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200th out of 377 books
—
260 voters
The Pickle King
Recipe Ingredients: A small town called Elbow; rain; five loony kids; one bad dog; a jar of Herman's Red Devil Chilli. Bring ingredients together, add a real-life dead body and a missing eyeball, and have yourself one crazy, red-hot adventure. "The Pickle King" is about that wonderful belief children have in finding something extraordinary behind even the most boring. It's...more
Paperback, 448 pages
Published
2009
by Chicken House
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Podunk, rain-soaked Elbow, home of Herman’s Devil Tongue Relish, is not the place to be stuck for a whole summer. The Devil Tongue Relish comes in three strengths: Easy Does It, Turning Up the Heat, and Burning Down the House. What goes on in Elbow comes in three strengths: boring, more boring & even more boring.
The kids stuck in Elbow for the summer call themselves the Raintown Convicts - they have no escape from the town, the boredom, or each other…until the morning Sam knocks on Bea’s doo...more
The kids stuck in Elbow for the summer call themselves the Raintown Convicts - they have no escape from the town, the boredom, or each other…until the morning Sam knocks on Bea’s doo...more
Bea and her friends stumble around the rainy city and find an underground garbage city!
Bea is riding her bike through the rainy city of Elbow with her friends also known as "The Rain Town Convicts." She falls into a muddy puddle and rolls away. She wakes up to the comfort of a warm and cozy house with a funky smell. The man comforts her and tells her where she is and what happened. She finds out she is in an garbage city. As the man prepares some garbage stew, she snoops around the house. The m...more
Bea is riding her bike through the rainy city of Elbow with her friends also known as "The Rain Town Convicts." She falls into a muddy puddle and rolls away. She wakes up to the comfort of a warm and cozy house with a funky smell. The man comforts her and tells her where she is and what happened. She finds out she is in an garbage city. As the man prepares some garbage stew, she snoops around the house. The m...more
It rains all the time in Elbow and every summer most of the residents flee to warmer, drier climates. The kids left behind are expected to hang out together, so it’s not unusual to find 12 yr. olds Bea, Sam, Butterfly, and Madison spending time together even though they would normally not even speak during the school year. This summer, though, finds them up to their elbows (LOL) in a mystery involving a dead guy, a missing eyeball, a bag full of guts and the mysterious disappearance of Herman,...more
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Initially, the title and front cover of this book is what attracted me to it and then when I read the inside cover and found out the story was about the murder of a local prominant buisness man I I knew it was the book for me.
I was excited to start a good YA murder mystery, but I found the actual mystery to be kind of weak. It wasn't that the plot wasn't well thought out or that the writing was poor, but what first attracted me to the book didn't have that much to do with the story. I thought th...more
I was excited to start a good YA murder mystery, but I found the actual mystery to be kind of weak. It wasn't that the plot wasn't well thought out or that the writing was poor, but what first attracted me to the book didn't have that much to do with the story. I thought th...more
So far a wacky buddy story. The children left in Elbow during the truly dreary rainy season- almost the entire town leaves, it is so bad- must form a support group and report on their activities when school starts up again (when the weather improves). This year there are fishy goings on and the main characters find a body....maybe they won't be reporting exactly what happens over the summer come September.
Star ratings are all over the map from fantastic 5 to 1
I saw that this title is recommended...more
Star ratings are all over the map from fantastic 5 to 1
I saw that this title is recommended...more
i thought that this book was a wierd but satisfying to read. I thought that it was staiafying because they talked about a girl that lives near a pickle factory called hemans pickle factory and is known for the best relish ever. While she was in this town with her garandma she has been seeing some weird things that she has never ever seen in this tiny pickle town before. while reading this book i wa sthinking that it was going to be a terrifying book just becaause of the cover but lie they say ne...more
I really wanted to like this book! I made it over half way through and I just couldn't take it any more. I had to go online and read other reviews to see how this book ends. Life is too short (and so is summer vacation) to read books that you don't love.
The good points:
1. It is a mystery/horror story written for upper elementary kids.
2. The main character is a strong girl.
3. The author set up the setting very well (too well- it made me yawn!) Promitzer usually writes for film, so may be she is...more
The good points:
1. It is a mystery/horror story written for upper elementary kids.
2. The main character is a strong girl.
3. The author set up the setting very well (too well- it made me yawn!) Promitzer usually writes for film, so may be she is...more
Jan 01, 2011
Tweller83
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
adventure,
scary-horror
Only OK. I will add to my collection but probably wouldn't buy it for a collection. It sometimes feels young and then other times feels too old for the protagonists. The adults don't seem smart enough to have pulled off what they have pulled off.
"The town of Elbow is known for two things—unceasing summer rain and Herman's Pickles. Bea, 11, is a camera whiz, so when her friend Sam discovers a dead body in an abandoned house, he wants her to document the scene. She photographs the twisted, waterlo...more
"The town of Elbow is known for two things—unceasing summer rain and Herman's Pickles. Bea, 11, is a camera whiz, so when her friend Sam discovers a dead body in an abandoned house, he wants her to document the scene. She photographs the twisted, waterlo...more
The Pickle King is an odd, befuddling book about five friends (plus one loyal dog and infuriating little brother) who spend their summers in the never-ending rainfall in the town of Elbow. The school they attend requires them to spend the summer together (why...we really aren't sure, at least there isn't a good reason) if they have the misfortune of hanging around the dumpy, depressing town during the school vacation. Bea and Sam begrudgingly meet up with Eric, Butterfly, and Madison and try to...more
This book is fucking amazing
I get aroused when I read in Business Studies Lessons the characters sound smexy. Its a bit awkward though cause i usually only read it in these lessons, and I kind of get an erection in my panties. This one time i left my fly undone and it oped out infrount of my english teacher then the worst happend a white dart flew out and hit her in the face. Every time i read this book i happens and i dont know why
I get aroused when I read in Business Studies Lessons the characters sound smexy. Its a bit awkward though cause i usually only read it in these lessons, and I kind of get an erection in my panties. This one time i left my fly undone and it oped out infrount of my english teacher then the worst happend a white dart flew out and hit her in the face. Every time i read this book i happens and i dont know why
I adored this spectacular book, i spotted this curious little book in waterstones and i could not put it down after that! I read it all day and all night, this book is aimed at children but it really brings you back to your childhood roots when you read it!. The humor ,gore, adventure horror in this book is structured brilliantly, the contrast of reality and non reality seems to mix together in this book. One of my all time favorites!
At parts it seems hard to comprehend, but you eventually get the mystery. Bea and her friends from a small town called Elbow try to figure out a mystery after Eric tells them about a man that is extremely creepy. In Elbow, it rained nonstop all summer but is sunny the rest of the year. They find a garbage city which seems even more disgusting because of all the rain. It has an awesome ending and I highly recommend this book for YA.
This was creepy but awesome. Everything was so descriptive. It was practically a movie on pages. Images flashed through my mind. I could practically see the body floating in the water in the abandoned house.Two thumbs up and who ever would not want to read this specatularly detailed book is crazy.
Sep 22, 2010
Ezri Walker
is currently reading it
This book so far is great. It has a bit of horror, a pinch of mystery, and I regret every time I put it down. I don't want to spoil anything so my summary is a bit restraining but I think this is definitely a must-read. Well I have to go because I'm going to read some more right now!
I loved this book, it wasn't at all what I thought it would be. It was suspensful, strange and fun. I love good kid books and have been drawn to them for quiet some time. This one was worth reading and I do hope Ms. Promitzer keeps writing. Weird enough to really love it!
Very interesting and unique. I picked this up off the shelf randomly, not knowing what is was about and turns out it was really good! Honestly I was a bit surprised. Who knew a mystery about a pickle king would be so good?
A good mystery but very gruesome for the target age group--elementary kids. They are attacked by a scary man in their apartment. There is dead bodies and the book is abounding with body parts--borrowed or stolen.
I ended up liking this more than I thought I would, but I think it is a difficult book to find an audience for. The characters are 12 years old, and the book is for 12 and up. Plus it is recommended for fans of Love Curse of the Rumbaughs which is a weirdly cool read, but not many kids/ teens are into it.
One of the worst books I have ever read in my entire life!! The book really didn't suck me into the plot and took me a really long time to get into it. I would definatley not recommend it to anyone.
The premise of the book grabbed me but the book failed to deliver. The mystery had too many layers to hold my attention I actually put it down and read another book before finishing. Bea and her friend Sam find the Pickle King dead and enlist their friends to try and solve the mysterious circumstances including an odd shaped ring, a bag of intestines, a missing eyeball, sinister characters around every corner, weird garbage dump dwellers and when it can't get any stranger a Frankenstein like cha...more
Jul 30, 2011
Rachel
added it
This is great fun. I know I'm not the targeted age reader but it nips along with cute characters and not a little touch of Scooby Doo.
I got about half way thru this and gave up. Maybe in print form it'd be better but the reader's voice is too old to play 12 and in the end I just didn't care who killed the pickle king.
Smell the wet raincoats and moldy toes. Hilarious but seriously moving - with a fantastic twist.
Very good book, not my usual kind but was very good and i would read it again. Loved it!
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I HATE this book one of the WORST books ever!!!
I was so glad to finally finish this book. It was way too long, gross, ridiculous, and completely unbelievable. Besides (and also because of) these fatal flaws, I don't know that it has much of an audience. It seems intended to be a children's book, but the 13-year-old smoker, the out of place profanity, the abuse, the body parts showing up in strange places, etc. will probably not appeal to kids or their parents.
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The description is slightly misleading. I expected a light hearted read. The story is very sad at times and with the reiteration of the rain, you begin to feel it's heavy pull. The story feels more like Stephen King’s “The Body”/ “Stand by Me” movie. Once I realized what journey the book was taking me, I enjoyed the story for what it is.
So far this book is amazing though, I am not far into it I love it already and I cant wait to read more.
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