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Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars
by
Leonard's life at his new junior high is just barely tolerable until he becomes friends with the unusual Alan and with him shares an extraordinary adventure.
...more
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
May 1st 1981
by Bantam Books
(first published May 8th 1979)
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This is one of those books that you read as a kid and the scenes get stuck in your head for the rest of your life and you don't remember where they're from - did I dream about Hergeschleimer's Oriental Gardens? Did I actually study the art of mind control? - and then you reread it 15 or 20 years later and realize that all of your cool childhood 'memories' were just planted in your brain by this giant bald guy. Thanks, Pinkwater.
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From this book I learned that if you smoke a cigar, you should chew bubblegum at the same time so you don't get sick. I have never tried this, because cigars are utterly disgusting, but the two times I've had one I had no access to gum and both times ended up feeling nauseated afterward so probably Pinkwater was right, just like he was right about the lizards and the fat men from space and the avocados.
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This is one of those frustrating books that has interesting bits sprinkled through a not so interesting bulk. Just enough that each time I thought I would quit some clever detail or promising plot development would keep me reading. After the halfway point, I started skipping all the long infomonologues by Klugarsh and then Clarence. They seemed largely repetitive, and as far as I could tell at the end I missed nothing by not reading them. In terms of where the book ended up, I don't know why so
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latest re-read 3/4/2012
My freshman year in HS (1986/1987) I read several books by DMP... this was my favorite.
I remember, in college, volunteering at the local library to read this book to the 8-10 year olds. I started with 5 kids. In the two weeks set aside for me to finish this book my class grew to over 20 kids (and most of their parents) each night and the local bookstore told me they had to order 50+ copies for special orders and now they keep at least 2 copies in stock at all times.
Great b ...more
My freshman year in HS (1986/1987) I read several books by DMP... this was my favorite.
I remember, in college, volunteering at the local library to read this book to the 8-10 year olds. I started with 5 kids. In the two weeks set aside for me to finish this book my class grew to over 20 kids (and most of their parents) each night and the local bookstore told me they had to order 50+ copies for special orders and now they keep at least 2 copies in stock at all times.
Great b ...more
Is Alan from Mars? Can you make Omega Waves? Why is Leonard Neeble allowed to smoke cigars? Who are those time-traveling bikers, and why are they addicted to chili? Pinkwater is the imagination you fantasize you have. All of his novels should be read repeatedly.
This book saved my life as a child. Pinkwater's protagonists are geeky social outcasts who discover wild creative worlds that allow them to prevail. This story is so memorable. Easily my favorite childhood book.
Read it again in 2018. Still amazing! ...more
Read it again in 2018. Still amazing! ...more
This was the first Pinkwater book I ever read, at one of my sons urging. I loved when I first read it, and rereading it I was impressed by the way Pinkwater throws together cliched genre elements like mysterious bookstore owners and ancient secrets with genuine childhood sorrows, in this case moving to a new school. This is a classic.
Pinkwater is one of the all-time greats of American literature. A total original. The only writer I can compare him with is Vonnegut, and Pinkwater is way better. This is one of his best.
Picture this as "A Wrinkle in Time," but bizarre: instead of the high-minded prog-rock fusion of science, culture, religion and philosophy, this one trucks in B-movie silliness, Borscht Belt humor, Dada surrealism and Tri-State-Area pride. Pinkwater writes like a demented Catcher in the Rye, and his young adult novels were like crack to me in elementary and middle school.
The best part? They hold up! Daniel Pinkwater does not suck when you take the nostalgia goggles off. In fact, hey may be bette ...more
The best part? They hold up! Daniel Pinkwater does not suck when you take the nostalgia goggles off. In fact, hey may be bette ...more
This was a very odd book about a somewhat geeky twelve year old Leonard Neeble and his experiences with his eccentric best friend Alan Mendelsohn, who, among other things, claims to hail from Mars. After moving to a new town, Leonard is bored to tears until he meets Alan Mendelsohn, the only person who seems interesting at his junior high school. They quickly become friends and together explore mind control methods, buying books and instruments from a somewhat suspect storekeeper named Samuel Kl
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Dec 12, 2020
Scott
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
re-read,
young-adult
And madness ensued from the greatest storyteller on the planet. We have a couple of portly, chubby, oddballs from Chicago, one of who might be a martian. They are outsiders who don't fit in and don't think like everyone else. So pretty much a Pinkwater book.
When not in Jr. High our heroes are in therapy, smoking cigars, discovering mind control and hyper-stellar archaeology, exploring places like waka-waka, investigating Atlantis, Lemuria and of course eating the green death chili from the Bermu ...more
When not in Jr. High our heroes are in therapy, smoking cigars, discovering mind control and hyper-stellar archaeology, exploring places like waka-waka, investigating Atlantis, Lemuria and of course eating the green death chili from the Bermu ...more
This is a story about a twelve year old boy named Leonard and his best friend, Alan, who claims to be from mars. These two start to explore mind control with the help of the bookstore clerk. They learn about alternate parallel universes and the societies that live in each of them. The plot of this book was confusing at times because it was unclear what was happening. I had to reread several parts to be clear on what was happening. The dialogue between the characters helped to tell the story and
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One of the best sci-fi, new-age, uproariously funny, profound, philosophical, and tender books you will ever read. Should be required reading before anyone enters high school.
It completely turns the nerd tropes on their head! It suggests that in a world of conformity, the misfits are king. It exposes the reader to very powerful new age ideas in the guise of a wickedly funny kid's book.
