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Science Fair
Toby Harbinger, an eighth grader at Hubble Middle School near Washington, D.C., is in big trouble. He made the mistake of selling his dad's priceless original Star Wars blaster to a lunatic who thinks he's Darth Vader and travels with a large, hairy sidekick known as the Wookiee. Now the lunatic wants more from Toby, whose only hope of getting out of this mess is to win fi...more
MP3 CD, 0 pages
Published
October 14th 2008
by Brilliance Corporation
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Wow!! This book is HILARIOUS! Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson were rockin awesome with their Peter and the Starcatcher stuff, but this is a whole new level of fantastic. I rated this so high because I can't remember when I laughed so hard. I can't say I love it in the same way I do some of the other books I rank this high, it isn't life altering but it is really entertaining. I read the book via audio and the guy who does the voices is riotously funny but the story, the plot twists and characters ...more
I read this book because my 7 year-old son loved it (who doesn't love Dave Barry's silly humor?), but I am losing interest in the last few chapters. Darth Vader and the Wookie are trapped in the basement and 3 middle schoolers are driving around in a Weiner mobile trying to save the United States! Not a wide appeal to this book, middle school boys will love it(my son has read it three times).
Toby Harbinger is an eight grader at Hubble Middle School near Washington, D.C. His parents are huge Star Wars fans and have a lot of props from the movies. To get more money Toby sells a blaster to two guys. One who looks like Darth Vader and another one that calls himself Wookie. Now they are practically stalking Toby to get more Star Wars stuff. The only way to get out of this mess is to win the first prize in the science fair, $ 5,ooo.
But Toby isn’t the only one who wants to w...more
But Toby isn’t the only one who wants to w...more
Reading this book is like sitting through the noise of fingernails trailing down a blackboard. What's worse is that you're left with a residual ringing in the ears that diminishes but doesn't quite disappear. The pop culture allusions were so dated that you could tell the author are middle-age writers. I'm really not sure who the intended audience is because the humor seemed to involve adult sensibilities--with the jabs at various stereotypes of hippy-dippy parents, government incompentence, etc...more
Very silly - would appeal to middle school boys. It's got the adventure, the gross scenes and a bit of the "My parents don't understand me" angst.
This story has two interconnected plots. Grdankl the Strong, the leader of a country that sounds like it belongs in the former Soviet Union, is plotting to overthrow the United States. While his minions carry out his plot, Toby, an 8th grade student, is trying to win his school's science fair so he can use the prize money to pay off Darth Vader and the Wookiee, two men who are stalking Toby in pursuit of his father's prized Star Wars collectibles. These two plots, surprisingly enough, do tie tog...more
Toby's life is getting messed up. He's accused the rich kids of cheating on their science projects, but he's been framed and it's backfiring. He sold his dad's signed Star Wars blaster, but the buyer, who thinks he's Darth Vader and travels with a hairy sidekick named the Wookiee, wants more. On top of this, a (maybe) mad scientist has set them a task that means they're being chased by the FBI, along with two foreign guys from a country no one's ever heard of. How is Toby supposed to make sense ...more
This is a pretty darn amusing book about a subject that I hadn't thought about since middle school ... the science fair. Just when you thought science was safe, this book shows you that it'll never be safe so long as you've got hard-to-understand politicians from an undeveloped country bent on attacking the US for really ridiculous reasons, Star Wars wackos, kids who nobody understands or believes, and stinky cheese. If these things don't seem to have anything in common, don't worry, they do, ...more
This book started out really funny. Lots of tongue-in-cheek jokes about government and middle school kinds of stuff. The only problem was that it kept using the same things over and over again. It became very monotonous. I didn't put it down though. The plot had an interesting twist with a mystery and I wanted to find out how it all came down.
I got this book at the NCTE Convention as one of those "uncorrected advanced proof" books they give away at booth after booth....more
I got this book at the NCTE Convention as one of those "uncorrected advanced proof" books they give away at booth after booth....more
This mildly humorous book is filled with stereotypes and contemporary cultural issues and images that will date it quickly. I found it particularly difficult to respond to the jarring portrayal of the Krpshtskan villains. Much of the humor depends on spoofing myriad stereotypes - teachers, aging hippy parents, government efficacy, wealthy greed, to name a few. I wonder how many of these cultural jokes are beyond the young readers' understanding. Dave Barry's signature humor comes through occasio...more
This is an extremely silly and obvious book, even given the fact that it’s written for middle schoolers. There’s not much room for plot development, careful consideration of options, or adults with any measure of common sense. And still it fills out almost 400 pages – that in itself is an achievement.
It’s also very funny, and the final 100+ pages of action blitz through increasing layers of ridiculous at a giddy pace. I like Harmful Killer the Fighting Death Hamster, most of the tea...more
It’s also very funny, and the final 100+ pages of action blitz through increasing layers of ridiculous at a giddy pace. I like Harmful Killer the Fighting Death Hamster, most of the tea...more
Plot: In the country of Krpshtskan, the president, Grandakl the Strong decides to take over the U.S. His plan involved using the rich and arrogant kids, (who don't even make their own project) in a school in Washington D.C. called Hubble Middle School. But a boy named Toby Harbinger finally decides to take an act and tells the principle of the cheating rich kids, Toby ends up suspended from school because the principle thinks he is lying. So, Toby goes to the place where the rich kids get thei...more
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okay i'm having a minor moral crisis about this book. because i really liked the peter and the starcatchers books (despite some feminism-less flaws), but frankly, this book sucks. now granted i didn't read the whole thing, but the beginning was racist, promoted a ridiculous fear of terrorists and was also rather misogynistic. Also it was boring, predictable and--despite apparently being aimed at middle-schoolers (e.g. having "teen" content)--the writing and topic-choice seemed much mor...more
Toby, an 8th grader, is just one of those kids who cannot stay out of trouble! As the story opens, he sells one of his parent's most cherished pieces of Star Wars memorabilia so he buy a new computer gaming system. The buyer is a bit crazed and threatens to tell his parents unless he gives him more stuff from the collection. This plot twists around another crazy, action-packed plot of middle school science fair projects, certain students cheating, spies, the FBI, and just one adventure after a...more
Toby and his friends want to win the science fair. There's a $5,000 prize this year and Toby needs the money because of some other trouble involving Star Wars memorabilia, a new computer and a blackmailer who thinks he's Darth Vader. But, there are other kids in school who want to win too.
The super rich kids and their high-powered parents will do anything to see their kids succeed. What they don't know is that an evil mastermind is using them to get hold of top-secret military ...more
The super rich kids and their high-powered parents will do anything to see their kids succeed. What they don't know is that an evil mastermind is using them to get hold of top-secret military ...more
I thought about giving this book 5 stars...and maybe I should. The reason is that this book exceeded every expectation I had for it. I expected to take a mental vacation, enjoy the ride and laugh - and that is exactly what happened!
If you want a book that makes you laugh out loud in public (assuming you read in public like I do) causing all the people around you to give you strange looks and wonder what could possibly be that funny, this is the book for you! If you want to gain insight ...more
If you want a book that makes you laugh out loud in public (assuming you read in public like I do) causing all the people around you to give you strange looks and wonder what could possibly be that funny, this is the book for you! If you want to gain insight ...more
Hilarious!! I'll read just about anything Dave Barry writes after the Peter series. I think he does a fabulous job of stretching the believable. This book is about a boy named Toby who is desperate to win the school science fair (and the $5000 prize!) to pay off Star Wars enthusiasts who are blackmailing him, but gets caught up in an international terrorist attack from the Republic of Krpshtstan (population 4 million including goats) instead. Just enough tech info to make geeks happy, but also e...more
A middle school student who needs to win the prize money from the school science fair unravels a plot to cheat. The plot turns out to be way more than just science fair projects gone bad - it involves the security of the United States. Written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson of Peter and the Starcatchers series fame, this tale will have you turning the pages and cracking up. Filled with gross humor, this story never takes itself seriously and that makes the whole ridiculous thing work.
Completely over the top zaniness! This book made me laugh out loud at the crazy antics of the characters. Evil doers from a make believe foreign country are determined to ruin American technology by taking over a middle school science fair. The added "Star Wars" subplot will appeal to so many boys. I work at a library and this will at the top of my list of recommended summer reading for boys and girls - light hearted, funny, short chapters - a perfect summer read!
The four stars is a bit generous, as I'm rounding up from a 3.5. The book is a 3 as a stand alone, but for those of us who are old Dave Barry fans, there were all kinds of "Easter Eggs" that popped up in the book, little tidbits that referred back to old columns (such Roller Blade Barbie, the Weinermobile and several others) and there was also a lot of Dave Barry's style of using "subtitles" and understatement. I was a bit of a trip down memory lane in places.
We listened to this as a family, and it was great. The adults could see the plot twists coming, but we didn't care: we were laughing the whole time. The Star Wars connections were really funny.
After slogging through Barry & Pearson's Peter Pan stories, and not being too impressed, we were not sure what to expect here. Barry gets to be funny and Pearson gets to spin a good tale- what more could you ask for a family-friendly book?
After slogging through Barry & Pearson's Peter Pan stories, and not being too impressed, we were not sure what to expect here. Barry gets to be funny and Pearson gets to spin a good tale- what more could you ask for a family-friendly book?
Anyone familiar with Dave Barry's editorials will easily find his voice within this novel. Science Fair provides a fun romp through the life of an outsider and a nerd who just might get to play the hero. Science Fair addresses that question of what people, especially juveniles, will do when faced with tough choices about what is right and what is easy and does so in an entertaining and action-packed way.
This was a great audio book. Some reviewers complained that the Star Wars references were too dated for today's students, but my own children would certainly relate given that I have R2D2 and Cloud City on my desk as inspiration for writing...
All in all, a fun romp through a school where privileged students suffer from too much parental involvement while others try to do things right.
All in all, a fun romp through a school where privileged students suffer from too much parental involvement while others try to do things right.
Laugh out loud fun! This fast-paced novel features a floating frog, an evil mastermind from a country whose language contains no vowels, overly obsessed Star Wars nerds (two of whom are the main character's parents), a Wienermobile, and smelly cheese. And I haven't even gotten to the plot! For fans of ridiculous, ludicrous and zany, this book will not disappoint. Grades 5 and up.
Dave Barry is hilarious (when he's writing for a newspaper or for a middle-school audience--can't read his "adult" stuff because of the "adult" language). There is a lot going on in this very funny book. Yes, it's silly and over the top, but I couldn't put the book down, laughing out loud all the way along. Not deep, not life-changing, not insightful, just a fun read.
I loved this book. It was laugh out loud funny. It was very Dave Barry, and it reminded me of Big Trouble. I hope Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson keep on writing children books. I need to read Pearson's Steel Trapp, and I know they have another Peter Pan book coming out later this year. The good thing about Science Fair is they left it open for a sequel, which I think would work. Science Fair had very interesting characters that makes the reader wonder how the authors come up with their idea...more
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So funny! Dave Barry's signature style and intelligent-absurd humor fill this outrageous story of nitwits from a country nobody's ever heard of trying to destroy the U.S. via a middle school science fair. I appreciated the allusions to "MacArthur Park" and Barry Manilow, previously skewered in 'Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs,' which remains my favorite book of his.
No where near as good as Peter And The Starcatchers. Not even close. This was definitely a book for the preteen readers who think gross is funny. The name of the fictional European country in this book is the main reason I would NEVER recommend this for elementary school libraries. I think it may even find problems in middle school libraries. You can try to get away with a different pronunciation, but Krpshtskan is going to come out EXACTLY as it is spelled. I have no real objections to th...more
Although this book is in the Juvenile section of the library, I found it very entertaining and sometimes even laugh out loud. I buy Dave Barry books for our local library every time he writes a new one and one of the perks of "adopting an author" is getting to be the first person who reads the book. This book was a lot of fun and kept me interested until the final pages--there aren't too many books I have read lately that have done that.
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| Science Fair | 1 | 7 | Mar 17, 2009 08:44pm |
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Dave Barry is a humor columnist. For 25 years he was a syndicated columnist whose work appeared in more than 500 newspapers in the United States and abroad. In 1988 he won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. Many people are still trying to figure out how this happened.
Dave has also written a total of 30 books, although virtually none of them contain useful information. Two of his books were u...more
More about Dave Barry...
Dave has also written a total of 30 books, although virtually none of them contain useful information. Two of his books were u...more
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“The voice belonged to Mr. Pzyrbovich, an algebra teacher who was always called Mr. P, for obvious reasons. He has a heavy accent, which a lot of kids said made him hard to understand, although to be fair some of these kids would have never understood algebra anyway.”
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6 people liked it
“The bad news was that the yard contained a dog. A very, very large dog, wide and hairy, like a cross between a rottweiler and a Goodyear blimp.”
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6 people liked it
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