Another NASTYbook: The Curse of the Tweeties

by Barry Yourgrau

Ever tasted a NuttiNutz candy bar? Has your Mom been kidnapped recently? Know what a Samurai Swordboy is? Are you afraid of terrible curses? Or goblins? Or Toy Poodles? How ‘bout (gulp) older sisters?? Do fake false teeth ever talk to you? Hey, then you better read this book . . . but Be Warned, friend. . . . It's not like anything you've ever read . . . unless you're completely demented! (Are you?)

176 pages, Library Binding

First published May 1, 2006

About the author

Writer-performer Barry Yourgrau is author of "A Man Jumps Out of an Airplane: Stories" (new edition, May '17). His other books of surreal brief tales include "Wearing Dad's Head," "Haunted Traveller," and "The Sadness of Sex," in whose movie version he starred.

Audio of story, "Honky-Tonk,"" from "A Man Jumps Out of an Airplane" is on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKPPj...

Barry is also the author of a memoir, "Mess." He has appeared on MTV and NPR, and workshopped at Sundance Theatre Lab.

Born in South Africa, he lives in New York and Istanbul and travels widely.

Reviews

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.com

Rollo loves NuttiNutz Bars (much better than any regular meal) and manga/comic books (especially Su-ichi Samurai Swordboy). He's not a huge fan of his family, particularly his big sister, Noreen.

But, when his mom is abducted by trolls during a family picnic, Rollo is shocked to realize that he is the only one who is overly concerned. Every one else seems to be content to mourn her briefly and then move on with life. Noreen has no problem overtaking her mom's closet and jewelry collection. Rollo's dad even appears to be dating again, and his new girlfriend comes complete with an evil poodle. It's up to Rollo to set off to rescue his mom.

To boost his confidence, he turns himself into his very own manga character, Samurai Stickboy. Armed with a hockey stick, some NuttiNutz Bars, and determination, Rollo sets off on his quest. On his way, he is both helped and hindered by Marv and Harv Tweety, twin brothers who are more confusing than they are useful (especially when one of them dies), a set of talking teeth that Rollo begins to hate, and some strange directional signposts. With a little luck Rollo will be able to figure everything out and be able to rescue his mom before it's too late. If not, well...

This book is half comic book/half written-out manga, with enough non-stop action to keep just about any boy interested. It definitely keeps you guessing; you never know what might happen next. It's like a whirlwind that picks you up, sucks you in, spins you all over the place, and then spits you back out.

[Jen]

This book is so bad that I thought at first that it must be self-published; you would think that HarperCollins should know better. I can't believe there is a series of these. Now I know I can get my fourth grade writings published, and no, that is not bragging.