Masters of Disaster

by Gary Paulsen

“Let’s face We may be the most boring twelve-year-olds on the planet.” Henry Mosley decides that he and his pals Riley and Reed have got to liven things up. They need to go on some earth-shaking adventures and make a name for themselves. Henry is the mastermind; Riley’s the cautious researcher who’s prepared for anything. And somehow fearful Reed always ends up with the scariest, craziest assignments.            Roped into wacky attempts to break world records, reenact scenes from books, solve a hundred-year-old murder, and carry out Henry’s other inspired ideas, Riley and Reed follow their fearless leader into the wilderness (truly terrifying), inside a bull-riding ring, into a haunted house, off the neighbors’ roof, and into a cataclysmic collision with explosive life-forms. Gary Paulsen brings all his trademark humor to this fast-paced novel of fun and disaster.

Genres: Humor, Adventure, Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Fiction, Childrens, Friendship

114 pages, Kindle Edition

About the author

Gary James Paulsen was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction, best known for coming-of-age stories about the wilderness. He was the author of more than 200 books and wrote more than 200 magazine articles and short stories, and several plays, all primarily for teenagers. He won the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1997 for his lifetime contribution in writing for teens.

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Of all the observations I could make about Masters of Disaster, the most worthwhile is to point out the similarities to Gary Paulsen's thirty-book Culpepper Adventures series from the 1990s. The madcap physical comedy is undeniably similar, and two of the main characters—twelve-year-olds Henry Mosley and Reed Hamner—are personality doppelgängers for Dunc Culpepper and Amos Binder. You could say Dunc's obsessively meticulous side is equally represented in Riley Dolen, the third member of Henry and Reed's unlikely team of daredevils.

Most boys desire to do something significant with their lives, and that is Henry's goal when he rallies his two best friends to break the world record for greatest number of airborne forward somersaults on a bike. Henry does all the setup, Riley volunteers to record the details for posterity...which leaves Reed to perform the actual stunt. Fearful though he always is, Reed accepts the challenge, but after bouncing forty feet in the air off a swimming pool diving board, will he live to see tomorrow?

After the first crazy adventure, nothing can stop Henry from pushing the envelope. Inspired by a book about a boy lost in the wilderness, Henry, Reed, and Riley attempt their own survival outing, but a confrontation with escaped creatures from Amazing Dave's Wild Animal Show has Reed once again on the receiving end of a comically messy disaster. Not long after that episode, Henry plans for Reed to spend a night in a dumpster for purposes of scientific study. Reed, who still smells foul from the last two escapades, get it even worse this time. The next adventure? Solving a murder mystery in their very own Cleveland suburb, investigating an event that occurred at the Hansen house in 1887. Will the boys be heroes...or will Reed just somehow get dragged through animal excrement again?

"All the planning in the world, men, can't compare to perfectly timed good luck."

—Henry, Masters of Disaster, P. 40

Henry tries to give Reed a break with his next scheme, a visit to the farm owned by Henry's uncle, but a run-in with a supposedly docile old bull named Willard has a predictable ending for Reed. Gathering a hodgepodge team of dogs for a sled run in the Memorial Day parade doesn't turn out much better, but on the last day of school Henry comes up with a more satisfying plan. Having been harassed most of their lives by a bully named Dwight Hauser, Henry, Reed, and Riley execute a method of payback that allows Reed to finally be on the clean end of a scatological outcome. Eccentric they may be, and under-appreciated by their peers, but Henry, Reed, and Riley will have a lifetime of zany memories to reflect back on.

I'm surprised how many Gary Paulsen fans are unaware of the Culpepper Adventures series. The books are short—usually sixty or seventy pages—and nowhere near the literary excellence of the author's Tiltawhirl John, Woodsong, The Haymeadow, or Paintings from the Cave: Three Novellas, but if Masters of Disaster is your kind of humor, you might love Dunc and Amos's over-the-top experiences. I'd rate Masters of Disaster one and a half stars; it isn't nearly as funny as it tries to be, but the ending is nice, and I appreciate Gary Paulsen's versatility. There are few authors I'm more devoted to.

[Lilly Smithdeal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for students in grades 4-5 looking for an adventure book. Masters of Disasters is about three close friends who are determined to complete crazy, adventurous, dangerous tasks. The three boys all have extremely varying personalities and that is evident throughout the entire book. Students could read this book and then choose one of the boys to focus on. They could write about if they were one of the characters in the book which one they would be and how they are similar to the character and what they would do differently in the book. They could also write about what they would change about the boys' personalities in order to help the three boys have a more healthy relationship. We could have a group discussion about how the boys do not treat one another right and what we would do to change their dynamic with one another. They could also choose one of their favorite adventures that the boys go on and make up a story about themselves and their friends going on the same adventure. This book would be great for students to base an imaginary writing piece off of. This was a WOW book for me because of the interesting and wild adventures that the three friends go on together. Also, I enjoyed reading about the different personalities and how all the boys interacted with one another.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the perfect book for 5th-7th grade boys who like adventure and pranks. Henry, Reed, and Riley are looking for ways to shake up their less-than-exciting lives, so Henry comes up with a series of antics that will do just that. Unfortunately for Reed, most of those antics result in him winding up in some sort of smelly, sometimes unidentifiable, goo (much to the displeasure of his mother). At times funny, most of the time gross, this book is sure to be a hit with adventure seeking boys.

[C.J. Milbrandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Men, I have a great idea." Henry is determined to have an adventure over the summer, and he drags along his two best friends, Riley and Reed. Boyish hijinks ensue.

All boy. Fun and funny. Paulsen really knows how to spin a story that wins smiles.

[❤Marie Gentilcore · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay but maybe a bit juvenile for me. I joined my daughter in reading this short book about three boys who take on several adventures. My daughter didn't enjoy it but I think middle school kids would like it.

[Kayla Ellingson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My boys laughed so much with this book. We loved it

[Crixy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dis is like. An. Eleven. Star. BOOK. This is the SECOND time I’ve listened to dis book in the car. 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠 I probably going to ask my mom to play it again

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE this book! Gary Paulsen is an awesome author, if you are looking for a fun, enjoyable and entertaining read for young people - try one of his many titles.
I actually laughed out loud during several of the adventures in this book, something that I wish I could say happened to me more often... I read lots and lots of books in an effort to supplement / enrich my class reading list(s).
I originally picked it up to appease my curiousity... our school library has this book listed as a middle grades ONLY book. The cover art is super enticing and it is less than a 100 pages in length, so naturally several of my boys had expressed interest followed by frustration for not being allowed to check it out. Now that I have read it, I think I understand.
The vocabulary used in this book is quite advanced - no profanity but lots of refences to poo, doody and (1) crap. One of the reasons the three main characters are going to such adventurous extremes is the hope that their bravery will attract the attention of their female classmates --- that is something my 4th graders would NOT be interested in reading about (although I'm sure that is not universally true of all 4th graders around the country).
I hope that when my students are old enough / reach the time that they CAN check this book out, they will still want to, it is a good read, indeed.

[stefano cia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stefano Cia
Masters Of Disasters
Author: Gary Paulsen
Pages: 111
Book Review: #4
AB-2


Masters Of Disasters is a hilarious and humorous Gary Paulsen book! I recommend it to anyone that is interested into humorous and non-fictional books. The book was officially published in 2010. I feel like the book tries to leave me with a message that says to not do things you know you might not be able to do without practicing first!

Meet three 7th graders trying to prove their manhood by attempting to break a world record never done before! The three kids have well a limited amount of common sense. After trying to break the world record never done before by biking off a roof landing in a dumpster full of baby diapers. They see that doing something else will help them out in life and there next challenge. Gary Paulsen makes the three boys perfect matches for each other! One daredevil, the one with not such a good plan, and the other with the calculations and the recordings of everything! If you love books that give you a laugh you should for sure check this book out!

[S18sisper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Book was great! Throughout the book Henry, Reed, and Riley are trying to break world records. Henry the leader of the clan is always trying to think of things that the boys can do, like jumpung off the roof of the house, swimming with sharks, and even riding a skateboard down a 50 foot slide. At the beginning of the book Reed and Riley are realy shocked by what Henry thinks of. Reed is a school person and Riley i would say is like a nerd. One day the boys met for there biggest plan yet. Henry thinks of flying on a plane with a snowboard and jumping down on the mountain and going down.

I would read this book again because it is an action book and i love action books. It is so detailed and if you read it youd like it. If you are a boy who likes fun books you should read this

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently finished Gary Paulsen's (very humorous) Masters of Disaster. It is about a group of kids who have, well, a limited amount of common sense. They are really just, as the title suggests, masters of disaster. After first trying to break a world record by biking off a roof into a trash can full of baby diapers, they figure out they need to do some more interesting things with their life. Paulsen makes the boys a perfect match for each other. One a daredevil, one a man with a maybe not so good plan, and one an early scientist who calculates and records everything!
I think this is a great book for people who like to laugh as they go through one after another of their crazy adventures.

[Afton Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish someone would publish my book with no plot, but I guess when your name is Gary Paulson, regular writing rules don't necessarily apply. Not that this book isn't fun and entertaining. It's just a bunch of chapters strung together about 3 boys who come up with different extreme stunts to pull off. Well, one boy thinks of the stunts, another records the details of the stunts and blogs about it, and the third kid is the schmuck who gets roped into actually doing the stunts--each one dragging him through one bad smelling pile of poop/garbage after another. This was a read aloud with my boys and they enjoyed it.

[Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the funniest Gary Paulsen books I have read! It was laugh-out-loud funny. I tried reading it to my sons and didn't think they were listening, but found out later that they could recite the parts I read to them. Now I am concerned they will try to ride their bike off the roof!

Three boys, with one clearly in charge, decide to make their life more exciting by trying crazy stunts to get them into a world record book. Henry is the brains, Riley is the secretary and Reed, well, Reed is the performer! And what a smelly performer he becomes.