When it comes to quirky humor, Pinkwater is the grandmaster! ...more
It completely turns the nerd tropes on their head! It suggests that in a world of conformity, the misfits are king. It exposes the reader to very powerful new age ideas in the guise of a wickedly funny kid's book.
When it comes to quirky humor, Pinkwater is the grandmaster! ...more
This book is a good mix of funny and ... wheeeeeel, weird. Weird is good!!
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a fun read.
BUT. BUT BUT BUT. There are no strong girl characters. Like, whaaa? Seriously Pinkwater, come on. I'm also reading The Spies of Spiegel (by Daniel Pinkwater) and there are, like, a total of ZERO girls in that. COME ON. ...more
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a fun read.
BUT. BUT BUT BUT. There are no strong girl characters. Like, whaaa? Seriously Pinkwater, come on. I'm also reading The Spies of Spiegel (by Daniel Pinkwater) and there are, like, a total of ZERO girls in that. COME ON. ...more
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there are many things to love about alan mendelsohn, the boy from mars, which has all your trademark pinkwater eccentricities but also a more cohesive plot structure than some of his other books. but i'd like to take this chance to record just how much i love pinkwater's descriptions of food experiences in particular:
Dr. Prince scooped up big spoonful of the [Green Death chili]. At first, after he had popped it into his mouth, he had a sort of musing expression; then he looked pleased; then he ...more
Dr. Prince scooped up big spoonful of the [Green Death chili]. At first, after he had popped it into his mouth, he had a sort of musing expression; then he looked pleased; then he ...more
Slow-going, but fun if you like intelligent, creative, nonconformist and self-reliant protagonists. Defined character-building in lieu of real suspense, and enough wackiness to make this my first choice among my concurrent reads. The magic is strong in this one.
Rated 5 for how much I enjoyed this book when I was in grade 5. Holds up well on re-read now, definitely sharing with the kids.
Definitely a children's story. Has some similarities to Alice in Wonderland, in that there isn't much logic to it. Wouldn't recommend this book to any teenager or older.
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Not my favorite Pinkwater ever, but still an entertaining and funny read.
Funny and moving story of a boy who doesn't quite fit in at his new junior high. But when Leonard meets Alan Mendelsohn, life starts to look up.
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Somehow my childhood friends never held up when compared to Alan Mendelsohn. Another great Pinkwater creation.
Charming Novel for Kids 10-65
I read this when it was new and never could find anywhere until it became available on Kindle Editions.
Whacky, funny and thoughtful and wise.
I read this when it was new and never could find anywhere until it became available on Kindle Editions.
Whacky, funny and thoughtful and wise.
I love this book so much as a kid It was my first book about multiple universes and multiple dimensions very cool I need to reread it...A childhood favorite of mine
The primary audience for this book would be a 9 to 13 year old boy. Therefore, I found myself disengaged and not that invested in the characters. Furthermore, it should be noted that this is a work of fantasy/sci fi. I was unaware of that going into this book and found myself waiting for an additional piece to be added to the puzzle, or a plot twist at the end. Neither of which occurred. While entertaining and at times comical, it was difficult for me to decide on a 2.5 or 3 star rating.
Very entertaining juvenile science fiction novel. Pinkwater is as delightful here as he was in his NPR commentaries.
At the beginning of the story, protagonist Leonard Neeble attends a new school, Bat Masterson Junior High, where he is bullied by his classmates and neglected by the staff. At length, he is befriended by the title character, Alan Mendelsohn, and is thereafter happier and more capable. When Alan starts a school-wide quarrel over his claim to Martian ancestry, both are suspended from school for one week; during which, they meet Samuel Klugarsh, the owner of an occult bookstore, who sells them a
Nov 11, 2020
Julie
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
middle-grade-fiction
I recently found out that my elementary school librarian died. She encouraged my love of books from a very young age, and I remember her recommending this one decades ago. It was fun to back and read a childhood favorite. RIP, Mars. Hallgren.
What is really great about this book, besides that it's funny and weird, is just HOW it's funny and weird.
It's like, Leonard and Alan are part of something that has been prophesied, but it is not a challenge for them to achieve the important, historical feats they do. It would seem that across dimensions and planets, these two young boys are as smart as anyone comes, though to the type of reader this book is aimed toward, they're very relatable. The fact that Waka-Waka is an enormously boring pl ...more
It's like, Leonard and Alan are part of something that has been prophesied, but it is not a challenge for them to achieve the important, historical feats they do. It would seem that across dimensions and planets, these two young boys are as smart as anyone comes, though to the type of reader this book is aimed toward, they're very relatable. The fact that Waka-Waka is an enormously boring pl ...more
I read this in college and it blew me away, but it's been a long time, so I had to re-read it to see if my memory of it was accurate. A lot of it, I'd forgotten, but the wonderful sense of surrealism that permeates the novel is definitely still there.
It's basically about a boy who moves to a new neighborhood and junior high school. He doesn't fit in with the students, but his life improves when another new student arrives—Alan Mendelsohn—who's even weirder than he is. They team up to play prank ...more
It's basically about a boy who moves to a new neighborhood and junior high school. He doesn't fit in with the students, but his life improves when another new student arrives—Alan Mendelsohn—who's even weirder than he is. They team up to play prank ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA fiction (fantasy?) about middle school misfits who learn important lessons from an inspiring teacher, including yoga and believing in themselves. [s] | 5 | 14 | Apr 12, 2019 07:25AM | |
| What's the Name o...: A boy who smokes cigars in his psychiatrist's office [s] | 7 | 138 | Feb 13, 2013 09:51AM |
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