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5 Novels: Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars / Slaves of Spiegel / The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death / The Last Guru / Young Adult Novel
5 Novels contains five classic novels by Daniel Pinkwater, who has been quietly, subversively producing books for the most intelligent and creative children and young people in America for more than twenty-five years. (Adults may know him as a frequent commentator on National Public Radio, essayist, book reviewer, and the author of The Afterlife Diet). Well over a million copies of his books have been sold win the first, The Terrible Roar, was published in 1970.
656 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
16 people are currently reading
338 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Pinkwater
156 books414 followersDaniel Manus Pinkwater is an author of mostly children's books and is an occasional commentator on National Public Radio. He attended Bard College. Well-known books include Lizard Music, The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death, Fat Men from Space, Borgel, and the picture book The Big Orange Splot. Pinkwater has also illustrated many of his books in the past, although for more recent works that task has passed to his wife Jill Pinkwater.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
January 10, 2023
Generously imagined, zany titles for each of these five novels...
With Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars the rollicking ride begins: An amusement park between covers, these five novels, each one uniquely-unique:
For a sample, here's a quote from Page 451. (My para spacing is added for clarity here on Goodreads.)
It was around two in the afternoon when my mother woke me up. "It's your no-good friend, Winston Bongo, on the telephone," she said.
She always called him my no-good friend, except when she talked to him. Then she called me his no-good friend.
"You might as well make plans for supper," my mother said. "Your father has to go to a meeting of the Association of Synthetic Sausage Manufacturers tonight...."
All this was normal-sounding to my innocent child, being read to. Equally, this sounded normal to me, a reasonably jaded adult.
Recommended to rebels of all ages: Anything written by Daniel Pinkwater.
With Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars the rollicking ride begins: An amusement park between covers, these five novels, each one uniquely-unique:
For a sample, here's a quote from Page 451. (My para spacing is added for clarity here on Goodreads.)
It was around two in the afternoon when my mother woke me up. "It's your no-good friend, Winston Bongo, on the telephone," she said.
She always called him my no-good friend, except when she talked to him. Then she called me his no-good friend.
"You might as well make plans for supper," my mother said. "Your father has to go to a meeting of the Association of Synthetic Sausage Manufacturers tonight...."
All this was normal-sounding to my innocent child, being read to. Equally, this sounded normal to me, a reasonably jaded adult.
Recommended to rebels of all ages: Anything written by Daniel Pinkwater.
January 29, 2009
It's uncommon for a Daniel Pinkwater fan to run into another fan by chance. We end up finding each other in unlikely situations, and having lived our lives feeling like we're the only ones to have had the good fortune to have these stories in our lives, we feel as though Pinkwater is writing the story of our meeting, and that we're reading our stories like the dreams he writes.
June 13, 2021
I loved loved loved Pinkwater as a kid, and after rescuing 5 Novels from my childhood bookshelf and deciding that I needed a break, I went back for a reread. And you know what, Pinkwater still holds up as an absurdist delight. His protagonists are deeply uncool short fat weirdos, embedded in mediocre suburban high schools and conformist families who don't get them, but who enter a slipstream world of lunatic obsessives and high concept scifi weirdness.
My two favorite stories are The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death, which uses cult classic movies as an entry point into a missing mad scientist and a journey into the underground life of the big city, with a whole bunch of crazy stuff along the way. Young Adult Novel is a perfect Dadist antifable, about a high school Dadist club who stage a event to make an even weirder kid a schoolwide hero that spins ridiculously out of control.
The other stories are not quite as good. Slaves of Spiegel is stylish fluff. Alan Mendelsohn is meaner than I remember, but has a great tour of psychic weirdness and alternate dimensions. The Last Guru's parody of Age of Aquarius mysticism has lost whatever sharpness it once had.
But on the whole, these are fun, stylish, and altogether great young adult novels.
My two favorite stories are The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death, which uses cult classic movies as an entry point into a missing mad scientist and a journey into the underground life of the big city, with a whole bunch of crazy stuff along the way. Young Adult Novel is a perfect Dadist antifable, about a high school Dadist club who stage a event to make an even weirder kid a schoolwide hero that spins ridiculously out of control.
The other stories are not quite as good. Slaves of Spiegel is stylish fluff. Alan Mendelsohn is meaner than I remember, but has a great tour of psychic weirdness and alternate dimensions. The Last Guru's parody of Age of Aquarius mysticism has lost whatever sharpness it once had.
But on the whole, these are fun, stylish, and altogether great young adult novels.
October 18, 2011
This book (or the novellas within) make me happy to be alive but a little sad I was not during the 70's/early eighties when these stories were written. When it was more "normal" for a pre-teen kid to ride a bus around the city by herself or wander into record stores and taco joints instead of being driven 'round strip malls in an SUV by one of her sheltering parental units. Daniel Pinkwater's protagonists are unrecognizably independent compared to today's over-protected kids. But his characters are written so sincerely, so genuinely, expressing their spirit of childhood wonder, imagination, and precociousness. The stories are guaranteed to sweep you away to another place, another time in your life, another world, or maybe the world before you even existed!
September 6, 2007
Daniel Pinkwater writes in short, clear sentences. He is very funny. His books are full of references to Alfred Jarry, the Beats, and his own childhood. You don't have to get these references to enjoy his books, so it's fun to read them when you're in junior high. When you reread his books as an adult, though, you realize that Daniel Pinkwater is one of your favorite writers. And you wonder how you ended up writing this in second person, which is kind of gross and is also something Daniel Pinkwater would never do.
May 8, 2019
I read this book about 7 times when I was a kid and I believe it had a more of an influence on my development as a child than both my parental guidance and school experience combined.
February 1, 2015
This is one of the books that all bookstores should be required to constantly stock. With the other Pinkwater collection also in print, I have hope for future generations of Americans!
Pinkwater is the master of finding the humor in the angst of teenage outcasts, and making even geeky kids (like me) feel good about themselves.
I'm sure you'll need several copies - for yourself and all your friends.
Pinkwater is the master of finding the humor in the angst of teenage outcasts, and making even geeky kids (like me) feel good about themselves.
I'm sure you'll need several copies - for yourself and all your friends.
January 6, 2009
Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars is a great book about being young, smart and different. Think of giving it to any eccentric young adult you might know. Alan and his friend Leonard are smart, curious and goofy. Just like I want to be when I grow up. I re-read this over Christmas and will definitely read it again.
March 2, 2009
i love daniel pinkwater. i want to live in his world.
December 1, 2009
My kids and I read and re-read this book all the time. Same goes for the "4 Novels" book. Our copies of have become extremely dog-eared.
December 12, 2009
Contains one of the all-time best children's books ever written--Alan Mendelsohn. I tried to convince my friend in the film industry to adapt it for a movie. He didn't bite.
March 29, 2025
Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars: 3 stars
Slaves of Spiegel: 4 stars
The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death: 4 stars
The Last Guru: 3 stars
Young Adult Novel: 1.5 stars
Pull quotes/notes
"'But what about moving objects by mental power?' I asked. 'That could be useful for putting up buildings and things like that, couldn't it?'
'Why do you suppose God gave us hands, and brains that can figure out how to do things?' the Venusian said. 'You know, there are people who believe that the pyramids and the Easter Island statues were erected by some kind of magic power that the ancient people learned from extraterrestrials. The reason they think this is because it hurts their pride that they can't figure out how it was done. They don't want to believe that some ancient Easter Islander knew as much about engineering as they do. But none of that stuff about spacemen building the great monuments of the ancient world is true. All those things were done by humans using their human gifts-including, but not depending on, moments of inspiration or intuition'" (147) from Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars
"Steve went right to work, making up the Day of Wrath. It has a whole eggplant, two slabs of whole wheat pizza dough, all sixteen flavors of ice cream, fresh figs, pistachio nuts, a lobster, and assorted fresh garden vegetables and fruit. The whole thing goes into a freshly laundered regulation army knapsack, and Steve shoves it into the microwave oven. Two minutes later, out it comes, piping hot. Steve put on a certain record of music by Franz Liszt, and served it to the customer.
'This is for a real gourmet," Steve said.'" (262) from Slaves of Spiegel
"I met Winston Bongo on the first day of Mrs. Macmillan's English class. He came in late. He'd gotten delayed trying to borrow a Jewish star to wear to class. This is one of the few positive things that I've noticed at Genghis Khan High School. This Mrs. Macmillan has something against Jews. Years ago, she used to make speeches about Jews in her classroom. So this tradition got started: Every semester, kids who aren't Jewish, and Jewish kids who don't have them, borrow Jewish stars to wear around their necks in Mrs. Macmillan's class. It's fun to watch her panic when she realizes that she's facing another all-Jewish class. She believes that Jews creep around, plotting the end of civilization-and seeing all those Stars of David makes her crazy." (328-329) from The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death
"'I should say that in addition to the various practitioners of the arts who frequent the soda fountain at the Nor-Bu Drug Company, many stool pigeons, card sharpers, bunco steerers, dacoits, cutpurses, granny bashers, yobs, and unlicensed librarians also congregate there. These representatives of the criminal class favor the strawberry malteds for which the Nor-Bu is justly famous.'" (459) from The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death
"...by the end of a week, a certificate had been mailed to every man, woman, and child in the civilized world, and Iceland." (584) from The Last Guru
Slaves of Spiegel: 4 stars
The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death: 4 stars
The Last Guru: 3 stars
Young Adult Novel: 1.5 stars
Pull quotes/notes
"'But what about moving objects by mental power?' I asked. 'That could be useful for putting up buildings and things like that, couldn't it?'
'Why do you suppose God gave us hands, and brains that can figure out how to do things?' the Venusian said. 'You know, there are people who believe that the pyramids and the Easter Island statues were erected by some kind of magic power that the ancient people learned from extraterrestrials. The reason they think this is because it hurts their pride that they can't figure out how it was done. They don't want to believe that some ancient Easter Islander knew as much about engineering as they do. But none of that stuff about spacemen building the great monuments of the ancient world is true. All those things were done by humans using their human gifts-including, but not depending on, moments of inspiration or intuition'" (147) from Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars
"Steve went right to work, making up the Day of Wrath. It has a whole eggplant, two slabs of whole wheat pizza dough, all sixteen flavors of ice cream, fresh figs, pistachio nuts, a lobster, and assorted fresh garden vegetables and fruit. The whole thing goes into a freshly laundered regulation army knapsack, and Steve shoves it into the microwave oven. Two minutes later, out it comes, piping hot. Steve put on a certain record of music by Franz Liszt, and served it to the customer.
'This is for a real gourmet," Steve said.'" (262) from Slaves of Spiegel
"I met Winston Bongo on the first day of Mrs. Macmillan's English class. He came in late. He'd gotten delayed trying to borrow a Jewish star to wear to class. This is one of the few positive things that I've noticed at Genghis Khan High School. This Mrs. Macmillan has something against Jews. Years ago, she used to make speeches about Jews in her classroom. So this tradition got started: Every semester, kids who aren't Jewish, and Jewish kids who don't have them, borrow Jewish stars to wear around their necks in Mrs. Macmillan's class. It's fun to watch her panic when she realizes that she's facing another all-Jewish class. She believes that Jews creep around, plotting the end of civilization-and seeing all those Stars of David makes her crazy." (328-329) from The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death
"'I should say that in addition to the various practitioners of the arts who frequent the soda fountain at the Nor-Bu Drug Company, many stool pigeons, card sharpers, bunco steerers, dacoits, cutpurses, granny bashers, yobs, and unlicensed librarians also congregate there. These representatives of the criminal class favor the strawberry malteds for which the Nor-Bu is justly famous.'" (459) from The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death
"...by the end of a week, a certificate had been mailed to every man, woman, and child in the civilized world, and Iceland." (584) from The Last Guru
August 25, 2021
This collection of young adult fiction by Daniel Pinkwater offers a generous sampling of the author's favorite subject matters. Aliens, misfits, weird people, rebellious students, and fat men all have places of honor among these tales.
In Alan Mendelsohn, Boy from Mars, Leonard Neeble is such an outcast at school that even the nerds make fun of him. Just when he's given up hope on ever being happy, along comes Alan Mendelsohn, a new kid who seems to enjoy annoying teachers and blowing off the cool kids. Leonard and Alan become quick friends, and in no time at all Alan is showing Leonard how to skip school, smoke cigars, lift objects with his mind, contact alien races, and learn to enjoy who he is without the approval of others.
Slaves of Spiegel, simply put, is about a race of fat people that forces other races into a cooking contest, while The Snarkout Boys are a group of young lads who "snark out" at night and have many bizarre adventures. The Last Guru, is about, well, the last guru. Go figure.
My personal favorite, however, and the grand example of Daniel Pinkwater's bizarre brand of genius, is Young Adult Novel. The story revolves around Wild Dada Ducks, a self-proclaimed dadaist group consisting of Charles the Cat, the Honorable Venustiano Carranza (President of Mexico), The Indiana Zephyr, Captain Colossal, and Igor. They spend their time performing dadaist plays and acts of pointless revolution at their high school, and writing parody young adult novels featuring the fictional character Kevin Shapiro. But when they discover that there actually is a student in the school named Kevin Shapiro, they immediately take him under their wing despite his protests, ignorant to the possibility that their own creation might rebel against them. After all, that is dada.
Very few children's authors, past or present, can successfully inject this much original wackiness into their stories while simultaneously teaching much needed life lessons that many books never touch on. Granted, not all of his young adult novels are meant to inform, but even the ones meant purely for entertainment can't help but leave you feeling better for the experience. Children, young adults, and even some grownups could do with a little Pinkwater influence.
YOUNG ADULT NOVEL: Young Adult Novel is one of my most cherished childhood books. It is the story of a small group of surrealist nonconformists who call themselves the Wild Dada Ducks and spend their time staging impromptu performance art pieces, printing off irrelevant business cards, and writing stories about a boy named Kevin Shapiro. When a new kid with the same name as their fictional idol transfers to their school, they decide to elevate his status. But what happens when your own creation rejects your praise? That, as they say, is Dada. Bizarre and hilarious while remaining grounded in reality (to an extent), Young Adult Novel is the quintessential Pinkwater novel, and should be readily enjoyed by readers of any age.
In Alan Mendelsohn, Boy from Mars, Leonard Neeble is such an outcast at school that even the nerds make fun of him. Just when he's given up hope on ever being happy, along comes Alan Mendelsohn, a new kid who seems to enjoy annoying teachers and blowing off the cool kids. Leonard and Alan become quick friends, and in no time at all Alan is showing Leonard how to skip school, smoke cigars, lift objects with his mind, contact alien races, and learn to enjoy who he is without the approval of others.
Slaves of Spiegel, simply put, is about a race of fat people that forces other races into a cooking contest, while The Snarkout Boys are a group of young lads who "snark out" at night and have many bizarre adventures. The Last Guru, is about, well, the last guru. Go figure.
My personal favorite, however, and the grand example of Daniel Pinkwater's bizarre brand of genius, is Young Adult Novel. The story revolves around Wild Dada Ducks, a self-proclaimed dadaist group consisting of Charles the Cat, the Honorable Venustiano Carranza (President of Mexico), The Indiana Zephyr, Captain Colossal, and Igor. They spend their time performing dadaist plays and acts of pointless revolution at their high school, and writing parody young adult novels featuring the fictional character Kevin Shapiro. But when they discover that there actually is a student in the school named Kevin Shapiro, they immediately take him under their wing despite his protests, ignorant to the possibility that their own creation might rebel against them. After all, that is dada.
Very few children's authors, past or present, can successfully inject this much original wackiness into their stories while simultaneously teaching much needed life lessons that many books never touch on. Granted, not all of his young adult novels are meant to inform, but even the ones meant purely for entertainment can't help but leave you feeling better for the experience. Children, young adults, and even some grownups could do with a little Pinkwater influence.
YOUNG ADULT NOVEL: Young Adult Novel is one of my most cherished childhood books. It is the story of a small group of surrealist nonconformists who call themselves the Wild Dada Ducks and spend their time staging impromptu performance art pieces, printing off irrelevant business cards, and writing stories about a boy named Kevin Shapiro. When a new kid with the same name as their fictional idol transfers to their school, they decide to elevate his status. But what happens when your own creation rejects your praise? That, as they say, is Dada. Bizarre and hilarious while remaining grounded in reality (to an extent), Young Adult Novel is the quintessential Pinkwater novel, and should be readily enjoyed by readers of any age.
February 3, 2021
A similarly weirdo friend recommended this to me in high school and reading it made me feel like I’d walked into worlds created for me. Pinkwater’s characters vary from schlubby, average normals to over-the-top eccentrics, and the resulting interactions and discoveries are purely delicious. I’m very grateful that I had this book as a teenager, and can find comfort in my well-worn copy as an adult.
January 4, 2018
Read these with my dad growing up and frequently found myself hurting from laughing too hard. I read them again recently and they definitely hold up. Pinkwater has an incredible imagination and has a simple, yet powerful style.
September 7, 2017
dsvgfdshgshfdhgfxhxdrfggfgdgddgfgdg
November 9, 2018
it´s fabolous
February 20, 2019
I keep this collection in my classroom library. Kids still find the humor in these stories.
March 29, 2019
Strange stories. Definitely entertaining.
February 2, 2020
All of Daniel Pinkwater's young adult novels are worth reading. Lizard Music remains my favorite, but these are all good too. What a mind!
September 3, 2021
fabulous collection! YOUNG ADULT NOVEL is one of my favorite YA books ever! If you don't fall on the floor laughing I feel sorry for you. SNARKOUT BOYS AND THE AVOCADO OF DEATH is essential reading.
December 27, 2021
Perfect!!!
February 21, 2023
The first big book i read and the best
August 16, 2023
Daniel Pinkwater my beloved....
February 11, 2024
Couldn’t finish it tbh
October 12, 2024
Whimsical and lyrical, just like me!
December 4, 2025
probably my favourite YA book ever
March 23, 2014
Daniel Pinkwater is perhaps one of the greatest and most overlooked American writers of the 20th century. I read many of his books in grade school, and those that were available as audio books, I listened to over and over on family vacations more times than I can count. I have probably read and/or heard the Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death at least 30 times. I wasn't really into music as a kid, and audio books, especially Pinkwater's, made up much of the background noise of my young life.
This past week, I reread Five Novels (a 1997 compilation of five of his books which had at that point gone out of print, which is itself happily still in print). I probably read it in three days, and I doubt I've ever read 656 pages faster. Pinkwater's novels are not exactly difficult reading (not to mention that I discovered I still had large tracts of them memorized), but that isn't really the point. They are like small, intricately painted eggs that your elderly Ukrainian grandmother keeps on the mantel piece in The Old Apartment. Within the constraints of form and scale (be it that of egg or of young adult trade paperback) jewel-like objects of elegant design and surprising detail are created.
Pinkwater novels are neither long nor dense, and most of them follow a comfortingly predictable formula (predictable to those of us lucky enough to have read a lot of Pinkwater, anyway), in which a kid between the ages of 11 and 15 (always male, often fat and of vaguely Eastern European heritage, usually some kind of social pariah to his peers) blunders out of his ordinary life (which is more or less subtly tinged with uncomfortably conformist stereotypes of mid-century American suburbia and fairly harsh critique of the gross disservices done by mediocre public education, often to the brightest children), usually at the instigation of a mysterious new friend (or eccentric relative, or ship of humanoid aliens in polyacrylic leisure suits...you get the idea) into outer space, alternate dimensions, or simply the unexplored underbelly of his own home town, to embark on fantastic adventures.
