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Uncollected
Unreal Collection!
The Paul Jennings phenomenon began with the publication of Unreal! in 1985. Thirty years and nine million books later, young readers all around the world continue to devour his stories.
In this special volume, Paul has personally selected 30 tales from his entire collection to mark the occasion of the 30th anniversary of his first book.
You'll find a girl made of ice, a dog who digs holes in the cemetery, a see-through boy, magic lipstick, a haunted toilet, a lie detector at school, two musical spirits who try to save a lighthouse – and lots, lots more.
Unbelievable, unmentionable and uncanny, these classic stories will surprise you, leave you tongue-tied, spook you, make you cry and have you laughing out loud.
303 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 18, 2015
61 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Paul Jennings
274 books360 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Paul Jennings was born in Heston near London, and at the age of 6 emigrated to Melbourne, Australia on a boat. He was on the boat for 5 weeks with his family. He attended Bentleigh West Primary School and Caulfield Grammar School.
After graduating from school, he went to Frankston Teachers College (now part of Monash University) and became a teacher. He taught students at Frankston State School, Kangaroo Flat State School, the Turana Youth Training Centre, and the Royal Children's Hospital State School in Mount Eliza. He later went on to study at the Lincoln Institute of Health Science (now part of LaTrobe University) and became a speech pathologist, then worked as a Lecturer in Special Education at Burwood State College (now part of Deakin University). In 1979 he became Senior Lecturer in Language and Literature at Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education (now part of Deakin University).
In 1985, Jennings' first book of short stories, Unreal! was published, during which he worked as a lecturer and wrote part-time; in 1989, he made the decision to devote his full time to writing. Many of his short stories, published between 1985 and 1991, were also adapted into the first and second series of the popular Australian television show Round the Twist.
Winner of the Dromkeen Medal (2000).
Paul Jennings was born in Heston near London, and at the age of 6 emigrated to Melbourne, Australia on a boat. He was on the boat for 5 weeks with his family. He attended Bentleigh West Primary School and Caulfield Grammar School.
After graduating from school, he went to Frankston Teachers College (now part of Monash University) and became a teacher. He taught students at Frankston State School, Kangaroo Flat State School, the Turana Youth Training Centre, and the Royal Children's Hospital State School in Mount Eliza. He later went on to study at the Lincoln Institute of Health Science (now part of LaTrobe University) and became a speech pathologist, then worked as a Lecturer in Special Education at Burwood State College (now part of Deakin University). In 1979 he became Senior Lecturer in Language and Literature at Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education (now part of Deakin University).
In 1985, Jennings' first book of short stories, Unreal! was published, during which he worked as a lecturer and wrote part-time; in 1989, he made the decision to devote his full time to writing. Many of his short stories, published between 1985 and 1991, were also adapted into the first and second series of the popular Australian television show Round the Twist.
Winner of the Dromkeen Medal (2000).
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 8, 2021
ENGLISH: This collection contains thirty stories, selected from over one hundred stories in Jennings's previous collections. As I had read or reviewed twenty of these before, I'll comment here the other ten. These are the stories I liked best:
"For ever," about two lovable and loving brothers, one disabled and dying, the other mute and retarded, but who understands much more than his parents surmise.
"A mouthful," a quite normal but hilarious story (no ghosts, no weird elements) about a father who loves to subject his daughter's friends to practical jokes.
"The hat," about a boy who learns the importance of protecting the autochthonous Australian fauna, when after losing his divorced mother he goes to live with his father.
ESPAÑOL: Esta colección contiene treinta cuentos, seleccionados entre los más de cien de las colecciones anteriores de Jennings. Como ya había leído o comentado veinte de ellos, hablaré aquí sobre los otros diez. Estos son los que más me gustaron:
"Para siempre", sobre dos hermanos encantadores que se quieren muchísimo, uno discapacitado y en peligro de muerte, el otro mudo y retrasado mental, pero que comprende mucho más de lo que sus padres suponen.
"Un bocado", una historia bastante normal pero divertida (sin fantasmas o elementos extraños) sobre un padre al que le encanta someter a bromas pesadas a las amigas de su hija.
"El sombrero", sobre un niño que aprende la importancia de proteger la fauna autóctona australiana, cuando tras perder a su madre divorciada se va a vivir con su padre.
"For ever," about two lovable and loving brothers, one disabled and dying, the other mute and retarded, but who understands much more than his parents surmise.
"A mouthful," a quite normal but hilarious story (no ghosts, no weird elements) about a father who loves to subject his daughter's friends to practical jokes.
"The hat," about a boy who learns the importance of protecting the autochthonous Australian fauna, when after losing his divorced mother he goes to live with his father.
ESPAÑOL: Esta colección contiene treinta cuentos, seleccionados entre los más de cien de las colecciones anteriores de Jennings. Como ya había leído o comentado veinte de ellos, hablaré aquí sobre los otros diez. Estos son los que más me gustaron:
"Para siempre", sobre dos hermanos encantadores que se quieren muchísimo, uno discapacitado y en peligro de muerte, el otro mudo y retrasado mental, pero que comprende mucho más de lo que sus padres suponen.
"Un bocado", una historia bastante normal pero divertida (sin fantasmas o elementos extraños) sobre un padre al que le encanta someter a bromas pesadas a las amigas de su hija.
"El sombrero", sobre un niño que aprende la importancia de proteger la fauna autóctona australiana, cuando tras perder a su madre divorciada se va a vivir con su padre.
January 11, 2021
I mean, man. Some of these stories are daaaaaaark. Reading as an adult gives whole new perspective while maintaining the warm nostalgia. Do recommend.
January 2, 2022
Although i’m a teenager this book has always had a close place to my heart as every short story had me refusing to put the book down with a mix of genres and twists, very big recommendation.
December 8, 2024
I know paul jennings inspired around the twist and although i love the show, i really feel that worked against my enjoyment of the short stories. I knew most of them, but vaguely as round the twist changed details (was cool to see some threads speckled across multiple stories- eg characters names, twins, lighthouse living, mean mayors wives ect, which are key parts of the show).
It seems Mr Jennings writes in two catergories:
1. maximum absurdity
2. the longest pun ever
not bad. couldve been better. dont understand pauls picks (busker is best of his five faves).
Fave short stories:
- smart ice cream (the second chapter is such a kicker)
-you be the judge (good level of absurdity)
- no is yes (WHAT)
-cow dung custard (cultural knowlegde is relevant)
blacklist
- a dozen bloomin roses (hits too close to home)
-the hat (wtf was that rat scene)
It seems Mr Jennings writes in two catergories:
1. maximum absurdity
2. the longest pun ever
not bad. couldve been better. dont understand pauls picks (busker is best of his five faves).
Fave short stories:
- smart ice cream (the second chapter is such a kicker)
-you be the judge (good level of absurdity)
- no is yes (WHAT)
-cow dung custard (cultural knowlegde is relevant)
blacklist
- a dozen bloomin roses (hits too close to home)
-the hat (wtf was that rat scene)
August 30, 2018
Mine is a paperback version so don't know why I can't find it. ISBN: 9780670079254.
This collection of stories is mind bogglingly, gobsmackingly unreal and utterly unexpected.
At least this Australian author isn't shy to mention Australian place names and native wildlife.
I need to give a brief summary of each story:
1. Smart Ice Cream: The boy in this story is a horrible smart-aleck who ends up getting just what he deserves - A nasty outcome! Jennings must have a rare skill to actually narrate in first person as a nasty mean-minded personality.
2. Spaghetti Pig Out - What idiot would give a super powerful weapon to a dopey bully? - It's just asking for trouble.
3. Skeleton on the Dunny - A fairly predictable ghost story.
4. Snookle - A sort of alien creature that acts a bit like a genie in a bottle.
5. Lucky Lips - A bit like the song "Love Potion Number Nine" - One thing about some of the stories is that there are unanswered questions - In this case, why do girls dislike Marcus so much? (Actually, he's not terribly likeable.)
6. Grandad's Gifts - Rather a weird story about lemon trees and a fox.
7. Ex Poser - A lie detector story that is probably one of the most pathetic in this book.
8. Cabbage Patch Fib - This is quite a funny story around the question as to where babies come from...!
9. Lighthouse Blues - This was a great ghost story. The boy said he played the flute so I don't know why he didn't join in with the ghosts!
10. Licked - A practical joke that goes too far - This one will make you gag!
11. Birdscrap - Another weird story about a dead seagull that comes back to life.
12. Wunderpants - A boy who wears fairy underpants? Cough, cough! I don't think I'd be seen dead wearing them even if I was wearing trousers - A surprising ending.
13. Ice Maiden - Would you fall in love with a girl made of ice?
14. You be the Judge - Well, sometimes you have to be protective of unique life forms.
15. Little Squirt - Um, boys competing about how high they can urinate? Not my taste but the story does have a little humour.
16. A Good Tip for Ghosts - Another ghost story with a wacky twist.
17. Clear as Mud - Another horrible story about an obnoxious kid who gets what he deserves and even worse than he deserves after he gets bitten by a rare beetle.
