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Pals in Peril #6
He Laughed with His Other Mouths
In the sixth and final Pals in Peril adventure, Jasper Dash is off into the universe to search for his long lost father!
In this action-packed conclusion to the celebrated Pals in Peril series, Jasper Dash soars to unprecedented heights--as in, intergalactic, out-of-this-world dimensions--in order to locate the father he's never known. And if Jasper's previous adventures are any indication, this is going to be one stellar expedition!
In this action-packed conclusion to the celebrated Pals in Peril series, Jasper Dash soars to unprecedented heights--as in, intergalactic, out-of-this-world dimensions--in order to locate the father he's never known. And if Jasper's previous adventures are any indication, this is going to be one stellar expedition!
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2014
4 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
M.T. Anderson
59 books1,253 followersMatthew Tobin Anderson (M. T. Anderson), (1968- ) is an author, primarily of picture books for children and novels for young adults. Anderson lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
His picture books include Handel Who Knew What He Liked; Strange Mr. Satie; The Serpent Came to Gloucester; and Me, All Alone, at the End of the World. He has written such young adult books as Thirsty, Burger Wuss, Feed, The Game of Sunken Places, and Octavian Nothing. For middle grader readers, his novels include Whales on Stilts: M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales and its sequel, The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen.
-Wikipedia
His picture books include Handel Who Knew What He Liked; Strange Mr. Satie; The Serpent Came to Gloucester; and Me, All Alone, at the End of the World. He has written such young adult books as Thirsty, Burger Wuss, Feed, The Game of Sunken Places, and Octavian Nothing. For middle grader readers, his novels include Whales on Stilts: M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales and its sequel, The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 12, 2024
This isn’t my favorite story in the series qua “Pals in Peril” adventure, but thematically and meta-literarily is moved me like nothing else. The footnotes that describe the experience of finding and reading old books across generations, and that also sneak in another well-worn children’s genre (historical fiction that educates about an Important Epoch of history via a relatable child protagonist with relatable problems)! Summer has always been about rediscovering musty old books, for me, so M.T. Anderson might have been writing the footnotes at me personally. And the nostalgia, the sense of loss, the silliness, but also the electric sense that you’re reaching back and really *getting* something the past, the same way it was once fresh and new and shiny to the first owner of the book, or a person who read the story when it was just out—that comes across so perfectly.
November 23, 2015
Pals in Peril#6 is my favourite book .it is a book about a boy who goes to find his dad who might be an alien with the help of 2 other friends.he has to find his dad and be the smart person he used to be again. i think this book has a wide range of vocabulary and fast paced story but i would like the author to use more of language features. i would recommend this book for ages 12 and above as it has aliens and things that could scare little kids as it also makes a aliens feel realistic.this can be improved by describing the characters more rather than just starting at the actual story .overall i think the book was done nicely and i enjoyed it a lot.
April 17, 2016
I could read 1,000 pals in peril books and not get tired. This one didn't strike me as being as whimsical as the others, but I love the characters and always appreciate the cliffhangers.
October 24, 2017
Hey, I finished a several-book series! That's something I usually don't do nor have an interest in doing. So that's a testimonial.
This book is more serious than most, especially the second story in the footnote about Busby Spence. Also, Anderson breaks into meta in a different way than usual in that, too. But there's upbeat here as well.
I tend to believe the reports that this book feels like a conclusion to the series.
This book is more serious than most, especially the second story in the footnote about Busby Spence. Also, Anderson breaks into meta in a different way than usual in that, too. But there's upbeat here as well.
I tend to believe the reports that this book feels like a conclusion to the series.
December 11, 2017
M. T. ANDERSON
This is a clever little book. It is mostly funny, even though the characters deal with some dangerous situations. It doesn't take itself too seriously. Jasper Dash is an adorable character. It has an alinear timeline, which is a lot of fun. It addresses some heavier themes (PTSD, family conflict, fatherlessness) in an accessible and non-disturbing way.
This is a clever little book. It is mostly funny, even though the characters deal with some dangerous situations. It doesn't take itself too seriously. Jasper Dash is an adorable character. It has an alinear timeline, which is a lot of fun. It addresses some heavier themes (PTSD, family conflict, fatherlessness) in an accessible and non-disturbing way.
February 20, 2024
The last Pals in Peril book is a great finale. It deals with the last mystery in the series—who Jasper Dash’s father is. This book has all of the humor in this series, while adding lots of heart. Emotional moments are rare in this series, and this book granted me many unexpected tears.
September 2, 2018
Beautiful ending to a fantastic series that I recommend to anyone with a sense of humor and fun.
March 21, 2017
so funny I laughed outloud. But also a bit heartbreaking, as well. I was expecting it to be a jolly fun silly book and it really went much deeper than that. It's not as flippant as it first seems.
August 19, 2014
And the Last Shall Be First
Did you ever have a favorite series that just sort of wound down and ran out of steam? A series in which the author just lost interest in his characters, and in plotting, and just ran on writerly autopilot. I'm sure it's a common experience.
Well, this book represents the happy opposite of that dismal development.
The "Pals in Peril" series always struck me as a bit of an odd duck. The books in the series followed the adventures of a crew of different teen heroes drawn from the pages of 30's through 50's style action/adventure novels. It was a sort of Hardy Boys/NancyDrew/Tom Swift "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" mashup. The books are entertaining, but the vibe fluctuates between parody, fond reimagining, modern jokiness, antic hyper-action, and a sort of post-modern hipness with occasional metafictional interruptions by the author. The series, as I say, is interesting, but in its very excess it can be a bit exhausting.
Well, this book is the sixth and final volume in the series, and it is a revelation.
The book focuses on Jasper Dash, easily the most, well, dashing, of the original Pals. Jasper was "born" in the 30's as the result of an alien ray that impregnated his Mom. At age 13 he stopped growing and he has remained an eternal 13 year old. At first he invented great things. He was at the forefront of technology and science. But the future he foresaw has come and gone and now he is hopelessly behind the times. (The book opens with Jasper unveiling his latest masterpiece - a nuclear powered mobile telephone the size of a Volkswagen bus. He is shocked when someone shows him a cell phone.)
Crushed by the realization that his time has passed, Jasper falls into a despair that even his best and most loyal pals can't relieve.
This is heady and unexpected stuff. It is actually touching and written with great affection and understanding. It is not at all manic silliness. The narrator is still intrusive, and his asides and footnotes and recounting of past over-the-top adventures is witty and inventively amusing, but the opening theme remains tragic. Among the jokes, and funny titles of old 30's books, and the like, the author has written some very perceptive observations about fame and progress and, dare I suggest it, good old American gung-ho can-do optimism.
This book has all of the manic inventiveness of the earlier books, but this one adds something new - a fully realized, distinct and achingly real character who will engage your sympathies and transport you, not to the edge of the universe but rather to something more heartfelt.
So, if you drifted away from the "Pals in Peril" series, this book will mark a happy return.
Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
Did you ever have a favorite series that just sort of wound down and ran out of steam? A series in which the author just lost interest in his characters, and in plotting, and just ran on writerly autopilot. I'm sure it's a common experience.
Well, this book represents the happy opposite of that dismal development.
The "Pals in Peril" series always struck me as a bit of an odd duck. The books in the series followed the adventures of a crew of different teen heroes drawn from the pages of 30's through 50's style action/adventure novels. It was a sort of Hardy Boys/NancyDrew/Tom Swift "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" mashup. The books are entertaining, but the vibe fluctuates between parody, fond reimagining, modern jokiness, antic hyper-action, and a sort of post-modern hipness with occasional metafictional interruptions by the author. The series, as I say, is interesting, but in its very excess it can be a bit exhausting.
Well, this book is the sixth and final volume in the series, and it is a revelation.
The book focuses on Jasper Dash, easily the most, well, dashing, of the original Pals. Jasper was "born" in the 30's as the result of an alien ray that impregnated his Mom. At age 13 he stopped growing and he has remained an eternal 13 year old. At first he invented great things. He was at the forefront of technology and science. But the future he foresaw has come and gone and now he is hopelessly behind the times. (The book opens with Jasper unveiling his latest masterpiece - a nuclear powered mobile telephone the size of a Volkswagen bus. He is shocked when someone shows him a cell phone.)
Crushed by the realization that his time has passed, Jasper falls into a despair that even his best and most loyal pals can't relieve.
This is heady and unexpected stuff. It is actually touching and written with great affection and understanding. It is not at all manic silliness. The narrator is still intrusive, and his asides and footnotes and recounting of past over-the-top adventures is witty and inventively amusing, but the opening theme remains tragic. Among the jokes, and funny titles of old 30's books, and the like, the author has written some very perceptive observations about fame and progress and, dare I suggest it, good old American gung-ho can-do optimism.
