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The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger
Fifth grader Louie Burger figures that with a goofy name like his, he must be destined to be a king of comedy like his idol Lou Lafferman. But he's only ever performed his stand-up act in his closet, where he and his dad created the most exclusive comedy club ever―if by "exclusive" you mean that no one's ever allowed inside. With the school talent show coming up, Louie's wondering if now is his moment to kill (that's comedian talk for "make actual people laugh"). And maybe, if he brings down the house, he'll win back his former best friend Nick―who seems to be turning into one of those annoying sporty types―and fend off his dad's home-improvement obsession, which threatens to remodel Louie's comedy closet into a private bedroom for his older sister. Barftrocious!
240 pages, Hardcover
First published June 4, 2013
About the author
Jenny Meyerhoff
17 books21 followers"As a child in West Bloomfield, Michigan, Jenny Meyerhoff often read a book a night. In third grade, she readAre You There God? It’s Me, Margaret twenty-one times. Her first attempt at a children’s book, The Leprechaun Who Never Found a Pot of Gold, was written when she was in first grade. From that moment on, Jenny has dreamed of becoming a professional children’s book writer.
Jenny studied creative writing at the University of Michigan, and received her master’s degree in education at Northwestern University. She then became a kindergarten teacher because, in addition to loving children’s books, Jenny enjoys sitting on the floor. (That’s also why she practices yoga.)
Jenny is now a full-time writer and a full-time mom, which means that she never sleeps. She lives in Riverwoods, Illinois, with her husband and three children." (http://us.macmillan.com/author/jennym...)
Jenny studied creative writing at the University of Michigan, and received her master’s degree in education at Northwestern University. She then became a kindergarten teacher because, in addition to loving children’s books, Jenny enjoys sitting on the floor. (That’s also why she practices yoga.)
Jenny is now a full-time writer and a full-time mom, which means that she never sleeps. She lives in Riverwoods, Illinois, with her husband and three children." (http://us.macmillan.com/author/jennym...)
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 5, 2015
Louie is a funny stand up comedian but doesn't know it himself. The only person he has preformed to is his dad and the only place he has preformed is on his stage in his bedroom. The school talent show is coming up and now its his chance to show everyone how good he is. The only problem is Louie has stage fright. So Louie comes up with the idea of asking his best friend Nick to be his partner. Finding out that Nick is already doing an act with Thermos. His new best friend. This is his last chance win his best friend back and prove to Ryan Rakefeild and everyone else that he is good at comedy. Will Louie win back his best friend? Read more to find out. This book is about friendship,loyalty and overcoming fears
May 13, 2015
Louie is a funny stand up comedian but doesn't know it himself. The only person he has preformed to is his dad and the only place he has preformed is on his stage in his bedroom. The school talent show is coming up and now its his chance to show everyone how good he is. The only problem is Louie has stage fright. So Louie comes up with the idea of asking his best friend Nick to be his partner. Finding out that Nick is already doing an act with Thermos. His new best friend. This is his last chance win his best friend back and prove to Ryan Rakefeild and everyone else that he is good at comedy. Will Louie win back his best friend? Read more to find out. This book is about friendship,loyalty and overcoming fears
July 23, 2013
Possible choice for the reluctant reader with the main character being a fifth grade boy who loves stand up comedy.
April 24, 2023
I had higher hopes for this book. A book about an aspiring comedian. It actually wasn't all that funny. My kids thought it was just ok, but nothing made them want to pick up the next book in the series.
December 26, 2017
cute story
June 30, 2018
it was amazing
February 24, 2019
The book was good
September 4, 2021
What a lovely and funny book about friendship and following your dreams.
June 10, 2013
Young Louie Burger likes to spend his time in his big closet preparing comedy routines for his shows and comedian posters, but when his sister asks the big question “Are you really a comedian if you don’t perform in front of others?” Louie’s closet is in danger of disappearing and he can’t get that questions out of his head, especially with the fifth grade talent show coming up and several people telling him he should perform.
Now Louie isn’t in danger of losing his comedy stage but also of losing his best friend when a new friend comes into Nick’s world and Louie feels set to the side. Can Louie get his confidence and perform with an audience while getting back his spot as Nick’s best friend?
The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger had me worried at first; there was an excessive use of the word barf, I say excessive because it is a word we don’t hear so often and here you might get to see it on every third page or so. I thought the book would lose all relevance and the word barf would be the only thing I would end up remembering from this book; I was gladly proven that I was wrong.
Louie is a flawed character, he feels real and you can feel his change moods along the story. I like how he doesn’t make it a big deal that he is the only male sibling in his family and how he takes the time to play with Ruby his quirky and adorable little sister that isn’t afraid of marching at her own beat.
The lessons Louie learns in this book are valuable for every kid to remember, bullies aren’t funny and you should not make fun of someone else just to escape the bully-radar, being afraid is natural but there are some rewards for those that decide to take the risk any way, don’t judge others by their appearances you might be stealing yourself of a wonderful opportunity.
I would have wished that the character known as Thermos would have had a more complete part to the story, I know this is Louie’s story but I think this character could bring a story really worth telling to the table. The way this character gets bullied and the way Thermos fits into the story would have helped give this story the extra kick it needed to be a great story.
I loved that the parent figures weren’t shadows or blurbs on the background of the story, Louie Burger has a family who spends time together, the parents issues aren’t oblivious to the children yet they are just there enough to enhance the main points that this books is trying to make.
Yes, I do think The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger is a book worth checking with your little owns.
Now Louie isn’t in danger of losing his comedy stage but also of losing his best friend when a new friend comes into Nick’s world and Louie feels set to the side. Can Louie get his confidence and perform with an audience while getting back his spot as Nick’s best friend?
The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger had me worried at first; there was an excessive use of the word barf, I say excessive because it is a word we don’t hear so often and here you might get to see it on every third page or so. I thought the book would lose all relevance and the word barf would be the only thing I would end up remembering from this book; I was gladly proven that I was wrong.
Louie is a flawed character, he feels real and you can feel his change moods along the story. I like how he doesn’t make it a big deal that he is the only male sibling in his family and how he takes the time to play with Ruby his quirky and adorable little sister that isn’t afraid of marching at her own beat.
The lessons Louie learns in this book are valuable for every kid to remember, bullies aren’t funny and you should not make fun of someone else just to escape the bully-radar, being afraid is natural but there are some rewards for those that decide to take the risk any way, don’t judge others by their appearances you might be stealing yourself of a wonderful opportunity.
I would have wished that the character known as Thermos would have had a more complete part to the story, I know this is Louie’s story but I think this character could bring a story really worth telling to the table. The way this character gets bullied and the way Thermos fits into the story would have helped give this story the extra kick it needed to be a great story.
I loved that the parent figures weren’t shadows or blurbs on the background of the story, Louie Burger has a family who spends time together, the parents issues aren’t oblivious to the children yet they are just there enough to enhance the main points that this books is trying to make.
Yes, I do think The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger is a book worth checking with your little owns.
June 12, 2013
Louie Burger loves stand-up comedy, but he’s more comfortable performing to the socks in his closet than to real people in an audience. When his dad suggests that he sign up to do a comedy routine for the fifth grade talent show, Louie says no way. But something about the idea sticks in his mind. Could he really make people laugh?
The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger by Jenny Meyerhoff is not just a book about a kid who loves comedy. It’s also a look at how any of us find the courage to figure out what we like to do and then do it, even if you fear you will fail. Sometimes that means you have to ignore the little voice inside your head that you’re not good enough.
Louie is not the only one in the book trying to follow his passion. Hi dad is also trying to jump start a career as an artist after he was laid off from a corporate job. Louie looks to him for inspiration, but it’s easy for his dad to get discouraged too.
Louie is also dealing with an issue with his best friend, Nick, who has discovered a new friend he wants Louie to spend time with too. If feels to Louie as though he’s being pushed out in favor of Nick’s new friend.
Although the book has lots of features that will appeal to boys (burping songs and barfing to name a couple) the book should be good for both boys and girls. Louie is a sympathetic character that anyone can relate to, and Jason Week’s illustrations do a great job of capturing the action while also being funny. Issues of friendship, sibling relationships, worries over not fitting in with classmates, performance anxiety, and more are sure to be great discussion material. I recommend The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 9 to 12.
The author provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger by Jenny Meyerhoff is not just a book about a kid who loves comedy. It’s also a look at how any of us find the courage to figure out what we like to do and then do it, even if you fear you will fail. Sometimes that means you have to ignore the little voice inside your head that you’re not good enough.
Louie is not the only one in the book trying to follow his passion. Hi dad is also trying to jump start a career as an artist after he was laid off from a corporate job. Louie looks to him for inspiration, but it’s easy for his dad to get discouraged too.
Louie is also dealing with an issue with his best friend, Nick, who has discovered a new friend he wants Louie to spend time with too. If feels to Louie as though he’s being pushed out in favor of Nick’s new friend.
Although the book has lots of features that will appeal to boys (burping songs and barfing to name a couple) the book should be good for both boys and girls. Louie is a sympathetic character that anyone can relate to, and Jason Week’s illustrations do a great job of capturing the action while also being funny. Issues of friendship, sibling relationships, worries over not fitting in with classmates, performance anxiety, and more are sure to be great discussion material. I recommend The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 9 to 12.
The author provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
April 28, 2013
Louie Burger is destined to be the next best comedian – the only problem is that he has stage fright. He can't perform in front of others and never has before – until the 5th grade talent show. If he doesn't prove his worth as a comedian, he may lose his closet and comedy stage to his older sister, which cannot happen. And beyond that, his best friend seems to have a new best friend – who likes sports but is also a girl. Somehow Louie must face his fears and overcome his stage fright and hopefully win back his best friend.
I absolutely fell in love with this book. I have stage fright so it was an instant connection to Louie. I'm a fan of comedy as well, so it was fun seeing his different jokes when he actually performed (mostly on his own). I love his two sisters as well. Ruby is a bit weird herself, like Louie and is obsessed with unicorns. I found her and her relationship with Louie adorable and heartwarming. Ari is the typical teenage girl, but still shows some love for her siblings and I loved her attitude and interactions with her family.
Then there's the relationship between Louie and Nick. Nick seems to have changed after going to summer camp, including having a new friend in Thermos, a girl who loves sports. Louie feels defensive about his relationship with Nick, thinking he has been replaced and making some poor choices in regards to Thermos. I loved seeing how things became resolved at the end of the book and what ultimately brought them all together.
Final Verdict: I read an ARC of this book, but there were some great illustrations included even in that version were really stunning and brought the story to life. A great book for elementary and middle grade readers that has a heartwarming message.
I absolutely fell in love with this book. I have stage fright so it was an instant connection to Louie. I'm a fan of comedy as well, so it was fun seeing his different jokes when he actually performed (mostly on his own). I love his two sisters as well. Ruby is a bit weird herself, like Louie and is obsessed with unicorns. I found her and her relationship with Louie adorable and heartwarming. Ari is the typical teenage girl, but still shows some love for her siblings and I loved her attitude and interactions with her family.
Then there's the relationship between Louie and Nick. Nick seems to have changed after going to summer camp, including having a new friend in Thermos, a girl who loves sports. Louie feels defensive about his relationship with Nick, thinking he has been replaced and making some poor choices in regards to Thermos. I loved seeing how things became resolved at the end of the book and what ultimately brought them all together.
Final Verdict: I read an ARC of this book, but there were some great illustrations included even in that version were really stunning and brought the story to life. A great book for elementary and middle grade readers that has a heartwarming message.
June 10, 2013
A laugh-out-loud look at a would-be comedian with a severe case of stage fright, The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger gives a light, fun look at the trials and tribulations of a fifth grade wanna be. Louie wants to be a comedian, but he is terrified to show anyone his act. He practices on the stage his father made him and put in his (rather large) closet, but he won't let anyone else see it. But his family and friends encourage him to enter the fifth grade talent show which he's afraid he will bomb. In addition, he feels like he is losing his best friend, who enjoys sports, to a GIRL! Can he find a way to face his fears and keep his friend? Read and find out! Perfect for reluctant readers who love Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Big Nate, the book contains enough gross-out humor to satisfy even the most discerning reader. The illustrations are delightful and add the perfect complement to a story about friends and family and following your dreams. Highly recommended.
August 9, 2013
Fifth grader Louie Burger loves telling jokes, but he is too nervous and worried about the reactions of others to perform his stand-up routine in public. As the school talent show approaches, he starts thinking maybe he can pull it off--with the help of his best friend Nick. But Nick seems to have become good friends with another classmate, an athletic girl named Thermos. Louie assumes there's no room for him in their friendship, and withdraws even further. Meanwhile, his father is dealing with rejections for his own artwork now that he has lost his job, and Louie does battle with his older sister, Ari, who wants part of his closet for her own room. There are plenty of funny moments and jokes relating to barf that will appeal to the younger set as well as assumptions about others that are shot down quickly. Louie often leaps to the wrong conclusions, which can result in bad decisions. Luckily for him, though, he has a supportive family, friends, and an understanding teacher.
October 9, 2013
I'm struggling with expectation dissonance as I try to think what to write about this book. The colorful cover, cartoony illustrations, prominent placement of "barftastic" in the title, the name Louie Burger, and the focus on stand-up comedy as Louie's only interest and aspiration led me to expect a riotous, slapstick comedy of absurdity and silliness. While it has humor, the story is really an earnest drama of Louie struggling with friendship, family relationships, and crippling fear of performing in front of others. It's a good story, I just couldn't prevent a sense of disappointment from creeping in as I realized it wouldn't meet my packaging-based expectations. I almost felt duped, and wonder if potential young readers won't feel the same. Still, it is a good story, one that many kids will relate to. It's just a matter of matching the book with readers looking for a character story, not a hilarity story.
March 15, 2013
Louie Burger knows he’s going to be a world-renown comedian one day. There’s just one problem—nobody has never even seen his comedy act, let alone liked it! He’s in the closet with his comedic skills—literally! But when he gets the chance to unleash his humor on the world, he’s not sure if he’s going to take it.
This book was charming, in an odd way. It made me smile and laugh, and imagine what it’s like to be an awkward 10 year old boy. He was a realistic and likeable character, which is something it seems harder and harder to find in Middle Grade fiction.
While I’m certainly not the target audience, I enjoyed this book nonetheless. I’ll be sure to recommend this book to any 10 year old boys I meet. Starting with my brother.
This book was charming, in an odd way. It made me smile and laugh, and imagine what it’s like to be an awkward 10 year old boy. He was a realistic and likeable character, which is something it seems harder and harder to find in Middle Grade fiction.
While I’m certainly not the target audience, I enjoyed this book nonetheless. I’ll be sure to recommend this book to any 10 year old boys I meet. Starting with my brother.
Read
February 12, 2015 I recently read a book called The Barftastic life of Louie Burger.The book reminded me of the diary of a wimpy Kid series but this series what a lot funnier and more exciting. The book is about is a family that is struggling to make money and can’t hold a steady job. I liked that in the story the brothers and sisters got along in the end, it might have seemed obvious but that was a part of the solution to his stage fright. He also realizes that it is ok that his best friend can have another friend. I liked the book because it made a kids life more realistic in terms of normal everyday things like fighting with brothers and sisters and hating to go back to school. This book is very funny and you always want to see what’s going to happen next, definetly a page turner.
September 21, 2013
This was a funny book that did a good job of incorporating a lesson about facing your fears and not giving up without being heavy handed. Your child probably won't even realize that this story has a moral! With Barftastic as part of the title, I was worried that this book would be over the top gross but it wasn't. There is some barfing and some barf talk but it's used sparingly.
I wouldn't call this a graphic novel - there is an illustration every few pages or so. The illustrations are a cute addition to the story. I think that fans of Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid will enjoy reading about Louie Burger.
I wouldn't call this a graphic novel - there is an illustration every few pages or so. The illustrations are a cute addition to the story. I think that fans of Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid will enjoy reading about Louie Burger.
May 31, 2013
Adorable and funny. Great for fans of Stink.
Healthy family that experiences normal problems getting along is a nice change from orphans and/or horrible parents.
Only gripe is the MC felt younger than 5th grade.
Healthy family that experiences normal problems getting along is a nice change from orphans and/or horrible parents.
Only gripe is the MC felt younger than 5th grade.
August 5, 2013
A funny read with a heap of heart. I think it'd be a great title to hand to fans of the Origami Yoda series for it's blend of humor plus school/social situations to which kids will relate. Kids will love Louie's funny pointers and laugh-out-loud dictionaries.
February 4, 2013
A completely enjoyable and entertaining read. Jenny Meyerhoff is pitch-perfect with the voice of a fifth grade boy with typical--and not-so-typical--issues.
September 23, 2013
I expected laughs from a book about a kid with ambitions to be a stand-up comic, and I wasn't disappointed. But who would have guessed his unicorn-obsessed first grade sister would be so hilarious?!
October 17, 2013
its ok I guess
March 3, 2014
Barftastically good. No, really!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews