GOOD BURGER 2 GO: NICKELODEON

by Steve Holland

While Ed, the only person who knows how to create his secret sauce, is chasing a short-changed customer around the world, the restaurant falls into trouble when it becomes evident that the sauce has not been licensed for sale. Original.

Genres: Childrens

160 pages, Paperback

First published June 19, 1998

Reviews

[Playwright42 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greatest. Piece. Of English literature. Ever.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the way back in the summer of 1997, I saw a little film called Good Burger at my local cinema with two of my family members. At the time, I was months away from turning ten, but the flick had a hold on me for years; so much so, that I asked for it for Christmas in 2004. Surprisingly, I got it. On a youth retreat in 2005, I told my associate minister and his wife, that Good Burger was "the best movie ever made!" Of course, they thought that was hilarious. Some years later, while poking around Wikipedia, I saw there was a sequel to the flick, but only in book form. It sounded great, but I didn't know if I'd ever get my hands on it; even though I work at a library, such a piece of literature was likely long out of print by that point, and especially now.

All that changed yesterday morning, when my mom and I were visiting some garage sales in our area. One had a whole bunch of books; mostly the kind that don't interest me: trashy bestsellers, reference books on subject I couldn't care less about, etc. Imagine my surprise, then, when Good Burger 2 Go was sitting there; I couldn't believe my eyes! While the lady selling the books was a stickler on the price--which, as any bargain hunter knows, is not the way to have a yard sale--I still got it for a dollar, and I was so excited that I told some friends who didn't even seem to know who Kenan and Kel were.

So, after all that buildup...did the book stack up? Yes, yes; a thousand times yes. True to the original film, this was a hilarious madcap adventure featuring the same crazy cast of characters and a few new ones, including a surprising love interest for one of the main protagonists. (I'm not giving it away; read the book!) I only wish this had gotten the celluloid treatment as well; still, this is a treat for fans of '90's Nickelodeon. Don't go into it expecting fancy-smancy plots and SAT-level words; just enjoy it for what it is, and let your inner child have a field day with it.

[Matthew Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's like reading the script to the unfilmed sequel. It's been nearly 20 years since the movie, but the characters and traits came back to me in a minute. Childish and a little dated, but still a fun summer quick read.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://spongey444.wordpress.com/2024/...

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I had known this book existed when I was a kid!

This is the sequel to the film Good Burger, and I definitely wish it had been made into a movie. It was completely ridiculous but also completely awesome, and I had way too much fun reading it.

[Angel Dejesus]

This is the collest book

[Steven Shinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I went ahead and read this for the movie’s 25th anniversary. The characters feel very much like themselves. Ed does and says all the wacky things you’d expect him to. But also, apparently he’s really good a drawing and can sketch someone realistically by memory? He, Dexter (last name Reid instead of Reed for some reason), Mr. Bailey, Spatch, and Fizz return. What’s wild is that Fizz is referred to as a “pasty white drive-through boy.” How did this fly?

Weirdly, there’s no explicit mention of the other employees. Is Otis dead? Did Deedee finally realize it’s antithetical for a vegetarian like her to work at a burger place? What about Monique, who was Dexter’s love interest? Heather is absent as well and never mentioned, though I guess you could assume she was sent back to the mental institution. There is a mime who seems to like Ed though.

Anyway, the plot, set nearly a year after the film, involves Ed trying to return 18 cents to a millionaire customer, and it takes him and Dexter to Paris, which is convenient given that Dexter wants to see more of the word. The court scene toward the end is kind of absurd, especially given that the case name uses Ed and Dexter’s first names instead of their last names. And the ending is kinda wild in how insanely well off everyone becomes. I’d kinda want a Good Burger film sequel to acknowledge the ending.

Perhaps not quite as good as the film, but still pretty close. It’s a nice, humor-filled sequel. There are also a couple mentions of Star Trek, which I guess makes sense since it’s Paramount.

[Gwen Zora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well let me tell you somethin', brother. That was the most beautiful book I've ever read. Truly, a phoenomenal ending, after 148~ pages of Good Burger greatness. You've heard of Chekhov's Gun? Get ready for Chekhov's Spatch.

I haven't seen the sequel movie yet, so I can't say if this is better or not, but certainly, there should have been a third Good Burger novel. I'm not going to spoil the ending other than what I've already said, but it certainly (as a Good Burger enjoyer) is something you would want followed up on.

If I had one gripe with this book, it's that, towards the beginning, Ed is characterized a bit too dense. Sure, in the original movie, he doesn't understand the world that much, but in this one (at least in the first half), he's just.. off. Like, it's a little more intense than it is in the movie, to the point you can NOTICE it. And, while it has no effect on the story (only making an impact on the dialogue)... this version of Ed, in the first half, is inferior...

As for the second half, though, pretty much everything is spot on.

1 Million Strawberry Jacuzzis out of 10 Good Burgers.
(that's good)

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this book 3 stars mostly out of Nostalgia. There were a few funny moments. The movie good burger is by far the best Nickelodeon movie ever made and a comedy classic that I still enjoy rewatching to this day. As a kid I once watched my VHS copy on a loop for an entire day.

The writing was kinda simple even for a kids book. I don’t think the story would work for a sequel I think they could come up with something much better.

However I am glad to have read it. I didn’t know this book existed until recently and I found a copy right away when I found out. Well worth the nostalgia alone.

[Isaac Loves Books! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, love how kind-hearted Lawrence hopper III is, but dont appreciate how they make ed seem like a special education person, but he's nice enough to spend his fortune on everybody except himself

[Benjamin Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would.

It's a kids cartoon movie. Maybe even direct to video, but it's fun.

[Authorized Podcast]

Discussed on the pod, along with the og Good Burger!

https://anchor.fm/authorizedpod/episo...

[Robert Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really sweet and faithful follow-up to what was one of my favorite movies as a kid. The tone is pitch-perfect and I fell in love with these characters and their antics all over again.

[StephenPaul ChaseJr · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOL, funny sequel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So much fucking better than the first junior novel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[StephenPaul ChaseJr · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best sequel never turned into a movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Stephen Paul Chase, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love book sequels about food.

[Craig Prentice]

Oh I love the first movie is Heather in the sequel book and I wonder if she helps Dexter find Ed?

[Nathan Forester · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this is what it would have been like if an actual sequel had been made in the 90s.

[Brandon Kazimir · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's such an odd concept to make a book sequel to a movie that has no movie-tie in itself. It makes me wonder if there were ever plans to make a Good Burger sequel originally and if so, if the script was similar to this book. Either way, it's a shame this never got turned into a movie; it would've been a good sequel, distinct from the original. It also would have been leagues better than the forced sequel we did end up getting so many years later. I mean, Good Burger 2 Go is already such a good title for a sequel, especially given the plot. What could have been...

Also, this weirdly had a British tone in the style of humor and writing at times - I checked the author (not British). And the fact that this book has footnotes is hilarious. Who would've thought Good Burger 2 would continue the trend of the three monolithic books I read last year?

[Valentina Sylvestri]

So funny