18. For Ever - This is a really sad story with a lot of unanswered questions. Why is one boy sick and dying? Why does he have this odd imagination? Why is his brother strange (he appears to be autistic) - This one is likely to make you cry.
19. A Mouthful - Like "Licked", this is the story of a truly gross practical joke. Yuck!
20. No is Yes - An evil professor conducts a diabolical experiment on his own daughter where nearly every object or answer is the opposite of what it actually is - and it severely backfires and he gets his just deserts.
21. Smelly Feat - This is a really good story. I even remember a kid trying to retell this to me years ago though they didn't tell me the reason for his motive - That is to make his feet so smelly to put some bullies out of action in order to protect a very aged friend.
22. The Hat - A very Australian story involving protection of native wildlife from the truly vile and unscrupulous enemy - rats. What I don't understand is why the boy's dead mother had a strong dislike for his father when she was alive.
23. The Strap Box Flyer - How a charlatan who has taken advantage of other people by selling a product that stops working after a few hours becomes the unwitting victim of his own invention.
24. Cow Dung Custard - A rather funny and very smelly story about garden manure!
25. The Busker - It's a bit hard to grasp the moral of this story. A boy hears the story of a man who was a busker and a dog. No one seems to like the busker (though we are not told why) but they love his dog. He becomes jealous of the dog and ill treats her - He tries to win people round by offering money but it backfires. He ends up where he'd placed the dog but the dog who is free shows devotion and love to the end and the busker learns a lesson from her. It is a bit of a sad story. What the boy does at the end doesn't make sense to me at all.
26. Tongue Tied - Keeping a fish in your mouth and kissing a girl??? A bit gross.
27. Nails - I had read this story before somewhere - The only Paul Jennings story I've ever read before now - This one has a very unexpected twist. I wished that the father explained things to Lehman but he never got a chance to and it seemed weird that he couldn't wait for the storm to pass before trying to follow up a clue that his son has told him. I don't want to tell you the story because it would be a spoiler except to say Lehman is scared stiff when he starts growing what appears to be nails all over his body.
28. A Dozen Bloomin' Roses - This is a strange and quite sad story about a boy who is very self conscious and shy, has little money but badly wants to give a bunch of roses to his girlfriend.
29. Next Time Around - A story about hypnotising chooks and reincarnation.
30. Without a Shirt - An interesting story about a boy who is afflicted with an inexplicable speech problem - he cannot finish anything he says without saying "without a shirt" at the end. This story is similar to one I read as a kid in primary school called "Rhyming Will."
This collection of stories is mind bogglingly, gobsmackingly unreal and utterly unexpected.
At least this Australian author isn't shy to mention Australian place names and native wildlife.
I need to give a brief summary of each story:
1. Smart Ice Cream: The boy in this story is a horrible smart-aleck who ends up getting just what he deserves - A nasty outcome! Jennings must have a rare skill to actually narrate in first person as a nasty mean-minded personality.
2. Spaghetti Pig Out - What idiot would give a super powerful weapon to a dopey bully? - It's just asking for trouble.
3. Skeleton on the Dunny - A fairly predictable ghost story.
4. Snookle - A sort of alien creature that acts a bit like a genie in a bottle.
5. Lucky Lips - A bit like the song "Love Potion Number Nine" - One thing about some of the stories is that there are unanswered questions - In this case, why do girls dislike Marcus so much? (Actually, he's not terribly likeable.)
6. Grandad's Gifts - Rather a weird story about lemon trees and a fox.
7. Ex Poser - A lie detector story that is probably one of the most pathetic in this book.
8. Cabbage Patch Fib - This is quite a funny story around the question as to where babies come from...!
9. Lighthouse Blues - This was a great ghost story. The boy said he played the flute so I don't know why he didn't join in with the ghosts!
10. Licked - A practical joke that goes too far - This one will make you gag!
11. Birdscrap - Another weird story about a dead seagull that comes back to life.
12. Wunderpants - A boy who wears fairy underpants? Cough, cough! I don't think I'd be seen dead wearing them even if I was wearing trousers - A surprising ending.
13. Ice Maiden - Would you fall in love with a girl made of ice?
14. You be the Judge - Well, sometimes you have to be protective of unique life forms.
15. Little Squirt - Um, boys competing about how high they can urinate? Not my taste but the story does have a little humour.
16. A Good Tip for Ghosts - Another ghost story with a wacky twist.
17. Clear as Mud - Another horrible story about an obnoxious kid who gets what he deserves and even worse than he deserves after he gets bitten by a rare beetle.
18. For Ever - This is a really sad story with a lot of unanswered questions. Why is one boy sick and dying? Why does he have this odd imagination? Why is his brother strange (he appears to be autistic) - This one is likely to make you cry.
19. A Mouthful - Like "Licked", this is the story of a truly gross practical joke. Yuck!
20. No is Yes - An evil professor conducts a diabolical experiment on his own daughter where nearly every object or answer is the opposite of what it actually is - and it severely backfires and he gets his just deserts.
21. Smelly Feat - This is a really good story. I even remember a kid trying to retell this to me years ago though they didn't tell me the reason for his motive - That is to make his feet so smelly to put some bullies out of action in order to protect a very aged friend.
22. The Hat - A very Australian story involving protection of native wildlife from the truly vile and unscrupulous enemy - rats. What I don't understand is why the boy's dead mother had a strong dislike for his father when she was alive.
23. The Strap Box Flyer - How a charlatan who has taken advantage of other people by selling a product that stops working after a few hours becomes the unwitting victim of his own invention.
24. Cow Dung Custard - A rather funny and very smelly story about garden manure!
25. The Busker - It's a bit hard to grasp the moral of this story. A boy hears the story of a man who was a busker and a dog. No one seems to like the busker (though we are not told why) but they love his dog. He becomes jealous of the dog and ill treats her - He tries to win people round by offering money but it backfires. He ends up where he'd placed the dog but the dog who is free shows devotion and love to the end and the busker learns a lesson from her. It is a bit of a sad story. What the boy does at the end doesn't make sense to me at all.
26. Tongue Tied - Keeping a fish in your mouth and kissing a girl??? A bit gross.
27. Nails - I had read this story before somewhere - The only Paul Jennings story I've ever read before now - This one has a very unexpected twist. I wished that the father explained things to Lehman but he never got a chance to and it seemed weird that he couldn't wait for the storm to pass before trying to follow up a clue that his son has told him. I don't want to tell you the story because it would be a spoiler except to say Lehman is scared stiff when he starts growing what appears to be nails all over his body.
28. A Dozen Bloomin' Roses - This is a strange and quite sad story about a boy who is very self conscious and shy, has little money but badly wants to give a bunch of roses to his girlfriend.
29. Next Time Around - A story about hypnotising chooks and reincarnation.
30. Without a Shirt - An interesting story about a boy who is afflicted with an inexplicable speech problem - he cannot finish anything he says without saying "without a shirt" at the end. This story is similar to one I read as a kid in primary school called "Rhyming Will."
August 19, 2018
"Unreal" is full of amazing short stories that proved to be a lot of fun for our whole family. We organised ourselves into a book club and discussed most of the book together.
Some of the stories are quite realistic but most have elements of fantasy, magic, spirit world, sci-fi, or outright weirdness. All point to some real world implications and not always in a direct and straightforward way, leaving enough room for pondering and discussions afterwards. Some are sad tales, some are full of brilliant humour, and all were extremely engaging.
I am looking forward to my younger children growing up to the age when they can enjoy this book too so we have a good excuse to read "Unreal" again. :}
Some of the stories are quite realistic but most have elements of fantasy, magic, spirit world, sci-fi, or outright weirdness. All point to some real world implications and not always in a direct and straightforward way, leaving enough room for pondering and discussions afterwards. Some are sad tales, some are full of brilliant humour, and all were extremely engaging.
I am looking forward to my younger children growing up to the age when they can enjoy this book too so we have a good excuse to read "Unreal" again. :}
February 5, 2019
So I finished my book today! It was my one goal today. I will be rating this 💥💥💥💥 on #goodreads. It was a great collection of short stories from Paul Jennings. There is everything from a boy covered in nails, girls getting trapped in a cabin by bird poop to underpants that give you strength. Highly recommend if you want to feel like a kid again.
January 23, 2022
Some cute and funny concepts for these junior fiction stories. I particularly enjoyed ‘Tongue tied’, where the protagonist is forced to repeatedly kiss his girl/crush’s mouth in order to save a guppy fish from dying.
May 9, 2017
I think this is a great book to read for a class. I have used it now for two years and its humor and realistic ideas never cease to grab the audience attention. Highly recommend.
June 30, 2020
This book is amazing it has funny stories scary stories and much more it’s a must read :)
November 11, 2021
i need to start reading more short stories because they f me UP
3/5 stars
rtc
3/5 stars
rtc
June 30, 2022
Taught several of these to my year 7 students; they’ve gone down a treat!
May 29, 2022
I don’t remember what goes on, but I do remember loving this book. And so I’m gonna re read :)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews