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300th out of 793 books
—
4,493 voters
Pickle: The (Formerly) Anonymous Prank Club of Fountain Point Middle School
by
Kim Baker (Goodreads Author),
Tim Probert
Junior Library Guild Selection
This is the story of THE LEAGUE OF PICKLE MAKERS.
Ben: who began it all by sneaking in one night and filling homeroom with ball-pit balls.
Frank: who figured out that an official club, say a pickle making club, could receive funding from the PTA.
Oliver: who once convinced half of the class that his real parents had found him and he was going to...more
This is the story of THE LEAGUE OF PICKLE MAKERS.
Ben: who began it all by sneaking in one night and filling homeroom with ball-pit balls.
Frank: who figured out that an official club, say a pickle making club, could receive funding from the PTA.
Oliver: who once convinced half of the class that his real parents had found him and he was going to...more
Hardcover, 240 pages
Published
September 4th 2012
by Roaring Brook Press
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The first thing you need to realize about pickle making is that it is serious business. Pickling has a long and illustrious history in the food preservation industry. Pssst! Are all of the grown-ups gone? They are? Great. Then we can let you in on a secret. The League of Pickle Makers is really a cover for the newest club at Fountain Point Middle School—the P.T.A. (Pranks and Trick Association). The club was started by me, Ben Ruiz and we only do pranks that are funny or fun and not mean. If you...more
After Ben performs the epic prank of filling his school classroom up with the entire contents of a ball pit he gets from a local pizza parlor, he decides that he needs a group to help him pull off more pranks. His best friend, Hector, won't be any use, since his grandmother is the principal of their middle school. He enlists Frank and Oliver, since they seem like likely candidates for trouble, and Bean, since Frank won't join without her. They plan a birthday celebration for a new girl on her fi...more
When sixth grader Ben Diaz fills his classroom with several donated pit balls as a prank, he decides it might be fun to do more of the same. Together, with four other classmates, he organizes the League of Pickle Makers as an extracurricular school club that even qualifies for funding, and under that name, the club's real work is accomplished through the appropriately-named Prank and Trick Association. Because their work must be done anonymously, Ben and the others agree to exclude his best frie...more
Alright, what to say about this one?
When it started out, I was really "meh." The writing was very elementary. Not only was it not challenging to read, it basically offered itself caught, shot, and served on a platter. And not in a good, "this just flows so nicely" kind of way. More like a, "hey, there's a word longer than two syllables, let's throw it a parade!" kind of way. You're writing for children, give them something to chew on and stop spoon feeding them.
Okay, enough with the food referen...more
When it started out, I was really "meh." The writing was very elementary. Not only was it not challenging to read, it basically offered itself caught, shot, and served on a platter. And not in a good, "this just flows so nicely" kind of way. More like a, "hey, there's a word longer than two syllables, let's throw it a parade!" kind of way. You're writing for children, give them something to chew on and stop spoon feeding them.
Okay, enough with the food referen...more
It’s Monday morning. You’re tired, cranky, and already desperate for Friday. You wait outside your classroom door with your 10 pound backpack and a lunch box, possibly sweating in your coat. Your teacher opens the classroom door, and you can’t stop staring. The entire room is filled with plastic balls from the local pizza place’s ball pit. Your classmates start diving in left and right, not even caring that the room smells like Parmesan cheese and feet.
If you were attending Fountain Point Middle...more
If you were attending Fountain Point Middle...more
Most middle schoolers just fantasize about possible pranks, but this group actually plans and executes. The whole craze begins when Ben decides to answer an ad and take ownership of the complete collection of ball-pit balls which a local pizzeria was offering for free. Since his dad said the balls could not stay at or in their house, Ben is undetected as he disposes of them by hauling them to his school, tossing them through an open window of his classroom, and watching the fun the next day. The...more
I really like this book. Ben, in 6th grade, is ready to inject some fun into his very dull and humorous school days--and by this, he means pranks that do no harm but which will make people laugh. He starts by adding a ball pit's worth of balls to his classroom one night and he and his fellow students have a ball with them the next morning (pun intended). He teams up with other students and, as a cover, they found the Pickle Club. Their goal--harmless, funny pranks. And, of course, they make some...more
Sixth-grader Ben and some new friends form a "pickle making" club (as an authorized after school activity they even get PTA Funding!) which is obviously a front for something much more fun and interesting (really, who wants to actually make pickles?). Fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Big Nate, Dork Diaries (etc.) will also enjoy this. I found it refreshing that the kids are all from diverse, working-class families and I loved the (sometimes gross-out) humor. And, there is a very cool, secret, websi...more
Super fun, though because it might make teachers nervous. Probable read aloud later in the year.
Reread January, 2013, as a classroom read aloud.
Reread January, 2013, as a classroom read aloud.
This was a fun read. I read it right after my 4th grade boy. I enjoyed sitting and chatting with him about the story and the characters. And discussing the silly things that these kids did.
I liked how the characters developed through the story and how they learned from their club and the things that the club did. I really liked Ban and how he brought the group together and how he learned from his mistakes. I was disappointed in the development of Sienna, did not like this character at all. Her p...more
I liked how the characters developed through the story and how they learned from their club and the things that the club did. I really liked Ban and how he brought the group together and how he learned from his mistakes. I was disappointed in the development of Sienna, did not like this character at all. Her p...more
Pranksters at my high school made life exciting by doing stuff like plugging a stick up the ketchup dispenser so when the victim, such as myself, pushed down on the pump, the stick went sailing out like a blow dart spraying the victim with ketchup. First time it happened to me, I had to go home and change pants. When the ketchup dispenser was out for a lunch meal, I had to watch out for the blow dart prankster. When toilet paper draped the ten oak trees that sit in my parents' front yard, I thou...more
When I was in college I took a course in journalism to fulfill an English credit. I had no real desire to report the news in any way, shape, or form so when the time came to write an article for the paper I had to find something that would be in my wheelhouse. Ultimately I decided to write a piece on the history of pranks at my alma mater. It was a fun piece to write and instilled in me not a love of reporting but rather a love of pranking and all it entails. A good prank, a true prank, does no...more
5 likes · like · see review
3.5 Stars
Kim Baker’s debut, Pickle, is the type of middle grade book that invites the reader in, imparting special secrets and trusting them as part of an inner circle. It is creative, fun, never crosses that line into too cheesy, and yes, a little bit gross. Kids will love this book.
Pickle and the members of the League of Pickle Makers (aka the PTA–Prank and Trickster Association) will bring a little laughter to the lives of all it’s readers (yes, even those over 20–as long as all of their humo...more
Kim Baker’s debut, Pickle, is the type of middle grade book that invites the reader in, imparting special secrets and trusting them as part of an inner circle. It is creative, fun, never crosses that line into too cheesy, and yes, a little bit gross. Kids will love this book.
Pickle and the members of the League of Pickle Makers (aka the PTA–Prank and Trickster Association) will bring a little laughter to the lives of all it’s readers (yes, even those over 20–as long as all of their humo...more
I have had this book on my "to read" list for quite some time, and I had been avoiding it. The cover and title did not appeal at all (I know, that's very petty). Once I began reading, I couldn't put it down. This is a funny book with some pretty spunky middle school characters. I hope kids can get past the cover and title and enjoy the book. I know I'm glad I did!
I enjoyed the mischievous nature of the book and the glimpse into typical middle school friendship challenges. It had all the right themes of sticking by your friends, standing up for what you believe in, and fixing the problems you cause. I even liked a few of the lines from the book, one of which was along line the of "Sometimes you just have to have a little fun."
The down-side to the story is that several of the pranks weren't "just fun," but that's how they were portrayed. It also didn't se...more
The down-side to the story is that several of the pranks weren't "just fun," but that's how they were portrayed. It also didn't se...more
Fun story about a group of kids pulling pranks at school. Lots of humor and kids will enjoy the antics of the group. I also liked how it addressed how the characters felt about the idea of pranking and friendship. Moral dilemmas weren't ignored. Adds some emotional weight to the story, which is nice.
A lot of fun. I do feel like the author took a couple of ideas and pointers from Improv Everywhere or another group like it. In the end, this sort of felt like an updated take on the Gordon Korman MacDonald Hall books.
This book was hilarious. It was also quite believable, the characters seemed very real. Sadly my personal branch doesn't own a copy, but I may have to change that. I would hand this book to kids in a heart beat.
Funny! Goofy in all the right ways, this will have broad appeal. The website tie in is very cool as well. I think this will be a winner with a wide variety of kids.
A really funny read. If you enjoy this you will love the Fourth Stall. This story is humorous and has point of moral lessons gracefully hidden so they aren't preachy to readers.
Awesome story. Love the pranks the kids came up with. Mainly because they were all in fun and not to prank other kids. Great characters!
Warning! Do not let this book lead you to forming a similar group at your school. Or this library. That said, enjoy!
Quite funny, but with a lot of heart, too. Nice and natural use of Latino protagonist, as well.
This book is great fun and my students are going to go crazy for it. Full review to follow soon.
Pickle is a delight, This first novel by Kim Baker follows a middle school group of friends as they create a prank club, under cover of a pickle making after-school club. Wise and funny, the story starts with Ben who plays plays a prank on impulse that starts off a series of events that threatens to get away from him and his fellow pranksters. This book is about friendship and family and in its gentle, engaging way models the society we actually live in: multicultural, complex, communal - withou...more
Fun read that will appeal to readers who liked Jeremy Bender.
A quirky cast of characters and a whimsical set of pranks make for a fun middle grade read. Humor loving kids in third grade and up will enjoy this one.
I am predicting this book to be a CYBILS MG finalist.
Mar 27, 2013
Lisa
added it
Fun and funny - really enjoyed it!
It all started when Ben pulled a prank in which he filled his classroom full of balls from the local pizza ball pit. The prank was so memorable that a small group of students talked Ben into forming a club. In order for the principal not to catch wind of it, the club masqueraded as a pickling club. Things slowly get out of control and Ben worries about the “pickle” he’s got himself in!
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Kim Baker's debut middle grade novel, PICKLE, is published by Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan. Kim's second grade teacher said she'd be a writer someday, and by the time she figured out that the nun probably told everyone that, her heart was set. She lives in Seattle with her husband, two kids, and a few furry creatures.
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25 mar. 14:32