This book has all of the manic inventiveness of the earlier books, but this one adds something new - a fully realized, distinct and achingly real character who will engage your sympathies and transport you, not to the edge of the universe but rather to something more heartfelt.
So, if you drifted away from the "Pals in Peril" series, this book will mark a happy return.
Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
July 11, 2022
It is immediately apparent that He Laughed with His Other Mouths has a different tone than the other books in the series. A science fiction adventure, it explores some of the mysteries that the author has hinted at in previous novels in the series. And while it is full of absurdities like the other books in the series, the author intentionally uses them to make the book feel more emotionally intense and less laugh-out-loud. While the grand tragedies of previous novels are softened with silliness, here they don’t get softened as much, and sometimes not at all.
The changes in tone were so drastic I became convinced early on that Anderson’s not planning on writing any more Pals in Peril books. That left a kind of pall over my reading, but in the end it was awesome. This and Linoleum Lederhosen are probably my favorite books in a fantastic series.
With regards to kids fiction in general, I must admit I almost always hate it. When I read it as a kid I felt like the authors were condescending and trite. Even reading modern fiction aimed at kids I feel like the authors are only aiming their books at kids and teenagers because they think they are too dumb to recognize all their sloppiness and mistakes.
I think one of the reasons I liked these books is because it makes fun of children’s literature. In the series the author points out when he’s manipulating your emotions, he calls attention to the fact that there are plot holes. Still the series manages to be funny for both kids and adults. It is also able to cut through the silliness with real pathos. It questions what it means to exist. And it questions why we even read silly books to begin with.
The changes in tone were so drastic I became convinced early on that Anderson’s not planning on writing any more Pals in Peril books. That left a kind of pall over my reading, but in the end it was awesome. This and Linoleum Lederhosen are probably my favorite books in a fantastic series.
With regards to kids fiction in general, I must admit I almost always hate it. When I read it as a kid I felt like the authors were condescending and trite. Even reading modern fiction aimed at kids I feel like the authors are only aiming their books at kids and teenagers because they think they are too dumb to recognize all their sloppiness and mistakes.
I think one of the reasons I liked these books is because it makes fun of children’s literature. In the series the author points out when he’s manipulating your emotions, he calls attention to the fact that there are plot holes. Still the series manages to be funny for both kids and adults. It is also able to cut through the silliness with real pathos. It questions what it means to exist. And it questions why we even read silly books to begin with.
January 13, 2016
Jasper Dash, Boy Technonaut, is on a quest to find his father. It's not an unusual desire, to want to meet a parent you've never known, but in Dash's case it's made more difficult because his "father" was a concentrated beam of information from somewhere in the Horsehead Nebula. Usually a model child of courtesy and respect, not to mention brilliant, Dash has a fit of defiance after an especially trying science fair, and he decides to leave the planet in search of his origin. His mode of travel is a teleporter, which he built himself. Dash's mother and friends are worried, so of course they go in search of him (even though they have alien visitors on Earth). And of course that's not a quick and easy rescue mission. It is entertaining, though, and Anderson doesn't disappoint fans of his "Pals in Peril" series! The metafictional footnotes are one of this readers favorite features. The footnotes in this book, however, are...different. The story that is told in the footnotes is an emotional, touching story, sometimes more absorbing than Jasper Dash's story. Anderson knows how to tell a good story, or two, and does so masterfully in this gem. Recommended if you like: space, science, sci-fi, aliens, WWII, footnotes, friends, family, scrap metal, teleportation, and/or hovercars. Gr. 4-8
April 16, 2018
Even though I was looking for some of M.T. Anderson's more young adult novels, catered to an older audience, I ran across this book and read the whole thing! Although this book is definitely middle-grade (10-13) I enjoyed this even as an adult and am glad I read it.
Jasper Dash, a young and popular inventor/superhero (he has also lived for almost a hundred years so....?), goes off on an adventure through space to find his biological father. The story follows his adventure as well as clever underlying plots that Anderson weaves throughout the story. Although this is a part of a large series of children novels, M.T. Anderson shows off his brilliant mind and talent throughout to make in enjoyable for audiences of all ages.
I would 100% recommend this book to elementary/middle school students, especially those that love adventures through space.
Jasper Dash, a young and popular inventor/superhero (he has also lived for almost a hundred years so....?), goes off on an adventure through space to find his biological father. The story follows his adventure as well as clever underlying plots that Anderson weaves throughout the story. Although this is a part of a large series of children novels, M.T. Anderson shows off his brilliant mind and talent throughout to make in enjoyable for audiences of all ages.
I would 100% recommend this book to elementary/middle school students, especially those that love adventures through space.
February 1, 2015
M.T. Anderson has certainly mastered the art of satiric humor for kids. He also has a cyclopean imagination, and his latest book, HE LAUGHED WITH HIS OTHER MOUTHS is sure to be a hit with a variety of middle grade readers and especially those who love humor and space adventures.
The main character is a boy who doesn't age. He was a famous character in a series of 1940 books (ala Tom Swift) and continues to think and invent like someone from the 1940's. The fact that he doesn't age should clue you in to the fact that he's more than human. I will avoid spoilers and just say that you will meet an extraordinary alien baddie, plus a variety of other unique characters and creatures.
Be bold, even adults like ot laugh and have wild and wacky adventures.
The main character is a boy who doesn't age. He was a famous character in a series of 1940 books (ala Tom Swift) and continues to think and invent like someone from the 1940's. The fact that he doesn't age should clue you in to the fact that he's more than human. I will avoid spoilers and just say that you will meet an extraordinary alien baddie, plus a variety of other unique characters and creatures.
Be bold, even adults like ot laugh and have wild and wacky adventures.
September 8, 2015
In a dream, Jasper Dash, Boy Technonaut, gets an inspiration for an instantaneous teleportation device that can could send him into the depths of intergalactic space. Stinging from the humiliation that he’d received at the school science fair for his atomic powered mobile telephone.* So, against his mother’s wishes, he decides to send himself to a planet deep in the Horsehead Nebula in the hope of finding a being more accepting of his unique talents. Alas, that is not whom he finds.
*It was mobile, but it was also “as big as a lunch cart and had an antenna on top. It had huge metal wheels. It had a little door on the side with an atom painted on it. It had some kind of dial and a headset on it.”
*It was mobile, but it was also “as big as a lunch cart and had an antenna on top. It had huge metal wheels. It had a little door on the side with an atom painted on it. It had some kind of dial and a headset on it.”
December 1, 2014
M.T. Anderson's book He Laughed with His Other Mouths is a fun read for kids ages 9-14 who like humorous, quirky science fiction. Jasper Dash, Boy Technonaut, has been the same age for more than 75 years. He used to be famous but not too many people know about him or his books anymore. In this story he is contacted by aliens from outer space and Jasper and his friends start galaxy hopping. A fun read if you like suspense, death rays, transporters, space ships and weird, power hungry aliens with multiple mouths. An alternate, poignant story can be found in the footnotes.
December 28, 2014
"With He Laughed with His Other Mouths, Anderson does something quite marvelous with footnotes. Using footnotes for witty asides has become a cliche since Terry Pratchett perfected doing that back in the day. But Anderson uses his clever footnotes not to be witty but to tell another story entirely, this one about a kid during World War II who was a Jaspar Dash fan. This is a complete story, a piece of serious historical fiction embedded in a fantasy satire/comedy."
Excerpt from Original Content.
Excerpt from Original Content.
March 27, 2015
You know I love these books. This one did not compel me to laughter and gasps, as much as previous volumes, but I really enjoyed the way the author managed to sneak in a second, more serious, story in under the first, by hiding it in the footnotes. Not that being kidnapped by alien beings which threaten to not only destroy Earth, but also kill your mother isn't serious! And all those father issues! By the moons of Jupiter, good fun, as always!
November 22, 2015
In this sixth Pals in Peril book, Jasper Dash is tired of living in the past. His once cutting edge experiments are now outdated, and he has become a cliché. When he mysteriously receives instructions on building a transporter, he finally sees a way to find out more about the mysterious beam of light that was his father. But nothing is ever as it seems to be. For fans of the series, grades 4-8.
November 21, 2014
This series is hilarious and super goddamn weird. I love it.
July 5, 2015
An odd ode to the serial reels and adventure books of the thirties. Kids will like this one but I doubt they will get the references to old space operas and such.
June 2, 2015
Books with large blocks of footnotes drive me crazy. And these footnotes are another, separate story from the larger story. Too distracting for me.
January 24, 2016
It's a bit hard to explain the strength of this book, except to say that it gets 4 stars because the story in the footnotes made me teary eyed :D
May 11, 2016
Meh. Not quite the finale I hoped it would be.
July 2, 2016
A quirky end to a quirky series.
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September 18, 2017I thought it was a very interesting book. I got really confused at times when they were talking about the future and I didn't know whether or not they were in the future or not.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews