My Curious Uncle Dudley

by Tony Auth, Barry Yourgrau (Illustrator)

Enhanced by Tony Auth's wry drawings, Barry Yourgrau's middle-grade fantasy of a boy and his magical, moon-touched uncle is at once humorous and poignant, nostalgic and timeless.

"Invicius Ponticius Supalicius . . . Magilili . . . Lililiculus?"

Duncan Peckle's young life changes forever the day his mysterious relative, Uncle Dudley of the great voyages, arrives in Mt. Geranium in his battered Panama hat and old tweed coat. No sooner do Duncan's parents leave him in his bungling uncle's care than a strange package arrives and the attic guest room is overflowing with the accoutrements of magical research (and one shrunken head). For eleven-year-old Duncan, it's the start of a summer full of marvelous misadventures — from accidentally summoning goblins to reversing invisibility spells, from unleashing a love elixir to zooming around on giant bubbles through the wild night air.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published July 8, 2004

About the author

Tony Auth is the Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the author and illustrator of books for children. He discovered drawing when he was bedridden for a year and a half at the age of five, and his mother came into his room with paper, crayons, and pencils. Now he divides his time between creating irreverent political cartoons for adults and whimsical drawings for kids. Thanks, Mom.

Thoughts from Tony Auth: “I was drawing a political cartoon on a completely different subject while listening to the Senate hearings on the Watergate scandal. To my astonishment and delight, testimony revealed that President Richard Nixon had installed a secret taping system in the White House. I immediately went to work on another drawing, a version of the illustration you see in Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out.”

Reviews

[Cristie of Crops and Craps and Things Long Since Past · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tells the story of a young boy and his visiting uncle's fantastical summer adventure. Through the duration of his uncle's visit, Duncan learns about spells, potions, and magical creatures as he ventures outside of his mundane, normal life.

Duncan's uncle has a crush on a married woman. Nothing immoral happens, but it might raise some questions in children's minds about what behavior is considered appropriate and right.

I always like books about magic. This one didn't explain how the magic worked - it just kind of thrust the reader into their world and expected them to hold on for dear life.

[Daisy · Rating 2 out of 5]

well i must say this book was breathtaking!i absolutely enjoyed every minute of it during my spare time!The story was mostly about an eleven boy named duncan peckle. This young boy was delighted when his parents left him with his adventorous uncle named dudley(a world traveler,and a student of magic!)for the whole summer.Throughout the whole experience duncan has been living the life he never had, tv dinners,fantastic sorties told by uncle dudley, and last but not least his parents not being around!They enjoy each others company such as finding out recipes of misterious food.this book does not really have a point to it. it's just a passage of excitment and to relax the readers mind! i highly recommend this book! its very entertaining.:)This young boy i think takes advantage due to the fact that her parents leave him with his adventorous grandfather. He takes advantage of te food and the lifestyle he is normally used to. I would also like to include that this young boy fakes everything about the way her lives with his mom and dasd in order to have fun in the house. I would like to do the same thing. This book was a benefit to the advantages i have when my parents leave me alone with one of my relatives.

[Mazzou B · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just another book I picked up for free at a library sale and quickly read (as in a few minutes while waiting at an appointment) to see if it was either hilarious for children or terrible. It was definitely in the latter category so I will say no more. It was full of unusual and not incredibly funny magical spells and was not worth anyone's time.

[Emily Detrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

What??? Stick to stories for adults, Barry.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book had potential. Then it hit the half way mark, and went down a slippery slope to disaster. The story turned out rather depressing and it just seemed to go on and on and on.

[Tanisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it was the best book

[Regine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming, fun.