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Neddie & Friends #6
Crazy in Poughkeepsie
The inimitable Daniel Pinkwater (The Big Orange Splot; The Hoboken Chicken Emergency) brings his zany wit and wisdom to a gentle middle-grade adventure following a kid's off-the-beaten-path journey, featuring an unfocused spiritual guide, a not-quite-dwarf, a graffiti "artist," a ghost whale, and mystical shenanigans galore.
Mick is a good kid, but maybe he can use just a little guidance. But it's unclear who will be guiding whom, because Mick's brother came home from Tibet with the self-proclaimed Guru Lumpo Smythe-Finkel and his dog Lhasa--and then promptly settled both of them in Mick's bedroom.
(The thing about this kind of guru is that he doesn't seem to know exactly what he's trying to do. He sure does seem to be hungry, though.)
Anyway, Mick agrees to something like a quest, roaming the suburbs with the oddest group of misfits: Lumpo and Lhasa; graffiti-fanatic Verne; and Verne's unusual friend Molly. Molly is a Dwergish girl--don't worry if you don't know what that is yet--and she seems to be going off the rails a bit. But she knows that she is defniitely not Verne's girlfriend.
Along the way, the gang will get invited to a rollicking ghost party, consult a very strange little king, and actually discover the truth about Heaven. Or a version of the truth anyway, because in a Daniel Pinkwater tale, the truth is never the slightest bit like what you're expecting.
Mick is a good kid, but maybe he can use just a little guidance. But it's unclear who will be guiding whom, because Mick's brother came home from Tibet with the self-proclaimed Guru Lumpo Smythe-Finkel and his dog Lhasa--and then promptly settled both of them in Mick's bedroom.
(The thing about this kind of guru is that he doesn't seem to know exactly what he's trying to do. He sure does seem to be hungry, though.)
Anyway, Mick agrees to something like a quest, roaming the suburbs with the oddest group of misfits: Lumpo and Lhasa; graffiti-fanatic Verne; and Verne's unusual friend Molly. Molly is a Dwergish girl--don't worry if you don't know what that is yet--and she seems to be going off the rails a bit. But she knows that she is defniitely not Verne's girlfriend.
Along the way, the gang will get invited to a rollicking ghost party, consult a very strange little king, and actually discover the truth about Heaven. Or a version of the truth anyway, because in a Daniel Pinkwater tale, the truth is never the slightest bit like what you're expecting.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2022
3 people are currently reading
1316 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Pinkwater
143 books429 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 51 reviews
May 12, 2022
In a Nutshell: This began well but after about a third into it, my attention started wandering due to the lack of a clear plotline. (Keep in mind that this is for children and I haven’t been one for decades!) So yeah, kids might enjoy it more.
Story:
The book is a very quick read. The chapters are extremely short (39 chapters in 192 pages!) and the story moves ahead with every turn of the page. The end of each chapter is marked by a cutesy illustration.
The book reminded me a lot of old Enid Blyton works, where you have a few central characters and they move from adventure to adventure. Here, while the overall story itself is one adventure, it seems to be divided in distinct events. As such, there is an episodic sort of feel to the book.
The writing is chock-a-block with silly, almost bizarre humour that kids might enjoy more than I did. One of the characters is an environmental fanatic, and courtesy him, there are also plentiful messages about environmental awareness.
Daniel Pinkwater seems to be a popular children’s book writer, but I have read only one of his books prior to this, so I am not very aware of his general writing style. I had liked that book better than this one. This story was too haphazard for my taste. I prefer my books to have a firm plot. Then again, this is for children so I suppose it will work better for them.
Recommended to those middle graders who are looking for a different kind of adventure story with fun moments and wacky characters.
2.75 stars from me. Might have been a tad higher had I been in my tweens.
My thanks to Tachyon Publications for the DRC of “Crazy in Poughkeepsie”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
Story:
Mick’s elder brother Maurice has returned from a sojourn to the Himalayas. Accompanying him is a Guru Lumpo Smythe-Finkel and his dog Lhasa, who had been brought along for Maurice to learn “guru stuff” such as levitation and vanishing. When Lumpo doesn’t perform in this task, Maurice dumps him on Mick. Now Mick has to share his room with Lumpo, and also follow whatever he says as Lumpo considers Mick his new disciple. Soon, they set off on a vague quest that involves their meeting several characters, both friendly and weird.
The story is written in the first person pov of Mick.
The book is a very quick read. The chapters are extremely short (39 chapters in 192 pages!) and the story moves ahead with every turn of the page. The end of each chapter is marked by a cutesy illustration.
The book reminded me a lot of old Enid Blyton works, where you have a few central characters and they move from adventure to adventure. Here, while the overall story itself is one adventure, it seems to be divided in distinct events. As such, there is an episodic sort of feel to the book.
The writing is chock-a-block with silly, almost bizarre humour that kids might enjoy more than I did. One of the characters is an environmental fanatic, and courtesy him, there are also plentiful messages about environmental awareness.
Daniel Pinkwater seems to be a popular children’s book writer, but I have read only one of his books prior to this, so I am not very aware of his general writing style. I had liked that book better than this one. This story was too haphazard for my taste. I prefer my books to have a firm plot. Then again, this is for children so I suppose it will work better for them.
Recommended to those middle graders who are looking for a different kind of adventure story with fun moments and wacky characters.
2.75 stars from me. Might have been a tad higher had I been in my tweens.
My thanks to Tachyon Publications for the DRC of “Crazy in Poughkeepsie”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
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April 17, 2022In a lot of ways, Daniel Pinkwater reminds me of P.G. Woodhouse.
Woodhouse never wrote fantasy (or if he did, the element is very subtle, for example keeping Bertie and Jeeves in time suspension wherein gentlemen will always wear spats), but I see so many similarities between the two, especially the substrate of kindness.
That kindness is especially obvious in this utterly charming, whimsical story about some kids who meet up, make friends, and go on a road trip with an official, certified guru in order to . . . oh, I think it's more fun to let readers discover.
Absurdities abound, but the sweetness of this novel, without ever being cloying or preachy, would especially today be just the ticket for a certain type of kid reader who is feeling the psychic sunburn from all the anxiety and hate talk in the adult world, and needs a fantasy in which Things Just Always Go Right, even crazy things.
Copy provided by NetGalley
Woodhouse never wrote fantasy (or if he did, the element is very subtle, for example keeping Bertie and Jeeves in time suspension wherein gentlemen will always wear spats), but I see so many similarities between the two, especially the substrate of kindness.
That kindness is especially obvious in this utterly charming, whimsical story about some kids who meet up, make friends, and go on a road trip with an official, certified guru in order to . . . oh, I think it's more fun to let readers discover.
Absurdities abound, but the sweetness of this novel, without ever being cloying or preachy, would especially today be just the ticket for a certain type of kid reader who is feeling the psychic sunburn from all the anxiety and hate talk in the adult world, and needs a fantasy in which Things Just Always Go Right, even crazy things.
Copy provided by NetGalley
May 2, 2022
02 May update, close to publication
I hadn't any idea this was part of a series, Neddie & Friends , happily, this can be read stand-alone, I'm going for the previous.
Mick's brother, Maurice (pronounced, ‘MAW-riss, ’and not ‘Mo-REECE,’) is an average and standard older brother. He loves him, of course, but there’s nothing particularly unusual or interesting about him, except that he took a trip to the Himalayas to find a guru. Now, Mick has a new roommate with his dog! The Guru and Lhasa!
They are on an adventure with Molly, a girl, and a friend (not girlfriend) to Whales heaven. The mission is to save a very lovely whale ghost who has very much love to dance.
This was a short, cute and funny story for young readers with the motto's "Help Save the Planet". An enjoyable read with nice illustrations.
Many thanks to Tachyon Publications and Netgalley for giving me chance to read Crazy in Poughkeepsie by Daniel Pinkwater and illustrator by Aaron Renier, I have given my honest review.
I hadn't any idea this was part of a series, Neddie & Friends , happily, this can be read stand-alone, I'm going for the previous.
Mick's brother, Maurice (pronounced, ‘MAW-riss, ’and not ‘Mo-REECE,’) is an average and standard older brother. He loves him, of course, but there’s nothing particularly unusual or interesting about him, except that he took a trip to the Himalayas to find a guru. Now, Mick has a new roommate with his dog! The Guru and Lhasa!
They are on an adventure with Molly, a girl, and a friend (not girlfriend) to Whales heaven. The mission is to save a very lovely whale ghost who has very much love to dance.
This was a short, cute and funny story for young readers with the motto's "Help Save the Planet". An enjoyable read with nice illustrations.
Many thanks to Tachyon Publications and Netgalley for giving me chance to read Crazy in Poughkeepsie by Daniel Pinkwater and illustrator by Aaron Renier, I have given my honest review.
October 26, 2021
This book is a giggle. Appropriate for middle grade readers. It includes a guru, a dog, and a whale ghost.
July 14, 2022
This is the 6th book in the series and still so many unanswered questions but I so enjoy the writing. A few things are explained and added but still a lot of stuff left hanging. The series is for 10-14 year olds but so perfect for me being a 12 year old boy mentally. These are wonderful books and I hope they keep coming.
November 5, 2021
I read an advance copy and supplied a blurb. This book is a hoot! I read Pinkwater's The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death back when I was in junior high, so it was great to read him again 30 years later.
April 12, 2022
It’s difficult to find words to describe a Daniel Pinkwater book because they are a unique breed that defies the usual literary terminology: they’re enchanting (often literally), playful, spontaneous (as in combustion, upon occasion), and hilarious-yet-insightful. In other words, a Daniel Pinkwater book provides the occasion for parents wrestling the copy from their kids, and vice versa, so why not avoid bloodshed, or paper-shred, and read them aloud together?
Mick’s ordinary life comes to a screeching 180 degree turn when his older brother returns home from Tibet with Guru Lumpo Smythe-Finkel and his dog, Lhasa, and Mick finds himself—how, he’s never entirely clear—the guru’s new disciple. Guru, disciple, and magical dog set off on a quest that’s as notable for its vagueness as its unpredictability. They acquire fellow travelers, graffiti-fanatic Verne and Molly, a Dwergish girl (sort of like leprechaun trolls with hidden goals, magical powers, a gift for making friends, and a charmingly madcap sense of humor). Soon they’re cavorting with a ghost whale who is the essence of love, as well as other wacky and memorable characters.
Pinkwater’s in on a great secret: if you want to communicate wisdom to young readers, first make them smile.
Or giggle. Or run wild in Poughkeepsie, as the case may be.
https://netgalley-covers.s3.amazonaws...
Mick’s ordinary life comes to a screeching 180 degree turn when his older brother returns home from Tibet with Guru Lumpo Smythe-Finkel and his dog, Lhasa, and Mick finds himself—how, he’s never entirely clear—the guru’s new disciple. Guru, disciple, and magical dog set off on a quest that’s as notable for its vagueness as its unpredictability. They acquire fellow travelers, graffiti-fanatic Verne and Molly, a Dwergish girl (sort of like leprechaun trolls with hidden goals, magical powers, a gift for making friends, and a charmingly madcap sense of humor). Soon they’re cavorting with a ghost whale who is the essence of love, as well as other wacky and memorable characters.
Pinkwater’s in on a great secret: if you want to communicate wisdom to young readers, first make them smile.
Or giggle. Or run wild in Poughkeepsie, as the case may be.
https://netgalley-covers.s3.amazonaws...
March 1, 2022
Thank you to Tachyon Publications for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Pinkwater's books were never on my radar as a kid, for some reason, but I feel like I would have loved his dry, silly humor. The continuous cycle of zany events is less appealing to me as an adult--I kept looking for the plot--but I do think this will resonate with its target audience.
I appreciated the time Pinkwater took to build his world and establish its lore--it makes the setting feel more tangible. The characters' exploration of "whale heaven" is whimsical and oddly beautiful. As far as these explorers go, the guru felt a little off and reminiscent of a joke that would have been made in the 1970s or 1980s, but I loved the deadpan Mick, the unbalanced Molly, and take-charge big brother Maurice.
Overall, this book has enough laugh-out-loud lines and fun moments that it would appeal to middle-grade readers who are looking for something different to read. The Aaron Renier illustrations are a bonus and help ground the story.
Pinkwater's books were never on my radar as a kid, for some reason, but I feel like I would have loved his dry, silly humor. The continuous cycle of zany events is less appealing to me as an adult--I kept looking for the plot--but I do think this will resonate with its target audience.
I appreciated the time Pinkwater took to build his world and establish its lore--it makes the setting feel more tangible. The characters' exploration of "whale heaven" is whimsical and oddly beautiful. As far as these explorers go, the guru felt a little off and reminiscent of a joke that would have been made in the 1970s or 1980s, but I loved the deadpan Mick, the unbalanced Molly, and take-charge big brother Maurice.
Overall, this book has enough laugh-out-loud lines and fun moments that it would appeal to middle-grade readers who are looking for something different to read. The Aaron Renier illustrations are a bonus and help ground the story.
August 11, 2022
Another great Pinkwater ride. This book is tangentially related to at least a half dozen previous Pinkwater books, including ones as far back as Borgel, but you can read it on its own. It's not really part of a "series" so much as part of a shared universe with most of Pinkwater's other books.
The plot? There is one, but it's hard to describe without spoilers. The main character teams up with a guru to look for something, but neither one of them knows what it is. They'll know when they find it. If there is an antagonist, it is probably disconnection, and the goal is connection. Social connection, spiritual connection, musical connection, etc.
This book is funny and deep and way out there. Recommended for Buddhists, dwergs, and people who like a good long walk.
The plot? There is one, but it's hard to describe without spoilers. The main character teams up with a guru to look for something, but neither one of them knows what it is. They'll know when they find it. If there is an antagonist, it is probably disconnection, and the goal is connection. Social connection, spiritual connection, musical connection, etc.
This book is funny and deep and way out there. Recommended for Buddhists, dwergs, and people who like a good long walk.
August 1, 2023
I am a huge Pinkwater fan and am delighted to see this, the latest in the “Neddie and Friends” series. Just a delight! And I always enjoy the subtle life lessons that Pinkwater weaves into his stories.
Couldn’t resist rereading this quirky and hilarious book.
Couldn’t resist rereading this quirky and hilarious book.
June 14, 2022
★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
WHAT'S CRAZY IN POUGHKEEPSIE ABOUT?
Mick comes home from two weeks at summer camp to find out that his brother's trip to Tibet to find a personal guru ended up being much shorter than anyone expected. He did find a guru—Guru Lumpo Smythe-Finkel—and that guru came home to Poughkeepsie with him. The guru and his dog will be sharing Mick's room for a while.
Mick's life is sure different afterward—the guru takes him under his wing (or tries to) and they spend most of the daytime together. Mick also picks up a couple of friends—a would-be graffiti artist, who tags buildings with warnings of environmental/health dangers and a quirky young woman (who probably isn't crazy) who lives in trees.
Before the summer year is out, Mick will play a ghost flute, attend a ghost party, meet people a whole lot stranger than anyone I've mentioned so far, see a dog use a stuffed rabbit to help a car navigate, and things too strange for me to summarize in this way.
HOW WERE THE ILLUSTRATIONS?
They were fittingly odd. I enjoyed them and thought they added a nice little bit of seasoning. They're not essential to the text, they're a pleasant accent.
I really liked the ghosts—the whale in particular. I think drawing ghosts among and around some of the living has to be a challenge, and I like Renier's approach.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT CRAZY IN POUGHKEEPSIE ABOUT?
This is a wonderfully weird story. The absurd moments flow effortlessly from one to the next. As always, I'll not that seemingly effortless moments obviously are the result of effort, skill, and talent.
I haven't read a Pinkwater book since...wow. The 1980s? I don't think he's missed a step—some of the jokes feel a little dated—do people still do the plastic covering on furniture?. But maybe not (although when I was a kid I think I wondered the same thing). Either way, most of them are fresh or evergreen. Jokes aside, there's a sense of ridiculousness running throughout this that has to appeal to readers young and old—especially those who embrace life's quirkiness.
The plot is on the lean side, but it's not the important part. This book is about the journey, not the destination—and it's a fun ride (to a pretty good destination, I should add). It's been too long since I've spent time with this author, I need to fix that.
Also, any MG book that's both amusing and uses the word "obstreperous" casually is worth a read.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
"I've been to see the ghosts,” she said.
"And how was that?” the Guru asked.
"Hoo boy! You won't believe what goes on in that old churn factory. They’ve got a whale in there!”
“An actual whale?”
“It’s the ghost of a whale, and may I say, it’s a whale of a ghost.”
WHAT'S CRAZY IN POUGHKEEPSIE ABOUT?
Mick comes home from two weeks at summer camp to find out that his brother's trip to Tibet to find a personal guru ended up being much shorter than anyone expected. He did find a guru—Guru Lumpo Smythe-Finkel—and that guru came home to Poughkeepsie with him. The guru and his dog will be sharing Mick's room for a while.
Mick's life is sure different afterward—the guru takes him under his wing (or tries to) and they spend most of the daytime together. Mick also picks up a couple of friends—a would-be graffiti artist, who tags buildings with warnings of environmental/health dangers and a quirky young woman (who probably isn't crazy) who lives in trees.
Before the summer year is out, Mick will play a ghost flute, attend a ghost party, meet people a whole lot stranger than anyone I've mentioned so far, see a dog use a stuffed rabbit to help a car navigate, and things too strange for me to summarize in this way.
HOW WERE THE ILLUSTRATIONS?
They were fittingly odd. I enjoyed them and thought they added a nice little bit of seasoning. They're not essential to the text, they're a pleasant accent.
I really liked the ghosts—the whale in particular. I think drawing ghosts among and around some of the living has to be a challenge, and I like Renier's approach.
I do not have a lot of experience with parties, almost none, in fact, if you don’t count little kids’ birthday parties with the paper hats and the cake and ice cream. This means I don’t personally have a basis for comparison, but I feel safe in saying that a party with ghosts is completely unlike any other party anyone may have been to.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT CRAZY IN POUGHKEEPSIE ABOUT?
This is a wonderfully weird story. The absurd moments flow effortlessly from one to the next. As always, I'll not that seemingly effortless moments obviously are the result of effort, skill, and talent.
I haven't read a Pinkwater book since...wow. The 1980s? I don't think he's missed a step—some of the jokes feel a little dated—do people still do the plastic covering on furniture?. But maybe not (although when I was a kid I think I wondered the same thing). Either way, most of them are fresh or evergreen. Jokes aside, there's a sense of ridiculousness running throughout this that has to appeal to readers young and old—especially those who embrace life's quirkiness.
The plot is on the lean side, but it's not the important part. This book is about the journey, not the destination—and it's a fun ride (to a pretty good destination, I should add). It's been too long since I've spent time with this author, I need to fix that.
Also, any MG book that's both amusing and uses the word "obstreperous" casually is worth a read.
May 22, 2022
A kid comes home to find a strange adult and a dog making themselves at home in his bedroom. His parents say, cheerily "meet your new roommate! You always wanted a dog!"
Hints of Borgel. References to the Neddiad. The subtle surrealism. Anarchy. This book stands proud on the highest heights of the Aquarossian canon.
Hints of Borgel. References to the Neddiad. The subtle surrealism. Anarchy. This book stands proud on the highest heights of the Aquarossian canon.
March 11, 2022
What a wild ride of a book. It's absurd, but completely worth the read. It's quick, fun, well written and did I say absurd? It's bizarre in the best possible way, so you have to be in the right headspace, but if you are? Aces.
August 30, 2022
This novel is very funny and quirky. I just noticed that is is #6 in a series, so I need to find the others.
March 19, 2026
Absurd, laugh out loud funny, and engaging. Daniel Pinkwater is a treat! An excellent middle grade novel for anyone who likes a laugh and doesn't take the world or themselves too seriously.
January 26, 2022
Daniel Pinkwater takes us to the east bank of the Hudson River, and slides the reader into the world of Mickey, the son of a Poughkeepsie pet food manufacturer, and brother of Maurice, whose burning desire is to become a guru. A lucky inheritance provides Maurice with the money to travel to Tibet, or maybe it was Pakistan or India, he wasn't sure. Amazingly he found a guru who was overdue on the rent for the cave he called “home”, so Maurice brought the guru and the guru's dog back to Poughkeepsie, and ensconced them in his brother Mickey's room, which is where Mickey found them when he arrived home from camp. This is just the beginning of a zany adventure that takes off like a verbal spontaneous problem from the Odyssey of the Mind program, with each of the 5 main characters contributing scenarios such as a ghost rave in an old factory, a campground, a circus wagon. The guru adopts Mickey as his student, Maurice becomes the chauffeur, Vern becomes a graffiti artist to spread various social messages, and Molly from Pinkwater's Adventures of a Dwergish Girl (2020)[ returns! This is a complete “out of the box” plot with dialogue that reflects each character's confusion, disbelief , commitment, or “yah, this is totally normal”. Never fear, there is a goal which involves a ghost whale.
Highly recommend!
Thank you to Tachyon Publications and Netgalley forthe opportunity to read Crazy in Poughkeepsie.
Highly recommend!
Thank you to Tachyon Publications and Netgalley forthe opportunity to read Crazy in Poughkeepsie.
January 31, 2022
Crazy in Poughkeepsie by Daniel Pinkwater is a charming and silly slice-of-life adventure story, in which our narrator, Mick, a guru from New Jersey, his brother, and two friends embark on an adventure around the city of Poughkeepsie.
I received an advanced e-copy of this book from Tachyon Publications, and it could not have come at a better time! I have been loving middle grade adventure stories lately, and this book gave me exactly what I wanted. I only wish it was longer, but that just means I now need to read Pinkwater's other books!
There are many things I liked about this book, but for now I want to talk about the top three things I really liked about it.
First, are the characters. All of them are slightly crazy, but all of them are also super likeable. At first you think the guru from New Jersey is going to be a fraud and a layabout. But, it turns out the guru is a very wise and silly layabout, that does and teaches Mick, his new pupil, very good things. And Mick himself is skeptical about all this at first, but goes along with it and finds that he enjoys the guru's various adventures.
Then we have Vern and Molly. I especially want to know more about Molly and the Dwergs (I think that is what they are called) - I really liked how Pinkwater compared them to the fae, although they are much less vengeful.
That is the second thing I want to talk about: the folklore. I really loved how Pinkwater took Poughkeepsie - a city not known for being very exciting - and laid out a whole network of folklore. Besides the Dwergs and the guru, there are ghosts and their specific rules, and people who just seem to know about the mysteries of the world, from circus performers to traveling hobos. The folklore is fascinating, and I like that it was found right under our narrator's nose!
And the third thing, which is not as prominent as the first two: the absolutely Jewish feel to the story. Now, this may be just because I am Jewish myself, but I saw the Jewish cultural references everywhere, from the language they used (quite a bit of Yiddish), to the names of the characters (you just KNOW a guru with a name like Smythe-Finkel from New Jersey is going to be Jewish). Also pretty sure Mick's family is Jewish too, with their Kosher Kibble company. I just love it - the nods at Jewish culture were very subtle, but I rather enjoyed it when I noticed it.
Overall, Crazy in Poughkeepsie is a delightful book. It is a simple story with tiny bits of adventure all around, but I think that's what many of us, me included, need often right now. I recommend this book to those who want a quiet adventure and a bit of funkiness in their lives.
Thanks again to Tachyon Publishing for sending me Crazy in Poughkeepsie!
I received an advanced e-copy of this book from Tachyon Publications, and it could not have come at a better time! I have been loving middle grade adventure stories lately, and this book gave me exactly what I wanted. I only wish it was longer, but that just means I now need to read Pinkwater's other books!
There are many things I liked about this book, but for now I want to talk about the top three things I really liked about it.
First, are the characters. All of them are slightly crazy, but all of them are also super likeable. At first you think the guru from New Jersey is going to be a fraud and a layabout. But, it turns out the guru is a very wise and silly layabout, that does and teaches Mick, his new pupil, very good things. And Mick himself is skeptical about all this at first, but goes along with it and finds that he enjoys the guru's various adventures.
Then we have Vern and Molly. I especially want to know more about Molly and the Dwergs (I think that is what they are called) - I really liked how Pinkwater compared them to the fae, although they are much less vengeful.
That is the second thing I want to talk about: the folklore. I really loved how Pinkwater took Poughkeepsie - a city not known for being very exciting - and laid out a whole network of folklore. Besides the Dwergs and the guru, there are ghosts and their specific rules, and people who just seem to know about the mysteries of the world, from circus performers to traveling hobos. The folklore is fascinating, and I like that it was found right under our narrator's nose!
And the third thing, which is not as prominent as the first two: the absolutely Jewish feel to the story. Now, this may be just because I am Jewish myself, but I saw the Jewish cultural references everywhere, from the language they used (quite a bit of Yiddish), to the names of the characters (you just KNOW a guru with a name like Smythe-Finkel from New Jersey is going to be Jewish). Also pretty sure Mick's family is Jewish too, with their Kosher Kibble company. I just love it - the nods at Jewish culture were very subtle, but I rather enjoyed it when I noticed it.
Overall, Crazy in Poughkeepsie is a delightful book. It is a simple story with tiny bits of adventure all around, but I think that's what many of us, me included, need often right now. I recommend this book to those who want a quiet adventure and a bit of funkiness in their lives.
Thanks again to Tachyon Publishing for sending me Crazy in Poughkeepsie!
September 25, 2022
Didn't like this story for kids. Mainly because the narrator's older brother returns with a "guru" and brings him to stay at their house. It's clear that it's just an older man, an American not a real guru from Tibet. The whole plot was creepy with this older bum type guy hanging around with Mick and his friends, ending in an unplanned road trip with no destination.
November 3, 2021
I'm glad kids growing up today will get to have the same experience I had growing up with Daniel Pinkwater, with books like this that ride the edge of utter absurdity in the most matter-of-fact way, convincing readers that there's a perfectly wonderful weird world of iconoclasts and weirdos just around the corner from the tatty old mini-mall or sterile high-rise in their neighborhood. Reading this book brought back a lot of memories of Daniel Pinkwater books past, all read with the same incredulous feeling of "Is this this what it's going to be like, being an adult?" I wish my actual adult life had more road trips with ghost whales.
February 4, 2022
A light-hearted romp filled with wonders including ghosts, gurus, and gold told in classic Pinkwater style, Crazy in Poughkeepsie is a fun read for young readers or kids and adults reading together. It's full of zany details and stories, and characters who are the kind of people you want to know--probably. Pinkwater manages to skewer and humanize lofty ideas of what it means to be a mystic, what it means to be an outsider, and what it means to follow an adventure no matter where it might take you with humor and absurdity that we could all use right now.
February 16, 2022
Crazy in Poughkeepsie by Daniel Pinkwater
After enjoying the eARC of Adventures of a Dwergish Girl I got from NetGalley in the past, I was excited to get an eARC for Daniel Pinkwater’s new book in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, this new book doesn’t hold up to Pinkwater classics like Alan Mendelssohn.
The book got off on the wrong foot with me with the “guru” character, who might have seemed funny in the 70s, but now oozes with some unpleasant cultural appropriation vibes. The plot also made even less sense than some other Pinkwater books and, overall, this one seems skippable.
After enjoying the eARC of Adventures of a Dwergish Girl I got from NetGalley in the past, I was excited to get an eARC for Daniel Pinkwater’s new book in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, this new book doesn’t hold up to Pinkwater classics like Alan Mendelssohn.
The book got off on the wrong foot with me with the “guru” character, who might have seemed funny in the 70s, but now oozes with some unpleasant cultural appropriation vibes. The plot also made even less sense than some other Pinkwater books and, overall, this one seems skippable.
January 27, 2023
Only okay. Started off promising. We liked some of the characters. Frustrating lack of plot, character arc, that sort of thing. Three stars only because I did laugh a couple times while reading this out loud to the kiddo.
January 30, 2025
ARC provided by Young Adult Books Central
After a brief stint in summer camp, Mick returns home to find that his older brother, Maurice (that's MAW- riss) has returned from his trip to India with Guru Lumpo Smythe-Finkel and his dog, Kali, who will be sharing Mick's room. Maurice has quickly tired of spiritual guidance, and pawns his guru off on his younger brother, and the two are soon off having adventures. They spend time wandering around the town, begging for food, play video games, and soon run into Mick's friend from camp, Vern Chuckoff, and his new friend, Molly, the main character in Adventures of a Dwergish Girl (Neddie & Friends #4)(2020). The two are "crazy" and " make noise at night in residential neighborhoods, drink wine at night and.. [are] getting into stealing porch furniture." Vern has been spray painting slogans on the many abandoned factories around Poughkeepsie, and getting stale doughnuts from Dunk'n Dunk. Before long, the Guru gives Mick a flute, and suggests he learn to play it, since the group gets tangled up with a ghost from one of the factories who likes the flute. Since the ghost is of a giant whale names Luna, this sounds like a good idea. They also try to encourage people to save the planet by changing the messages in fortune cookies, look for a blue circus wagon in which they later travel around to places like Romany Bill's Resort, Campground, Hobo Jungle and Junkyard before settling Luna into her destination and getting on with their lives.
I'm not sure if Pinkwater books are really plot dependent; the point seems to be silly event after silly event, interspersed with odd characters and ridiculous anecdotes. You could say that books like The Hoboken Chicken Emergency (1977) or The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death (1982) were the Wimpy Kid books of a previous generation in this regard, although Pinkwater stays true to his stream-of-consciousness, wacky style. Mick's interactions with Guru Lumpo Smythe-Finkel, Vern Chuckoff, and the Dwergish Molly (whose background is not well explained, but merely hinted at) are the primary focus of this unusual adventure.
Pinkwater, at 80, remains steadfast in his style, and even manages to give a vintage flair to most of the book. The car of choice is 1958 Buick Limited Convertible handed down from a grandfather, there's a Gobble Gobble Country Kitchen, and a shout out to circuses, which I suspect Pinkwater wanted to feature more prominently in the book, but instead acknowledges that these are more of a relic of the past.
Aaron Renier does a great job at capturing the feel of Pinkwater's (and later his wife Jill's) illustrations; sort of like a twelve year old was given a Flair pen and a pile of Mad magazines, and told to illustrate the book while sitting on a plaid couch in a basement rec room with incense burning. There is a lot of humorous detail in the pictures, and a retro feel to the clothing and settings that goes along quite well with Pinkwater's writing.
The new millennium has brought a lot of changes in middle grade literature, with more books tending to harken back to the 1950s in their level of didactism about all manner of issues, and fewer books exhibiting a good sense of humor and lightheartedness. Pinkwater is the pastmaster of the goofy, and stays true to form with his newest adventure.
Pinkwater books were one of the first things I weeded when I started in my library in 2002; they didn't circulate well, were in bad condition (which means they circulated well at some point), and seemed very outdated. He definitely speaks to a particular audience, but since I don't have any of them in my student base, I will probably pass on purchasing this, especially since there are some updated conventions that are ignored, like the use of "crazy" in the title.
After a brief stint in summer camp, Mick returns home to find that his older brother, Maurice (that's MAW- riss) has returned from his trip to India with Guru Lumpo Smythe-Finkel and his dog, Kali, who will be sharing Mick's room. Maurice has quickly tired of spiritual guidance, and pawns his guru off on his younger brother, and the two are soon off having adventures. They spend time wandering around the town, begging for food, play video games, and soon run into Mick's friend from camp, Vern Chuckoff, and his new friend, Molly, the main character in Adventures of a Dwergish Girl (Neddie & Friends #4)(2020). The two are "crazy" and " make noise at night in residential neighborhoods, drink wine at night and.. [are] getting into stealing porch furniture." Vern has been spray painting slogans on the many abandoned factories around Poughkeepsie, and getting stale doughnuts from Dunk'n Dunk. Before long, the Guru gives Mick a flute, and suggests he learn to play it, since the group gets tangled up with a ghost from one of the factories who likes the flute. Since the ghost is of a giant whale names Luna, this sounds like a good idea. They also try to encourage people to save the planet by changing the messages in fortune cookies, look for a blue circus wagon in which they later travel around to places like Romany Bill's Resort, Campground, Hobo Jungle and Junkyard before settling Luna into her destination and getting on with their lives.
I'm not sure if Pinkwater books are really plot dependent; the point seems to be silly event after silly event, interspersed with odd characters and ridiculous anecdotes. You could say that books like The Hoboken Chicken Emergency (1977) or The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death (1982) were the Wimpy Kid books of a previous generation in this regard, although Pinkwater stays true to his stream-of-consciousness, wacky style. Mick's interactions with Guru Lumpo Smythe-Finkel, Vern Chuckoff, and the Dwergish Molly (whose background is not well explained, but merely hinted at) are the primary focus of this unusual adventure.
Pinkwater, at 80, remains steadfast in his style, and even manages to give a vintage flair to most of the book. The car of choice is 1958 Buick Limited Convertible handed down from a grandfather, there's a Gobble Gobble Country Kitchen, and a shout out to circuses, which I suspect Pinkwater wanted to feature more prominently in the book, but instead acknowledges that these are more of a relic of the past.
Aaron Renier does a great job at capturing the feel of Pinkwater's (and later his wife Jill's) illustrations; sort of like a twelve year old was given a Flair pen and a pile of Mad magazines, and told to illustrate the book while sitting on a plaid couch in a basement rec room with incense burning. There is a lot of humorous detail in the pictures, and a retro feel to the clothing and settings that goes along quite well with Pinkwater's writing.
The new millennium has brought a lot of changes in middle grade literature, with more books tending to harken back to the 1950s in their level of didactism about all manner of issues, and fewer books exhibiting a good sense of humor and lightheartedness. Pinkwater is the pastmaster of the goofy, and stays true to form with his newest adventure.
Pinkwater books were one of the first things I weeded when I started in my library in 2002; they didn't circulate well, were in bad condition (which means they circulated well at some point), and seemed very outdated. He definitely speaks to a particular audience, but since I don't have any of them in my student base, I will probably pass on purchasing this, especially since there are some updated conventions that are ignored, like the use of "crazy" in the title.
January 24, 2022
Llasa Come Home
So, there's Pinkwater for little kids, (the Larry books and "Mrs. Noodlekugel"), for elementary kids, ("Werewolf Club"), for middle graders, ("Hoboken Chicken Emergency"), for advanced middle graders, ("The Neddiad...", "Lizard Music"), and for young adults, ("The Education of Robert Nifkin", "Alan Mendelsohn, Boy From Mars"). This book struck me as middle middle grade, along the lines of "Adventures of a Dwergish Girl", (with which it shares a few characters, especially Molly), and the Snarkout Boys series.
The preceding paragraph is mostly to help you place this book on the Pinkwater spectrum. I hope you don't need any encouragement in the matter of whether or not to read this particular book, or to read any Pinkwater. But if you do need encouragement, (maybe you're new to Pinkwater), here goes.
Daniel Pinkwater is the patron saint of boys and girls who are a bit weird, or off-kilter, or just proudly independent and idiosyncratic. His heroes are, indeed, heroes, and they are always smart, perceptive, deadpan, gimlet eyed, wise beyond their years, unfazed by anything, and completely undeterred by lack of precedent. They take weirdness in stride and as it comes, and welcome the odd, the absurd, the enchanted, and the ineffable. Why? Because life is an amusing and unpredictable adventure, and you might as well get on with it. In short, the goofiness is almost always the point.
I could go on with all sorts of superlatives and exaggerated compliments, but who am I when you already have a Neil Gaiman blurb on the cover? So, here's the skinny on this particular book -- we are reacquainted with Molly, the Dwergish girl from "Adventures of a Dwergish Girl". While our deadpan and unflappable narrator, Mick, is nominally the main character, Molly runs a close second, mostly because she always seems a step ahead of everyone else. A cryptic guru, accompanied by his collie Llasa, keeps the action moving in a forward direction, (with lots of room for digressions), but even with that the action is pretty random and episodic. Once ghosts and whales show up, we are in a more fanciful realm than what I think of as usual for Pinkwater, but that doesn't detract at all from the fun.
Lots of funny bits, and lots of sneakily wise throwaway lines and observations made this a satisfying treat. I wouldn't put it in my top five, but that's just because there are so many good books among which to choose.
(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
So, there's Pinkwater for little kids, (the Larry books and "Mrs. Noodlekugel"), for elementary kids, ("Werewolf Club"), for middle graders, ("Hoboken Chicken Emergency"), for advanced middle graders, ("The Neddiad...", "Lizard Music"), and for young adults, ("The Education of Robert Nifkin", "Alan Mendelsohn, Boy From Mars"). This book struck me as middle middle grade, along the lines of "Adventures of a Dwergish Girl", (with which it shares a few characters, especially Molly), and the Snarkout Boys series.
The preceding paragraph is mostly to help you place this book on the Pinkwater spectrum. I hope you don't need any encouragement in the matter of whether or not to read this particular book, or to read any Pinkwater. But if you do need encouragement, (maybe you're new to Pinkwater), here goes.
Daniel Pinkwater is the patron saint of boys and girls who are a bit weird, or off-kilter, or just proudly independent and idiosyncratic. His heroes are, indeed, heroes, and they are always smart, perceptive, deadpan, gimlet eyed, wise beyond their years, unfazed by anything, and completely undeterred by lack of precedent. They take weirdness in stride and as it comes, and welcome the odd, the absurd, the enchanted, and the ineffable. Why? Because life is an amusing and unpredictable adventure, and you might as well get on with it. In short, the goofiness is almost always the point.
I could go on with all sorts of superlatives and exaggerated compliments, but who am I when you already have a Neil Gaiman blurb on the cover? So, here's the skinny on this particular book -- we are reacquainted with Molly, the Dwergish girl from "Adventures of a Dwergish Girl". While our deadpan and unflappable narrator, Mick, is nominally the main character, Molly runs a close second, mostly because she always seems a step ahead of everyone else. A cryptic guru, accompanied by his collie Llasa, keeps the action moving in a forward direction, (with lots of room for digressions), but even with that the action is pretty random and episodic. Once ghosts and whales show up, we are in a more fanciful realm than what I think of as usual for Pinkwater, but that doesn't detract at all from the fun.
Lots of funny bits, and lots of sneakily wise throwaway lines and observations made this a satisfying treat. I wouldn't put it in my top five, but that's just because there are so many good books among which to choose.
(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
January 28, 2025
This...was a book I read. I'll be honest, I read it because my daughter saw it at the library, knows I'm from Poughkeepsie, and suggested I check it out. So we did, and I thought maybe she could read it after me. We'll...find another Buddy Read book.
Pros: It was a fast read. Finished in an afternoon.
Cons: Again, I'm not sure what I read.
...it's a book in a series, but I don't think that impacted my overall confusion.
...it's an author I haven't read before, so maybe I'm just not familiar with the author's quirks and style.
...it's a Middle-Grade book, but that's not an automatic out for some of my "huh?" moments. It's actually one of my major pet peeves when people say something "it's all over the place, but that's okay because it's a children book." I refer them to CS Lewis who said, "“No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond."
And this book isn't it.
It's not character driven, or plot driven, or...idea driven? If anything it's dialogue-driven.
There are some weird moments -- e.g., some casual misogyny, a line about Native American culture, and the fact that a 60-year old man casually shares a bedroom with the tween protagonist -- that just gave me the Ick. But I also don't know if those were meant intentionally or satirically by the author, but if I couldn't tell, it's probably not great for younger readers.
Pros: It was a fast read. Finished in an afternoon.
Cons: Again, I'm not sure what I read.
...it's a book in a series, but I don't think that impacted my overall confusion.
...it's an author I haven't read before, so maybe I'm just not familiar with the author's quirks and style.
...it's a Middle-Grade book, but that's not an automatic out for some of my "huh?" moments. It's actually one of my major pet peeves when people say something "it's all over the place, but that's okay because it's a children book." I refer them to CS Lewis who said, "“No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond."
And this book isn't it.
It's not character driven, or plot driven, or...idea driven? If anything it's dialogue-driven.
There are some weird moments -- e.g., some casual misogyny, a line about Native American culture, and the fact that a 60-year old man casually shares a bedroom with the tween protagonist -- that just gave me the Ick. But I also don't know if those were meant intentionally or satirically by the author, but if I couldn't tell, it's probably not great for younger readers.
March 22, 2023
Set in the Greater New York area, this book is true to its title and full of Craziness till the end. The guru that Mick's older brother brings back from Tibet is joined by a group of kids in Poughkeepsie on a crazy journey. Kids would follow Guru's directions without knowing about Guru's plans almost till the end. There are unexpected twists in the story and the author makes it extremely relatable for readers in and around the Poughkeepsie area! The author uses simple language and explains words that are not commonly used. Boys and girls who are 9 years or older would like this book as they can understand the twisted journey the author intentionally takes the readers through. I think 6-8 years old may enjoy parts of it but cannot appreciate the complexity of the journey. My favorite parts of the book are the crazy ghost parties where ghosts dance and amazing food is served when ghosts can't really eat, knowing about gurus and their mystical powers, and guru's message that every journey has some learning.
Review by: Ayaan Makam, 7, Greater New York Mensa
Review by: Ayaan Makam, 7, Greater New York Mensa
Read
April 23, 2022This book is basically one big zany adventure that only makes sense half the time (on purpose). When Mick arrives home from summer camp, he finds himself rooming with a guru from Tibet (or New Jersey) and the guru's dog. At first the guru seems rather ordinary, but it doesn't take long before Mick starts to realize that the guru might have some sort of mystical knowledge after all. He ends up journeying with his friend from camp (who's turned into an environmental activist) and a Dwergish girl (who apparently appeared in the previous book) and they visit old circus towns, haunted houses, and whale heaven, to name just a few of their odd destinations. Honestly, I don't know what to say about the book except that it's goofy and crazy and more than a little weird. Kids who enjoy weird will love this story.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher for review purposes. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher for review purposes. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
May 11, 2022
This book is brilliant, delightful, funny, and a bit weird.
It's a short novel featuring a boy called Maurice, his bizarre family, a guru from Himalaya who was born in New Jersey, a couple of friends of Maurice.
They are all in a small town called Poughkeepsie and I loved them all.
There's plenty of humour, a fascinating world building, and a great cast of characters.
I loved them all even if the Guru was a favorite.
The author is an excellent storyteller and kept me turning pages and entertained.
I laughed a lot and I was happy this is part of a series because there's a lot of other book I will read.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Tachyon Publications for this ARC, all opinions are mine
It's a short novel featuring a boy called Maurice, his bizarre family, a guru from Himalaya who was born in New Jersey, a couple of friends of Maurice.
They are all in a small town called Poughkeepsie and I loved them all.
There's plenty of humour, a fascinating world building, and a great cast of characters.
I loved them all even if the Guru was a favorite.
The author is an excellent storyteller and kept me turning pages and entertained.
I laughed a lot and I was happy this is part of a series because there's a lot of other book I will read.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Tachyon Publications for this ARC, all opinions are mine
March 6, 2023
Mick’s older brother heads off for Tibet to find a guru while Mick goes to summer camp. When he returns from camp he finds his brother is home, there is a guru - with a dog - sleeping in his room and soon he will be on a sort of quest. Mick, the guru, Guru Lumpo Smythe-Finkel, and his dog, Lhasa, are joined on their quest by Verne (a friend Mitch made at camp) and Molly, a mysterious girl who sleeps in a tree ( return character from Adventures of a Dwergish Girl). There are ghosts, including a ghostly whale, circus people, hidden villages and a bit of activism all rolled into a wonderfully silly and delightful adventure.
This was an incredibly quick and fun read with nice illustrations. Sure to entertain readers of all ages. I look forward to seeing more of these characters.
This was an incredibly quick and fun read with nice illustrations. Sure to entertain readers of all ages. I look forward to seeing more of these characters.
May 21, 2022
I really don't know what to think about this book. It embodies quirky in an ... interesting way. After the first couple chapters, I started to wonder if the plot would ever actually develop. It did not have time in such a short amount of pages to wanter aimlessly yet that's exactly what it did.
I never really connected with the characters although I did not dislike any of them. Aside from a few mildly problematic things - offhanded comments that appear to make light of some minority groups - I did not truly dislike anything about this book. The problem is that I did not really like anything about it. I rated it 2.5 stars on Storygraph but generously rounded up to 3 for Goodreads.
I never really connected with the characters although I did not dislike any of them. Aside from a few mildly problematic things - offhanded comments that appear to make light of some minority groups - I did not truly dislike anything about this book. The problem is that I did not really like anything about it. I rated it 2.5 stars on Storygraph but generously rounded up to 3 for Goodreads.
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