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Whole Nother Story #1
A Whole Nother Story
FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. The Cheeseman children, their father, their psychic dog, and a sock puppet named Steve are all on the run. Superspies, secret government agencies, and a genius chimpanzee all want Mr. Cheeseman's invention, a time machine with unspeakable powers.
288 pages, Library Binding
First published December 22, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 451 reviews
May 11, 2011
I do love an intelligently humorous book for kids, this one will appeal especially to boys and to everyone who enjoys wry humour, witty word-plays and not too exaggerated slap-stick humour.
July 6, 2019
This is one of my favorite books. It is very funny. It is about three children, Jough, who is the oldest, Gerald (who according to me is the youngest), Maggie (whose full name is Magenta-Jean Jurgenson), with their father Mr Ethan Cheeseman (yeah, that's his real name), who has invented a machine so amazing that all sorts of evildoers are after it. These evildoers include secret agents, superspies and villains. One of these villains poisons the mother of those three children we talked about earlier. It is so funny (except the poisoning part) that even the most grim man may laugh like a hooligan. So that is why I enjoyed it so much.
October 21, 2012
A Whole Nother Story by Dr. Cuthbert Soup is an hilarious novel in which you will meet: Three attractive, polite, relatively odor-free children; a physic, hairless dog; secret spy agents; and of course, Steve the sock puppet.
Mr. Cheeseman has a knack for inventing things. His latest invention, a time machine called the LVR, attracts many secret agencies that are forever trying to use it for their own evil deeds. No matter what they try to bribe him with, they never get to the time machine because of his wife, Olivia.
All the agencies feel that Olivia is the only obstacle from them getting their hands on the LVR, and try to get rid of her. When she gets a mysterious illness shortly after drinking her morning coffee, she hurries to her doctor, only to find a strange man with a strange tattoo on his arm. He injects all types of weird medicine into her, and when Olivia leaves the clinic, she feels worse than before. Eventually, Mr. Cheeseman and his three children find themselves watching Olivia fall asleep one day, never to awaken again.
Finally, the agencies feel that it is safe to get the LVR from Mr. Cheeseman, forcing him to take his kids and move from place to place, continuously change their names, barely getting out of the agencies dangerous traps. Although the children may not know the names they had at birth, they do have their smarts. What do they do with those smarts? You'll have to read it to find out.
I really like this book because it is hilarious, wonderfully put together, and keeps you entertained until the very last page.
Mr. Cheeseman has a knack for inventing things. His latest invention, a time machine called the LVR, attracts many secret agencies that are forever trying to use it for their own evil deeds. No matter what they try to bribe him with, they never get to the time machine because of his wife, Olivia.
All the agencies feel that Olivia is the only obstacle from them getting their hands on the LVR, and try to get rid of her. When she gets a mysterious illness shortly after drinking her morning coffee, she hurries to her doctor, only to find a strange man with a strange tattoo on his arm. He injects all types of weird medicine into her, and when Olivia leaves the clinic, she feels worse than before. Eventually, Mr. Cheeseman and his three children find themselves watching Olivia fall asleep one day, never to awaken again.
Finally, the agencies feel that it is safe to get the LVR from Mr. Cheeseman, forcing him to take his kids and move from place to place, continuously change their names, barely getting out of the agencies dangerous traps. Although the children may not know the names they had at birth, they do have their smarts. What do they do with those smarts? You'll have to read it to find out.
I really like this book because it is hilarious, wonderfully put together, and keeps you entertained until the very last page.
August 22, 2022
Sometimes the perfect book to read on your last day at home is a children’s book. Sometimes that book also happens to be the best book ever written.
May 18, 2011
Overall Review: Have you ever wondered what moths are thinking, always running into hot lightbulbs at night? Did you know that the fear of the number 13 has a name? Have you ever really wanted a fantastic (and super silly) recipe for Squash? Find these answers and a whole lot more Unsolicited Advice inside ‘A Whole Nother Story’! Silliness is the order of the day in this absolutely hilarious book! I was laughing before the story even started! The humor is dry and sly—it sometimes took me totally by surprise and I think I found myself laughing out loud more in this book than any other book I’ve ever read! All of the characters are funny and interesting. Mr. Cheeseman, his children (who will remain nameless since their names do change in the course of the story), their dog Pinky (who becomes psychic as a byproduct of his habit of drinking out of the toilet), and Steve (the sock puppet), are all on the run from some ‘bad guys’ who want Mr. Cheeseman’s invention: A Time Machine. The bad guys are hilarious, though! There are the guys with number names (Mr. 5, Mr. 29, Mr. 88 and Mr. 207) who have a lot of conversations about the difference between crushing, smashing, smooshing, etc. There is the international superspy with his assistant who is a minkey (monkey)—and his monkey’s pet goldfish that rides in the back seat of the car. And we can’t forget the guys with the letter names: Agents Aitch Dee and El Kyoo. Ha! There are so many other fun characters we meet along the way—especially Captain Jibby and his traveling circus sideshow, who aren’t bad guys…or are they? If you want a book that will keep you giggling, this book will not disappoint you! Lastly, there are just two more things you need to know: First, there is a cliffhanger at the end. Second, there are probably two Bengal Tigers loose somewhere in Utah…or maybe it was Vermont… Either way, you might want to be on the lookout! Overall rating is 5 out of 5 stars!
Content Review:
PROFANITY: One very mild instance
VIOLENCE: A few mild instances
SEXUAL CONTENT: None
MATURE THEMES: Mild
RECOMMENDED AGE GROUP: 9+
I knew this was going to be a great book when a character calls another character ‘stupid’, and he retorts with “Stupid is a bad word!” Great fun! The only instance of profanity was the word some pirates used to describe the circumstances of when a storm came up and lightning struck their ship 12 times. There is some violence. A character is shot in the leg. Someone is poisoned and dies. Some characters are attacked by a Tibetan Yak (they’re not hurt, though). There is a big fight at the end—a character is stabbed by a swiss army knife, another is hit in the head with a rock, yet another is hit by a truck, and one more is hit by a pole and his leg is fractured. None of them die. There is one character that ‘dies’, but it’s not actually alive in the first place. I read this out loud to my kids and we really enjoyed reading it together. They’re now begging me to read part two to them! They get most of the humor and enjoy the ‘action’, but I can tell you they’re missing a whole lot of those one liners! So, really, I can recommend this for all ages as both adults and kids will find all of it fun and engaging. Even my daughter who is very anti ‘action’ loved this book! So that tells me this is a very tame and Squeaky Clean read for ages 9+!
This review was written by Emily
A Squeaky Clean Reads Book Reviewer
For more fantastic books on review, visit us at Squeaky Clean Reads!
Content Review:
PROFANITY: One very mild instance
VIOLENCE: A few mild instances
SEXUAL CONTENT: None
MATURE THEMES: Mild
RECOMMENDED AGE GROUP: 9+
I knew this was going to be a great book when a character calls another character ‘stupid’, and he retorts with “Stupid is a bad word!” Great fun! The only instance of profanity was the word some pirates used to describe the circumstances of when a storm came up and lightning struck their ship 12 times. There is some violence. A character is shot in the leg. Someone is poisoned and dies. Some characters are attacked by a Tibetan Yak (they’re not hurt, though). There is a big fight at the end—a character is stabbed by a swiss army knife, another is hit in the head with a rock, yet another is hit by a truck, and one more is hit by a pole and his leg is fractured. None of them die. There is one character that ‘dies’, but it’s not actually alive in the first place. I read this out loud to my kids and we really enjoyed reading it together. They’re now begging me to read part two to them! They get most of the humor and enjoy the ‘action’, but I can tell you they’re missing a whole lot of those one liners! So, really, I can recommend this for all ages as both adults and kids will find all of it fun and engaging. Even my daughter who is very anti ‘action’ loved this book! So that tells me this is a very tame and Squeaky Clean read for ages 9+!
This review was written by Emily
A Squeaky Clean Reads Book Reviewer
For more fantastic books on review, visit us at Squeaky Clean Reads!
June 6, 2013
Three stars for the story itself, five stars for the smart aleck storytelling and audiobook narrator, so I averaged it out to a four. Because there is an exciting tale of intrigue and espionage starring an inventive father, his two sons and one daughter, a host of government agents and goons, and all the people they meet over the course of their adventure, but this isn't really a book based on plot and character development. No, the joy of this tale is the telling, the constant clever asides, snarky comments, witty puns and plays on language, ridiculous situations and set-ups, and cerebrally silly humor. I was most happily amused.
A few examples:
The secret government agency whose agents go by their initials, spelled out, so we get "names" like Agent Aitch Dee, Agent El Kyoo, and Agent Gee Doubleyou.
---
As the station wagon pulled back onto the highway, the sun was slowly sinking below the horizon like a leaky boat. Well, except for the fact that boats are not generally round, orange, and on fire. Hmm. Come to think of it, in no way whatsoever did the sun, in this instance, resemble a leaky boat. My apologies. That was a dreadful attempt at simile. Please allow me to try again.
As the station wagon pulled back onto the highway, the sun was slowly sinking below the horizon like a self-luminous, gaseous sphere comprised mainly of hydrogen and helium.
---
There was a time when, if you encountered someone with a tattoo, you could pretty much assume he was either a sailor or had, at one time or another, been in prison. There was something, it seemed, about men being cooped up together that made them want to draw on themselves.
---
All gifts are not created equal. Historically speaking, there are good gifts and there are bad gifts.
Good gifts: A bottle of champagne, a box of fine Belgian chocolates, the Statue of Liberty.
Bad gifts: A bottle of shampoo, a box of fine Belgian matches, the Trojan Horse.
---
If I could give you all just one word of advice, it would be . . . well, an incomplete sentence. Besides being grammatically iffy, I'm sure you'd agree that a single word of advice is rarely of much use. Even the phrase "Look out!" (which could prove to be life-saving advice--especially where large falling objects or missing manhole covers are concerned) is two words.
