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Someday Angeline #2
Dogs Don't Tell Jokes
A sidesplitting classic from Newbery Medalist and National Book Award winner Louis Sachar (Holes), with a brand-new cover!
Gary W. Boone knows he was born to be a stand-up comedian. It’s the rest of the kids in his class who think he’s just a goon. Then the Floyd Hicks Junior High School Talent Show is announced, and he starts practicing his routine nonstop to get it just right. Gary’s sure this will be his big break—he’ll make everyone laugh and win the $100 prize. But when an outrageous surprise threatens to turn his debut into a disaster, it looks as if the biggest joke of all may be on Gary himself.
Gary W. Boone knows he was born to be a stand-up comedian. It’s the rest of the kids in his class who think he’s just a goon. Then the Floyd Hicks Junior High School Talent Show is announced, and he starts practicing his routine nonstop to get it just right. Gary’s sure this will be his big break—he’ll make everyone laugh and win the $100 prize. But when an outrageous surprise threatens to turn his debut into a disaster, it looks as if the biggest joke of all may be on Gary himself.
213 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 1991
422 people are currently reading
842 people want to read
About the author
Louis Sachar
96 books4,698 followersLouis Sachar (pronounced Sacker), born March 20, 1954, is an American author of children's books.
Louis was born in East Meadow, New York, in 1954. When he was nine, he moved to Tustin, California. He went to college at the University of California at Berkeley and graduated in 1976, as an economics major. The next year, he wrote his first book, Sideways Stories from Wayside School .
He was working at a sweater warehouse during the day and wrote at night. Almost a year later, he was fired from the job. He decided to go to law school. He attended Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.
His first book was published while he was in law school. He graduated in 1980. For the next eight years he worked part-time as a lawyer and continued to try to write children's books. Then his books started selling well enough so that he was able to quit practicing law. His wife's name is Carla. When he first met her, she was a counselor at an elementary school. She was the inspiration behind the counselor in There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom . He was married in 1985. Hisdaughter, Sherre, was born in 1987.
Louis was born in East Meadow, New York, in 1954. When he was nine, he moved to Tustin, California. He went to college at the University of California at Berkeley and graduated in 1976, as an economics major. The next year, he wrote his first book, Sideways Stories from Wayside School .
He was working at a sweater warehouse during the day and wrote at night. Almost a year later, he was fired from the job. He decided to go to law school. He attended Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.
His first book was published while he was in law school. He graduated in 1980. For the next eight years he worked part-time as a lawyer and continued to try to write children's books. Then his books started selling well enough so that he was able to quit practicing law. His wife's name is Carla. When he first met her, she was a counselor at an elementary school. She was the inspiration behind the counselor in There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom . He was married in 1985. Hisdaughter, Sherre, was born in 1987.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 206 reviews
November 21, 2017
Growing up, I loved this book. I read it multiple times. I liked a lot of the dumb jokes Goon told and as a class clown of sorts myself, I definitely related to his character. Reading it 20 years later, however, is a completely different experience.
This book has some serious dark themes. Gary “Goon” Boone is constantly bullied. An older kid shoves a diet covered ice cream pop down his throat. He is called names, insulted, or ignored by the majority of the school. Even his teachers, no more so than his English teacher, treat him like he’s an idiot.
As a result, Goon has some issues. He constantly jokes and laughs. Even while getting beat up, he laughs. When his father has a bad day at work, Goon tries to tell him a joke, but he can’t seem to grasp that his dad just needs a moment of rest. His mother even remarks that Gary uses jokes to cover for his inability to cope with the world.
All of this results in some very dark remarks by Gary. He jokes about plane crashes. He sometimes wishes his best friend’s dad and girlfriend were his own parents. He realizes this would mean his own parents were dead. Rather than brushing it off, he then imagined his parents dying. But probably most shocking is the line “maybe I’ll shave my head, get a machine gun, and blow away half the school. Ha. Ha.” He then daydreams about the news story that would result.
At one point, his parents bribe him to not tell jokes for three weeks. It is then that Gary realized he has no friends. If he isn’t walking up to people and telling jokes, nobody talks to him at all. It’s really quite depressing.
Reading this book as a child, it’s a funny story about an outcast kid who proves everybody wrong. As an adult, Gary is a young child with undiagnosed mental health issues living in a toxic environment. He’s a future serial killer waiting to explode. Thankfully, Gary realizes he doesn’t have to constantly tell jokes to be liked and those around him begin to accept him before it’s too late.
So if you like psychological thrillers parading as children’s books with dad jokes interspersed throughout, give this book a try.
This book has some serious dark themes. Gary “Goon” Boone is constantly bullied. An older kid shoves a diet covered ice cream pop down his throat. He is called names, insulted, or ignored by the majority of the school. Even his teachers, no more so than his English teacher, treat him like he’s an idiot.
As a result, Goon has some issues. He constantly jokes and laughs. Even while getting beat up, he laughs. When his father has a bad day at work, Goon tries to tell him a joke, but he can’t seem to grasp that his dad just needs a moment of rest. His mother even remarks that Gary uses jokes to cover for his inability to cope with the world.
All of this results in some very dark remarks by Gary. He jokes about plane crashes. He sometimes wishes his best friend’s dad and girlfriend were his own parents. He realizes this would mean his own parents were dead. Rather than brushing it off, he then imagined his parents dying. But probably most shocking is the line “maybe I’ll shave my head, get a machine gun, and blow away half the school. Ha. Ha.” He then daydreams about the news story that would result.
At one point, his parents bribe him to not tell jokes for three weeks. It is then that Gary realized he has no friends. If he isn’t walking up to people and telling jokes, nobody talks to him at all. It’s really quite depressing.
Reading this book as a child, it’s a funny story about an outcast kid who proves everybody wrong. As an adult, Gary is a young child with undiagnosed mental health issues living in a toxic environment. He’s a future serial killer waiting to explode. Thankfully, Gary realizes he doesn’t have to constantly tell jokes to be liked and those around him begin to accept him before it’s too late.
So if you like psychological thrillers parading as children’s books with dad jokes interspersed throughout, give this book a try.
August 27, 2008
This is the story of 11 year old Gary Boone (or "Goon" as he likes to be called). Goon prides himself on making a joke of every situation, but he fails to recognize the negative effect his humor is having on his social relationships. When Goon makes a deal with his parents to quit telling jokes (in exchange for $100) he realizes how few friends he has. Ultimately, Goon (I mean, Gary) has to learn to cope in school and in life without hiding behind a wall of humor.
The book is endearing and the ending is both surprising and satisfying. There are some great jokes - and some 'groaners' throughout. There is some mild sexual content (Gary notices his teacher's legs, and he makes several jokes related to nudity) so parents should be aware of this. Even so, the overriding themes are important ones; maturity and acceptance vs. rejection. This is a good read for most middle-schoolers.
The book is endearing and the ending is both surprising and satisfying. There are some great jokes - and some 'groaners' throughout. There is some mild sexual content (Gary notices his teacher's legs, and he makes several jokes related to nudity) so parents should be aware of this. Even so, the overriding themes are important ones; maturity and acceptance vs. rejection. This is a good read for most middle-schoolers.
May 14, 2008
Its about this boy who has this dog and one day the dog all of the sudden starts to talk.Yea thats right TALKS kind of wierd because he tells a joke and freaks the lil boy out
February 13, 2009
this book was funny
March 22, 2012
Gary Boone, or Goon as people call him, has a problem. He doesn’t have any friends at his school, he gets teased and bullied, and he hides his low self esteem and insecurity behind a wall of never ending bad jokes. He thinks his humor is the only asset he has and yet it seems it’s what cripples him the most. He knows people don’t like his jokes and he knows it will cause more teasing but he can’t turn off his barrages of verbal diarrhea. But he thinks that by showing off his best jokes at the school talent show, people will realize he’s the gifted genius he always thought he was. That’s the premise of Dogs Don’t Tell Jokes.
Sachar throws in a few Wayside School references such as Maurecia’s Ice Cream Parlor and how Gary doesn’t understand Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School and Gary’s references to his teacher’s legs or imagining her in the shower were a little racy! I did like that bit of naughtiness.
While it was sometimes cute and while I did enjoy Gary’s standup routine at the end of the book, I didn’t think it was a great Sachar book. Gary is honorable and I appreciate that being a little white kid, he doesn’t tell ethnic jokes and he’s definitely more mature and the bigger person when compared to his bullies but I still didn’t really like Gary. I’m supposed to sympathize with him but I couldn’t. It felt like this kid had some kind of social anxiety disability because he’s totally unable to read social cues. People nowadays might say he’s on the spectrum so maybe he needs an IEP instead of a comedy routine. It was cool to see how he puts together a set and all the thinking that goes into it but it seemed to be one of the main plotlines and I wasn’t all that interested.
I learned sometimes students think about their teacher’s legs which is why I never wear skirts to class.
Sachar throws in a few Wayside School references such as Maurecia’s Ice Cream Parlor and how Gary doesn’t understand Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School and Gary’s references to his teacher’s legs or imagining her in the shower were a little racy! I did like that bit of naughtiness.
While it was sometimes cute and while I did enjoy Gary’s standup routine at the end of the book, I didn’t think it was a great Sachar book. Gary is honorable and I appreciate that being a little white kid, he doesn’t tell ethnic jokes and he’s definitely more mature and the bigger person when compared to his bullies but I still didn’t really like Gary. I’m supposed to sympathize with him but I couldn’t. It felt like this kid had some kind of social anxiety disability because he’s totally unable to read social cues. People nowadays might say he’s on the spectrum so maybe he needs an IEP instead of a comedy routine. It was cool to see how he puts together a set and all the thinking that goes into it but it seemed to be one of the main plotlines and I wasn’t all that interested.
I learned sometimes students think about their teacher’s legs which is why I never wear skirts to class.
July 7, 2007
Just as funny and charming everytime I read it. :) Sachar's legendary wit and childlike sense of humor has you rooting for Gary through the whole novel. Charming, truly charming.
November 27, 2023
I remember loving this book when I read it in the first grade; I thought it was the funniest book ever. I stumbled upon it recently and decided to reread it. It had a lot of heart, and a few jokes aimed for an older audience (not too terribly inappropriate, just enough to go over the head of a six-year-old). But, over all, it wasn't as funny as I remember it being. Still a good, fun read, and little ones will LOVE it.
November 30, 2022
One of my favorite books. I learned a lot as a recent immigrant to Brooklyn. One of the lessons, as the title may suggest, was that I do not need to tell jokes all the time to fit in.
April 10, 2017
Another great book. The rising of the under dog or in this the 'class clown'. Just wanted to give Gary a big hug!! The jokes made me laugh.
May 2, 2020
Very funny dog book. Not really about.dogs but yeah.
August 3, 2025
It is impossible for me to disagree with Roger Rabbit (from the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit) when he says, “A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Sometimes in life it’s the only weapon we have.” After reading Dogs Don’t Tell Jokes, the sequel to Someday Angeline, I believe this book’s main character, seventh grader Gary Boone, would also arrive at this conclusion.
Gary’s entire personality seems to revolve around telling jokes, regardless of the tepid response these jokes mostly generate, and excitedly signs up for the school talent show in order to tell jokes onstage. Most of this book is focused on Gary preparing for the talent show, briefly dropping out, and changing his mind again to fully commit to his original comedy routine. Gary’s parents, tired of the constant barrage of joke-book jokes, actually offer Gary one hundred dollars if he can make it to the talent show without telling jokes to anyone. This part of the book gives the most amount of insight into Gary using humor as a defense mechanism, especially as Gary’s father tells him, “‘That’s your problem. You seem to think that the way to be successful, or the way to make people like you, is to tell jokes. But people will like you because of who you are, not for the jokes you tell.’”
Gary stops telling jokes in an effort to earn the money from his parents, but soon becomes very unhappy at school when he realizes that he was initiating every interaction with others when he was telling unwanted jokes. Although Gary flourishes at home in his room when writing original jokes for the first time, he feels isolated and rejected whenever he goes to school while consciously avoiding telling jokes: “On his way to school, he suddenly stopped right in the crosswalk in the middle of the street in front of Floyd Hicks Junior High. He looked at the two-story building, the kids in the schoolyard, the buses in the parking lot. Until he stopped telling jokes, he’d never realized just how much he hated school.”
Since this book is a sequel to Someday Angeline, I was hoping that some of the characters (like Angeline, Abel, and Miss Turbone) might make an appearance in this book—and they do! I was very pleased with Dogs Don’t Tell Jokes and its balance between revisiting characters from the first book and Gary having a story of his own; I feel like Louis Sachar did an excellent job with this sequel story element, which other sequel books sometimes have difficulties with. I would like to give this book five-out-of-five-stars but unfortunately can only give it four-out-of-five-stars.
I think this book is extremely well-written and I loved its focus on humor as a defense mechanism in a juvenile setting and bittersweet ending. The reason I cannot in good conscience give this book five-out-of-five-stars is because of this disturbing passage, which begins: “He had no doubt he would win the talent show. ‘Either that, or I’ll totally flip out and turn into some weirdo or something. Just sit in a corner and pick my nose all day.’ He laughed. ‘Or maybe I’ll shave my head, get a machine gun, and blow away half the school. Ha. Ha.’” The passage continues as Gary fantasizes about a news reporter reporting on Gary’s fictitious crime “as they bury the dead,” even going so far as to blame Gary’s fictitious victims, as people “‘should have laughed” at Gary’s jokes.
To Gary’s credit, he seems to creep himself out with this daydream (“Even Gary had to stop and wonder about himself for a moment after that one.”), but there is no good reason for this passage to exist in this book at all. I hope that this passage is completely removed from future editions of Dogs Don’t Tell Jokes! I’d love to give it five-out-of-five-stars and I’m somewhat sad that I can’t!
Gary’s entire personality seems to revolve around telling jokes, regardless of the tepid response these jokes mostly generate, and excitedly signs up for the school talent show in order to tell jokes onstage. Most of this book is focused on Gary preparing for the talent show, briefly dropping out, and changing his mind again to fully commit to his original comedy routine. Gary’s parents, tired of the constant barrage of joke-book jokes, actually offer Gary one hundred dollars if he can make it to the talent show without telling jokes to anyone. This part of the book gives the most amount of insight into Gary using humor as a defense mechanism, especially as Gary’s father tells him, “‘That’s your problem. You seem to think that the way to be successful, or the way to make people like you, is to tell jokes. But people will like you because of who you are, not for the jokes you tell.’”
Gary stops telling jokes in an effort to earn the money from his parents, but soon becomes very unhappy at school when he realizes that he was initiating every interaction with others when he was telling unwanted jokes. Although Gary flourishes at home in his room when writing original jokes for the first time, he feels isolated and rejected whenever he goes to school while consciously avoiding telling jokes: “On his way to school, he suddenly stopped right in the crosswalk in the middle of the street in front of Floyd Hicks Junior High. He looked at the two-story building, the kids in the schoolyard, the buses in the parking lot. Until he stopped telling jokes, he’d never realized just how much he hated school.”
Since this book is a sequel to Someday Angeline, I was hoping that some of the characters (like Angeline, Abel, and Miss Turbone) might make an appearance in this book—and they do! I was very pleased with Dogs Don’t Tell Jokes and its balance between revisiting characters from the first book and Gary having a story of his own; I feel like Louis Sachar did an excellent job with this sequel story element, which other sequel books sometimes have difficulties with. I would like to give this book five-out-of-five-stars but unfortunately can only give it four-out-of-five-stars.
I think this book is extremely well-written and I loved its focus on humor as a defense mechanism in a juvenile setting and bittersweet ending. The reason I cannot in good conscience give this book five-out-of-five-stars is because of this disturbing passage, which begins: “He had no doubt he would win the talent show. ‘Either that, or I’ll totally flip out and turn into some weirdo or something. Just sit in a corner and pick my nose all day.’ He laughed. ‘Or maybe I’ll shave my head, get a machine gun, and blow away half the school. Ha. Ha.’” The passage continues as Gary fantasizes about a news reporter reporting on Gary’s fictitious crime “as they bury the dead,” even going so far as to blame Gary’s fictitious victims, as people “‘should have laughed” at Gary’s jokes.
To Gary’s credit, he seems to creep himself out with this daydream (“Even Gary had to stop and wonder about himself for a moment after that one.”), but there is no good reason for this passage to exist in this book at all. I hope that this passage is completely removed from future editions of Dogs Don’t Tell Jokes! I’d love to give it five-out-of-five-stars and I’m somewhat sad that I can’t!
January 22, 2025
It’s good
February 24, 2008
This book is a mix between Louis Sachar's other works: There's a boy in the girls' bathroom and [Sideways stories from Wayside School]. Again from memory, it wasn't as serious as There's a boy in the girl's bathroom and it's nowhere near the realm of Wackiness that is present in the Wayside School series. This book is about a kid who tells jokes but very few people think he is funny. Like There's a boy in the girl's bathroom, the character is likeable and realistic and easy to relant to for majority of children. Although he has a single friend, he still is protrayed as loner/outsider. It has a great happy ending and if I remember right the last part of the book is just the comments other children in his class think of one of his routines-- which totally impressed me as a child.
March 13, 2011
This book is about a boy called Gary W. Boone that wants be a comedian when he grows up. He always tell jokes to his classmates, so everyone are calling him GOON. However, there is a talent show, and that is the time that Gary can show his talent to everyone, and proves that he is not a goon. But Gary can not imagine that the talent show list does not have his name on it, so he can not be on the talent show. However, he still goes up, and makes everyone laugh. I think I should learn from him, I’m scared of standing on the stage, and talking to everyone. I should look like Gary not to scare of it, and face it, that shows I can do it. Also I like how the author writes this book, he uses many ways to show the main character's personality, makes the readers can remember him very deeply.
January 29, 2013
Gary Boone (people call him Goon) has a habit of turning everything into a joke. He can never be taken seriously, and people who are near him will never be taken seriously by him. He thinks he has a good talent, of making jokes, so he signs up for the school's talent competition and gears up for his first stand-up comedy show.
Egs of his jokes:
Do you feel like an egg this morning?
I don't know. How does an egg feel?
Just call me Humpty Dumpty.
Yes. You better not drop me. I might crack.
Was expecting the book to be as funny as Wayside School, but I only started bursting in giggles on pg 165: This guy is complaining that he is always lined first because of his name, "Fred Furst".
Egs of his jokes:
Do you feel like an egg this morning?
I don't know. How does an egg feel?
Just call me Humpty Dumpty.
Yes. You better not drop me. I might crack.
Was expecting the book to be as funny as Wayside School, but I only started bursting in giggles on pg 165: This guy is complaining that he is always lined first because of his name, "Fred Furst".
July 13, 2011
I like a lot of kinds of books but I usually don’t love light, funny books like I loved DOGS DON’T TELL JOKES by Louis Sachar. The main character, 12-year-old Gary Boone is funny. At least he thinks so. He decides that if he tells jokes in the talent show, people will realize that he does have a talent. But things aren’t easy. Gary has his share of frustration, teasing, and school trouble. Maybe he should quit . . .
This book was hilarious, like most writing by Louis Sachar. It teaches to follow your dreams no matter what. I would recommend it to fans of Andrew Clements. It’s a well written book with realistic problems that kids will gobble up.
This book was hilarious, like most writing by Louis Sachar. It teaches to follow your dreams no matter what. I would recommend it to fans of Andrew Clements. It’s a well written book with realistic problems that kids will gobble up.
May 2, 2021
The books of Louis Sachar are wonderful not only because they are so funny and so heartfelt, but because Sachar has such a great ear for the way kids really talk. This novel— about a kid torn between his desire to fit in and his desire to be a standup comedian— is hysterical, and also full of compassion. One big complaint: A brief but shockingly distasteful joke about school shootings, mind boggling in its wrongheadedness. I skipped over it, though, and my sons were enthralled by the rest of this very sweet story.
November 25, 2024
to agree with another person's review on here, I also read and reread this book like crazy as a kid, and I remembered it to be about a loser kid who was really into jokes. reading it now for the first time in years I was shocked at how truly awfully he was treated both at school by his peers, and in his home by his parents!
still a super funny book, and the lead up to his performance at the talent show is so well written, it had me feeling so nervous for him!
still a super funny book, and the lead up to his performance at the talent show is so well written, it had me feeling so nervous for him!
June 3, 2008
IT´S ABOUT A BOY THAT LIKES TO TELL JOKES
June 27, 2008
I love pretty much anything by Louis Sachar. This one is hilarious. especially the end
Currently reading
November 18, 2009Gary W. Boone is very funny!
July 4, 2018
I loved this book because it reveals the harsh truth about being the resident goofball/ class clown.
January 1, 2024
First read of the year and it didn't disappoint. Quick, witty, yet more bittersweet than funny. Gary Boone is basically wimpy kid before wimpy kid. He doesn't have any friends who respect him and he masks his embarrassment and disappointment with his so-called comedy. I must admit that the stand-up show he performed at the end was written very well and the jokes were cleverly constructed. I do think that Gary has the sort of intelligence that school can't really teach you and since most of his life is spent at school, many look down upon him. Needless to say, he changed everyone's perception of him in the final few chapters. He managed to go with the flow and the spontaneity of what happened made his act even funnier. He quite turned the tables on what was meant to be his mates attempting to humiliate him.
I of course hate bullying and especially despise how even Boone's parents didn't support his passion. Quite terrible if I do say so myself and reminiscent of how I'm treated when I bring up my youtube aspirations at home. Some of his jokes are quite pathetic and he lacks a lot of emotional intelligence so much so that he breaks down towards the very end when he understands that he is now accepted in the community. He would certainly be diagnosed with autism in today's world. I must say that I don't much care for Angeline and hate how she tried to get him to quit after he had his performance rehearsed and ready, completely memorised. It sucks that for a few chapters he tried to change his personality to fit in as from my experience, that's something that you should never do, especially if you're not hurting anyone with what makes you feel happy in the moment.
Wishing those who follow my reviews a Happy New Year 2024!
I of course hate bullying and especially despise how even Boone's parents didn't support his passion. Quite terrible if I do say so myself and reminiscent of how I'm treated when I bring up my youtube aspirations at home. Some of his jokes are quite pathetic and he lacks a lot of emotional intelligence so much so that he breaks down towards the very end when he understands that he is now accepted in the community. He would certainly be diagnosed with autism in today's world. I must say that I don't much care for Angeline and hate how she tried to get him to quit after he had his performance rehearsed and ready, completely memorised. It sucks that for a few chapters he tried to change his personality to fit in as from my experience, that's something that you should never do, especially if you're not hurting anyone with what makes you feel happy in the moment.
Wishing those who follow my reviews a Happy New Year 2024!
March 20, 2024
I got this book in a school book fair when I was in fourth grade, I believe. I waited about a year before I read it. About halfway through the book, he's practicing his stand up routine, I believe for a talent show, it's been a long time since I read this so bear with my memory please if anyone reads this review. During his comedy practice, he goes through joke and humor ideas that he could use during his stand up routine later on. He jokes about the idea of kids dressed in trenchcoats going into a school and shooting people. This was before Columbine, when I read it, but I found this to be the most disturbing thing anyone could think of, and it's in a book for kids elementary age. I don't believe books, TV, movies, games, etc. give kids solid ideas to do violent acts or anything inhumane. I do believe that kids are impressionable though, and I also believe this is the wrong kind of material for kids in the target range to read. I was extremely disturbed when I read this, so much so, that it went in the trash. I'm not a book ban fan, but I would hope that if a young person were to read this, they would discuss it with an adult as they read it.
October 21, 2020
2020
It definitely has the Louis Sachar magic, but it didn't hold the same appeal to me as Holes or There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom did. Still, the main character is mostly likable (especially as the book goes on and he starts acting more like a normal kid and not just a joke telling machine). I liked his friendship/relationship with Angeline. Especially with how supportive she is with him. I thought that was just adorable. And I like that he made some genuine friends, and even though there were clearly some kids who were never going to be friends with him, he still tried to be their friends, too.
It definitely has the Louis Sachar magic, but it didn't hold the same appeal to me as Holes or There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom did. Still, the main character is mostly likable (especially as the book goes on and he starts acting more like a normal kid and not just a joke telling machine). I liked his friendship/relationship with Angeline. Especially with how supportive she is with him. I thought that was just adorable. And I like that he made some genuine friends, and even though there were clearly some kids who were never going to be friends with him, he still tried to be their friends, too.
June 21, 2022
EDIT:
I am lowering my rating. There is a scene in this book where in the part where Gary is winning he [spoilers] jokes sexually about his teacher. At first I thought I was being prudish or something, but thinking about it more I know I'm not the only one who doesn't like getting comments like that from the kids I teach, and I don't think it should be written to be seen as funny cause, you know, people shouldn't do that.
3.2
Like all of Louis Sachar's books I'll be thinking about this one a long time, if not forever. I didn't love it as much as Someday, Angeline, partially probably because I am no longer 11 and partially because I don't like Gary all that much. Despite that, I wasn't disappointed that there's not that much of Angeline in this book because it's obvious how much of Gary's book this is.
I just wish that the ending hadn't seemed so perfect.
I am lowering my rating. There is a scene in this book where in the part where Gary is winning he [spoilers] jokes sexually about his teacher. At first I thought I was being prudish or something, but thinking about it more I know I'm not the only one who doesn't like getting comments like that from the kids I teach, and I don't think it should be written to be seen as funny cause, you know, people shouldn't do that.
3.2
Like all of Louis Sachar's books I'll be thinking about this one a long time, if not forever. I didn't love it as much as Someday, Angeline, partially probably because I am no longer 11 and partially because I don't like Gary all that much. Despite that, I wasn't disappointed that there's not that much of Angeline in this book because it's obvious how much of Gary's book this is.
I just wish that the ending hadn't seemed so perfect.
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December 12, 2023It was one of those books that start off kind of boring but as you progress into it, it’s actually super good! I don’t like how he changes identity to be somebody else or to try and act like someone else but I get it. A lot of people, especially in today’s society have walls that they hide behind to avoid trauma. But in the end it turned out good for him and it just shows you to keep following your dreams when everybody else doesn’t want you to. Just pray and ask God what you should do and go with it.
December 29, 2017
I loved this. This thing where, as an adult, I find out some of my favorite kids books had sequels is pretty great. I LOVED Someday, Angeline, and to get to read more about Gary Boone and see it all through his eyes, and get to revisit the characters from the first book, was so great. This was, literally, laugh out loud funny. Louis Sachar is an amazing writer - such a light hand, such a good build-up, and funny as well as extremely sweet and heart-wrenching? I loved this a whole lot.
March 25, 2019
Louis Sachar is better-known for his classic novel Holes, but I absolutely love his earlier, funny books, from Sideways Stories from the Wayside School through this one to its sequel, Someday Angeline. Compared to Sideways Stories, which are largely farce, this one and Angeline are warm-hearted comic stories in which the characters really come to life. A warm-hearted, really funny novel is a rare jewel, and that's what this one is.
February 11, 2021
I read this book as a novel study with my 5th grade students. They called it “Cringe Time,” and I feel it’s an apt title. Gary has a habit of trying to make everything a joke, and his taste is less than appropriate. However, the book is written well, and there is a good amount of character growth. Some bits require explanation, because today’s kids won’t get a lot of the references. Overall, this was a decent book, but not as good as “Wayside School” or “Holes.”
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