Angleberger, Tom. The Qwikpick Papers: Poop FountainMay 20th 2014 by Amulet Books
E ARC from Netgalley.com
Back in 2000, when the internet was slow and there was not much to do online, Lyle and his friends have nothing to do on Christmas day. Lyle's parents are working at the Qwikpick near their home in a trailer park, Marilla is a Jehovah's Witness, and Dave is Jewish, so the three, spurred by a newspaper article, decide to cross the field near their home to investigate the "poop fountain" at the sewage treatment plant. Complications ensue, especially since Lyle has a crush on Marilla.
Strengths: Bonus points for having a character named Marilla, a typewriter that Lyle uses for his reports, and a fun ensemble cast. In true Angleberger form, there are a lot of asides, a little origami, and some good, middle grade humor with a touch of romance. Unfortunately, the pages of the E ARC turned so slowly that I didn't get to finish the book. I'm hoping to get a public library copy quickly.
Weaknesses: This seemed to move slowly, but that could have been the turning of the pages! I am going to reserve final judgement until after I look at a paper copy. (It did get a bit quicker, and my ARC was snagged immediately by a student fan when I had them up for giveaway!)
We have five more days with the students, and I am about 80% done with inventory. Not my favorite time of year at all. The lost books are the worst part for me, even when students pay for them. It's like little pieces of my soul being thrown in the waste bin. Sigh.
Equipment retrieval very soon as well, so even MORE fun.
Tom Angleberger has many young fans out there and this one sounds like it will be read. Thanks for sharing this new title. Good luck with the end of the school year race. Yes, those books become your children.
ReplyDeleteI love how you always give the strengths and weaknesses. This sounds interesting--especially since you said it had a strong ensemble cast.
ReplyDeleteHang in there on your last five days!
How funny- Qwickpick and slow turning! I haven't read any of his books. It's kind of difficult when they just fly off the shelves without me having to say anything.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check this out...might be a good one for some of the guys in my grade.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen this one before. I think I will try to check it out. Sounds like fun. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteI will have to watch for this one. I do like his books.
ReplyDeleteOh, I do hear you about the lost books. Must be painful. I am also in the process of doing an inventory of all my personal books at home through the help of this nifty app called Classroom Organizer - do you make use of that?
ReplyDeleteI am a huge Angleberger fan, glad to see a new book of his featured here today.
I don't have that many books at home, so I don't have them organized very much. I have all of my vintage books in one room in alphabetical, then everything else in the family room-- my goal is to get rid of things rather than to organize them, at this point! And the girls must take THEIR books with them when they leave home!
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