writer and journalist, Gullo searched northern Thailand for noodles for Saveur; chronicled the feats of Duke Kahanamoku, Hawaii’s greatest athlete, for Sports Illustrated; played the golf courses of Scotland as a P.G. Wodehouse character for Islands; asked his butler to bring pizzas and Yoohoos to his St. Regis hotel suite for Virtuoso Travel Life; and written about Microsoft millionaires, Mexican resorts and scuba-diving in Indiana sloughs for Town & Country, Bon Appetit and Aqua, respectively.
Gullo grew up in Penn Yan, New York on Keuka Lake, where his father, Dr. Joseph F. Gullo, was a professor at Keuka College. Gullo studied journalism and creative writing at the University of Arizona and has taken writing workshops at the Field’s End program on Bainbridge Island, Washington, where he lived for several years.
He now resides in McMinnville, Oregon, in the heart of Oregon's wine region with wife Kris and sons Joe and Henry; his son Michael is a professional jazz singer and producer in New York City. When not writing or sampling Oregon wines, Gullo is an avid baker and author of the PastryRanch.com baking blog.
www.jim-gullo.com
www.pastryranch.com
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 8, 2016
A very cute young adults story. The author did a wonderful job with his portrayal of the Marx Brothers. He made them come alive through the pages, I could hear Groucho, Chico, and even Harpo's, voice in my head while reading the story. The main character Josh, is a sweet and funny kid. I enjoyed reading about him and his middle school friends.
June 3, 2017
Jim Gullo's Grouch Bag, A Novel takes aspiring class clown Josh Markowitz on a time trip back to 1908 where he gets to hang with some talented youngsters named Julius, Leonard, and Adolph....soon to be known as Groucho, Chico and Harpo....as well as the rest of their famous family. Along the way he learns...well, if I tell you the journey you won't get to experience yourself. Don't worry! It doesn't teach children the importance of stealing, gambling, and womanizing! Let the politicians do that. But perhaps they will walk away with an enhanced appreciation for the importance of an open mind, which to me is the true value of comedy. Is there a better lesson for kids? NO. There ISN'T.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews