Yobgorgle: Mystery Monster of Lake Ontario

by Daniel Pinkwater

While visiting Rochester, New York, young Eugene meets the strange Professor Ambrose McFwain and goes out with him in his boat to search for a mysterious sea monster that has been sighted on Lake Ontario.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, Childrens, Middle Grade, New York, Juvenile

156 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Daniel 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.

Reviews

[Declan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my all time favorite of his, but just an awesome whacky summer-y comfort read full of cheeseburgers, sea monsters, and crazy explorers. Expect to see more short Pinkwater novel reviews from me in the near future.

[Josher71 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book when I was ten. Jessie(see friends) got this for me for Xmas 2006 and I was pretty much overjoyed. If you like, um, reading, you should check it out.

[Alan]

Der Fliegende Schweine German U-boat condemned to sail the Great Lakes until the captain finds the worlds best pastrami sandwich. Pinkwater is master of the incongruous. Really funny stuff.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so goofy and ridiculous - Daniel Pinkwater rocks!

[Kevin Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the best of Pinkwater, but the prettydarngood of Pinkwater. Deutsches Unterseeschwimmschweinboot indeed!

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, I don't remember a ton about this book, but I read it while I was single-digit age in the 80's and absolutely LOVED this book. I reread it until it fell apart. I partially credit it with instilling my love for going out into the natural world and exploring its mysteries. Great for adventurous young boys. (Probably girls too, I wouldn't know, I'm not one, and I wasn't really paying much attention to what they were into as a young boy).

[Judah E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Pinkwater hilarity

This one starts off a bit slow and mundane, but that’s part of the charm of a good Pinkwater novel - you know that the normality now is only a counterpoint for the coming zaniness. Prepare for one kid bearing witness to all sorts of wacky hijinks.

[Misha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fun for a kid’s book, actually surprising twist ending and a bunch of wacky characters make this a solid afternoon read

[Jeremy Maddux · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun in that 'kid spending the summer at his uncle's house' kind of way, but it gets really silly when the plot gets derailed by a submarine and never really recovers.

[Neil Troost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun. Classic pinkwater

[Jeff Shuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this in fourth grade and it changed the way I looked a lot of things. It felt accepting and validating. Quirky in a way that made me proud to be quirky, too. I love this book.

[Lila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pinkwater is continually surprising. The is a send up of silly monster searches with a flying German pig, no less.

[chrstphre campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars for a Daniel PinkWater Book

… This to infer that if it were written by anyone else, a different quality standard would necessarily apply ( . )

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic, amazing, wonderful, magical (get the picture)!
It's Pinkwater so if you're already a fan then you've probably already read this.
If you're not a fan then shame on you - he's the most amazing, subversive, funny, zany, crazy writer out there and this is one of his best.

Kid goes to stay with his uncle BUT
the uncle has to go to Rochester (my hometown) for two week AND
takes the kid BUT
there's not much for the kid to do all day in Rochester SO
he winds up hooking up with a monster hunter AND
becomes his assistant SO
they proceed to grab a few more crazy cohorts AND
go monster hunting for Yobgorgle in Lake Ontario

hijinks ensue
lots of jewish references
lots of crazy food
lots of memorable characters
classic Pinkwater

it's really a shame that more people don't read him - most kids these days have never heard of him and that makes me sad - I can't imagine a childhood without Pinkwater

read this book
now
go buy it
2.99 at amazon

[Turi Becker · Rating 3 out of 5]

After I recently read Daniel Pinkwater's The Neddiad, it reminded me of one of my favorite books when I was a kid. Yobgorgle is the story of a kid who, left to his own devices while staying with an uncle, ends up as a research assistant to a monster-hunting scientist. It turns out that the monster they are searching for is a giant pig-shaped submarine with a cursed captain. And believe it or not, it is even more bizarre than that. Great stuff. It makes me feel good that I liked this kind of deliciously improbable stuff even as a kid, I can see why I now like authors like Mark Leyner, Terry Pratchett, and Tim Dorsey.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read from Mr. Pinkwater.
A boy travels with his Dad and while his Dad is at work the kid explores the town, discovering the local library and then discover the legend of the local monster, Yoborgle.

It is a pretty straightforward story, surprising for a Pinkwater book, until the last quarter of the book where we then meet some very Pinkwater-ish characters and the monster is explained.

There are no bad Pinkwater books, but this was not as strong as some of his others. A fun read that my kids and I enjoyed but not one of my favorites.

[Michele Krejny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, fast read

My seven-year-old loves Daniel Pinkwater, and we read his books a chapter at a time at bedtime. When we finished this one, my son declared, "That...was...awesome!" A fun plot, and great characters!

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goofy and fun. Wish I'd read it as a kid.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

More goofy fun from Daniel Pinkwater. Gotta love pig submarines and insta food machines!

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because I read it, it's awesome.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

That Daniel Pinkwater - what a wacky guy!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another crazy but fun Pinkwater. I enjoyed it more than Borgle...as did Abel. Totally ridiculous characters.

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the world's best storytellers. Daniel Pinkwater has the ability to take a simple idea of looking for a mystery monster and turning it into a bizarrely strange, funny and fantastical story.

[Amaali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one. So witty.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

pinkwater was great. bizarre books. so fun. I think fat men from space was my favorite though.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't find it as inspired by the same endearing quirky genius as many of his other works, but still work the price of admission.