A great read for boys and girls, but boys will really get a kick out of all the stunts these boys pull. Way to go Gary Paulsen!

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well read as an audio book. Saw this review from GreenBeanTeenQueen: http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/201.... I have no brothers and live in a girl world so 1) it's not my personal style though I can imagine it would appeal to boys especially but 2) the question arises, perhaps ignorantly, are we just giving boys more crazy (and dangerous) ideas to try? And though noted in the book, the friendship dynamic is not exactly healthy ... Reed totally needs to stand up for himself!

[Lisa McCurdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the funniest book I have ever read. My boys and I quickly declared it was not a good before bed book, because it was so exciting. I laughed so hard I cried several times and even had to put the book down until I could stop. Hilarious!
I tried to read this to my third grade class but quickly realized the vocabulary was above them. The book should come with a disclaimer: don't try this at home.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the perfect read aloud. It's HILARIOUS. And Gary freaking Paulsen has the characters reading freaking HATCHET at school, which...... he wrote. A short book full of poop jokes and awesomeness.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was ok in my opinion. Kind of silly for me but young readers, especially boys will probably love it! Didn't hold my attention as some of his other books!

[Jennifer Sommer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author accurately depicts the characters of three 12-year-old boys trying to add excitement, adventure and mystery into their otherwise boring lives. Each “project” dreamed up by Henry (the self-assured, cocky kid) usually winds up with reluctant Reed (the scared, nervous kid) harboring a lingering odor, while Riley (the smart kid) documents all the details. The boys try their hand at record-breaking stunts, science experiments, and solving a mystery involving a murdered family in a haunted house, among other crazy schemes they think will impress girls after the results are revealed to the public. The author’s storytelling skills will keep readers laughing. Highly recommended for boys and reluctant readers in grades 4-7 who enjoy humorous stories. This has a deceptively high reading level.

[Angie Ochoa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was HILARIOUS!! I read it aloud to my 10, 14, and 17 year old kids (boy, girl, boy), and we were laughing all the way through. I never knew that Gary Paulsen wrote comedic fiction until I read Lawn Boy aloud to my kids. Having learned that, I looked for others of his funny fiction, and we were not disappointed.

If the words "poop" and "crap" are off limits in your house, maybe find another book, or use different word if reading aloud.

Henry, the main character is kind of like T.D. Fitzgerald in the Great Brain books, is always coming up with these plans that seem to always end with his friend Reed being covered in poop, and his friend Riley recording it all for posterity.

[D. Ward · Rating 2 out of 5]

Might be fine for a very narrow selection of older elementary school boys but that's it. No noteworthy female characters (which is okay by itself I guess) but even the boys themselves seemed less like best friends and more like pranksters moving from one crazy experiment to the next. Often overwritten with dialogue bordering on the absurd. Not a good selection for One School One Book! Which is how my seven year old daughter and I came to read it. Sorry but the most positive thing I can say is that perhaps it could serve as an example to younger kids how not to behave.

[Elza Kinde · Rating 5 out of 5]

The type of idyllic/nostalgic story about boyhood shenanigans in the suburbs that makes you laugh out loud. Every chapter contains another hilarious adventure designed to bring three young men historical fame and personal glory in typical twelve-year-old fashion.

Slightly dated but not to the detriment of the story. If you like everyday misadventure, stories about boys having fun with their best friends, and a good old fashioned running gag, you'll probably enjoy Masters of Disaster.

[Gabby Gilliam · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a grown-up, I couldn't enjoy this book much. My six year old son, loved it. We read it aloud at bedtime and every night he asked for just one more chapter. While my boy is still a little too young to care about impressing girls, the boys in this book embark on some wild adventures to make names for themselves. If you've got a young boy in your life, they will probably enjoy this story.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny short story. The reading level is probably around 4th-6th. I think it would appeal to boys as the main characters are boys trying to be adventurous with hilarious consequences. But, I think it would generally appeal to anyone who enjoys silly sort of slapstick comedy.

[Angelica Jajeh · Rating 4 out of 5]

2010. Fiction novel. This story has a very random story line, but it uses a wide range of vocabulary and kept my middle-schoolers interested the whole time! They used this book as a group read, so each student had their own interpretation of it.

[Christine Doiron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so fun. You definitely wouldn’t want your kid doing the things depicted in this book, but it’s over the top enough that I think there’s little risk of that. It was really funny and good hearted. My first Gary Paulsen book, and I definitely want to read more.

[Madeline Pratchler · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son and I read this book together. It was OK but I thought some of the stunts were far-fetched and unrealistic, a complete miracle that no kid ended up killed. He enjoyed parts of it and asked if there was a Book 2. I hope he's not planning on trying any of this stuff - haha!

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this with my eleven year old son. He seemed to be the perfect age for this book. His final rating was three stars. He felt disappointed by the ending of the book, especially after the Memorial Day adventure.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this aloud to the kids. They thought it was pretty funny.

[Stephanie Gleizier · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read book to my 6th graders. This book was just horrible. Boring and horrible.

[Celia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book/story for middle school.