The books abound with bizarre and occult references to everything from classic Hollywood films to eastern mysticism to obscure food products to local landmarks of cities where Pinkwater has lived (mostly Chicago and Hoboken, usually with slightly altered names), tossed out in a casual manner that blurs fact and fiction (the fictitious and ludicrously-named bands that appear in many Pinkwater books may be among his greatest contributions to literature.) Only the (by today's standards) absurdly low prices of movies or comic books his characters consume, or occasional references to no longer quite so relevant public figures date Pinkwater's otherwise timeless tales of early adolescent alienation and escapist longing. Pinkwater's works still speak to the fat, bullied, bespectacled, painfully bored 12-year-old Jewish boy in all of us as clearly as when they were written. If you don't think you have such an inner nebbish, read Five Novels. You might be surprised.
This past week, I reread Five Novels (a 1997 compilation of five of his books which had at that point gone out of print, which is itself happily still in print). I probably read it in three days, and I doubt I've ever read 656 pages faster. Pinkwater's novels are not exactly difficult reading (not to mention that I discovered I still had large tracts of them memorized), but that isn't really the point. They are like small, intricately painted eggs that your elderly Ukrainian grandmother keeps on the mantel piece in The Old Apartment. Within the constraints of form and scale (be it that of egg or of young adult trade paperback) jewel-like objects of elegant design and surprising detail are created.
Pinkwater novels are neither long nor dense, and most of them follow a comfortingly predictable formula (predictable to those of us lucky enough to have read a lot of Pinkwater, anyway), in which a kid between the ages of 11 and 15 (always male, often fat and of vaguely Eastern European heritage, usually some kind of social pariah to his peers) blunders out of his ordinary life (which is more or less subtly tinged with uncomfortably conformist stereotypes of mid-century American suburbia and fairly harsh critique of the gross disservices done by mediocre public education, often to the brightest children), usually at the instigation of a mysterious new friend (or eccentric relative, or ship of humanoid aliens in polyacrylic leisure suits...you get the idea) into outer space, alternate dimensions, or simply the unexplored underbelly of his own home town, to embark on fantastic adventures.
The books abound with bizarre and occult references to everything from classic Hollywood films to eastern mysticism to obscure food products to local landmarks of cities where Pinkwater has lived (mostly Chicago and Hoboken, usually with slightly altered names), tossed out in a casual manner that blurs fact and fiction (the fictitious and ludicrously-named bands that appear in many Pinkwater books may be among his greatest contributions to literature.) Only the (by today's standards) absurdly low prices of movies or comic books his characters consume, or occasional references to no longer quite so relevant public figures date Pinkwater's otherwise timeless tales of early adolescent alienation and escapist longing. Pinkwater's works still speak to the fat, bullied, bespectacled, painfully bored 12-year-old Jewish boy in all of us as clearly as when they were written. If you don't think you have such an inner nebbish, read Five Novels. You might be surprised.
March 9, 2021
This collection of Pinkwater's YA novellas "the Boy from Mars / Slaves of Spiegel / The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death / The Last Guru / Young Adult Novel" Yes the last novel is called "Young Adult Novel" seem representative of the strange world of Pinkwater. The settings of his world are close to our own but now quite our world. Middle and High Schools are named after Ghengis Khan and Custer and rootbeer's secret ingredient is the stuff of toads. However, in the midst of it, there is the sad truth of tweenagers feeling excluded and out of it.
My sister who gave me this book one Christmas thought I’d find his work funny, but a lot of the mean-spirited nature of middle-school is painful to recall, even secondhand and 55 years later. As "the Boy from Mars" progresses, the characters become more and more eccentric. Vegetarian grandparents. A bookseller who also has a mind expansion course that happens to involved interplanetary communication which turns out to be real. It's not knock down funny, just weirdly funny.
My sister who gave me this book one Christmas thought I’d find his work funny, but a lot of the mean-spirited nature of middle-school is painful to recall, even secondhand and 55 years later. As "the Boy from Mars" progresses, the characters become more and more eccentric. Vegetarian grandparents. A bookseller who also has a mind expansion course that happens to involved interplanetary communication which turns out to be real. It's not knock down funny, just weirdly funny.
March 6, 2017
If I ever have kids, I will read the hell out of these books to them. If I don't, I'll read the hell out of them again for my own pure enjoyment.
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