To simply shout out "Look!" to a friend as a tuba falls from a ninth-story window toward his unsuspecting head will, at best, only serve to make sure he gets a good look at the tuba before it parades him, unceremoniously, into the sidewalk.
And so, throughout this book, I will attempt to offer more than one word of wisdom whether you want it or not because, after all, that is what we do here at the National Center for Unsolicited Advice.
A few examples:
The secret government agency whose agents go by their initials, spelled out, so we get "names" like Agent Aitch Dee, Agent El Kyoo, and Agent Gee Doubleyou.
---
As the station wagon pulled back onto the highway, the sun was slowly sinking below the horizon like a leaky boat. Well, except for the fact that boats are not generally round, orange, and on fire. Hmm. Come to think of it, in no way whatsoever did the sun, in this instance, resemble a leaky boat. My apologies. That was a dreadful attempt at simile. Please allow me to try again.
As the station wagon pulled back onto the highway, the sun was slowly sinking below the horizon like a self-luminous, gaseous sphere comprised mainly of hydrogen and helium.
---
There was a time when, if you encountered someone with a tattoo, you could pretty much assume he was either a sailor or had, at one time or another, been in prison. There was something, it seemed, about men being cooped up together that made them want to draw on themselves.
---
All gifts are not created equal. Historically speaking, there are good gifts and there are bad gifts.
Good gifts: A bottle of champagne, a box of fine Belgian chocolates, the Statue of Liberty.
Bad gifts: A bottle of shampoo, a box of fine Belgian matches, the Trojan Horse.
---
If I could give you all just one word of advice, it would be . . . well, an incomplete sentence. Besides being grammatically iffy, I'm sure you'd agree that a single word of advice is rarely of much use. Even the phrase "Look out!" (which could prove to be life-saving advice--especially where large falling objects or missing manhole covers are concerned) is two words.
To simply shout out "Look!" to a friend as a tuba falls from a ninth-story window toward his unsuspecting head will, at best, only serve to make sure he gets a good look at the tuba before it parades him, unceremoniously, into the sidewalk.
And so, throughout this book, I will attempt to offer more than one word of wisdom whether you want it or not because, after all, that is what we do here at the National Center for Unsolicited Advice.
January 30, 2010
Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com
Mr. Cheeseman is an inventor in the process of inventing something miraculous and marvelous in all sorts of ways. However, he has to finish it first. The problem is that it would be disastrous if it was to fall into the wrong hands - and many wrong hands are after it.
Forced to flee their house using their wits and an inertia ray (a cool gadget that actually slows down one's pursuers should you need one), Mr. Cheeseman and his three clean, polite, relatively odor-free children will attempt to outrun villains, super spies, secret agents, a monkey, and government agencies that are more secret than the CIA.
With no way to make friends and always having to change their names, this misfit family will do whatever it takes to be able to help Mr. Cheeseman finish his invention and resume a normal life.
Will life ever be the same for the Cheeseman family? Will Mr. Cheeseman succeed in finishing his invention, or will evil get its hands on it? And which of their pursuers are evil - and are any of them good?
A WHOLE NOTHER STORY is a fast-paced, action-packed, entertaining adventure from cover to cover. With humorous interruptions from the book's narrator, a backtalking, funny sock puppet, and characters that will make you laugh your head off, reluctant and avid readers alike will enjoy reading this book.
Mr. Cheeseman is an inventor in the process of inventing something miraculous and marvelous in all sorts of ways. However, he has to finish it first. The problem is that it would be disastrous if it was to fall into the wrong hands - and many wrong hands are after it.
Forced to flee their house using their wits and an inertia ray (a cool gadget that actually slows down one's pursuers should you need one), Mr. Cheeseman and his three clean, polite, relatively odor-free children will attempt to outrun villains, super spies, secret agents, a monkey, and government agencies that are more secret than the CIA.
With no way to make friends and always having to change their names, this misfit family will do whatever it takes to be able to help Mr. Cheeseman finish his invention and resume a normal life.
Will life ever be the same for the Cheeseman family? Will Mr. Cheeseman succeed in finishing his invention, or will evil get its hands on it? And which of their pursuers are evil - and are any of them good?
A WHOLE NOTHER STORY is a fast-paced, action-packed, entertaining adventure from cover to cover. With humorous interruptions from the book's narrator, a backtalking, funny sock puppet, and characters that will make you laugh your head off, reluctant and avid readers alike will enjoy reading this book.
May 16, 2010
This book proves that the mania for the Lemony Snickett/Mysterious Benedict Society genre isn't dead. A Whole Nother Story is clearly keeping the world of unfortunate events alive. It is a very entertaining book full of intrigue, unusual and sometimes silly characters. A fortuneteller with short term memory loss, a tightrope walker who has vertigo, a cowboy poet, a hairless dog who can warn the family of danger approaching no matter the distance, and a one eyed sock puppet who has a mind of his own.
All these people are the everyday life of the Cheesemans who are on the run from greedy corporate gangsters, government men in suits and an international spy with a chimpanzee for a partner. The reason they are on the run is because Mr Cheeseman has or may have a time machine otherwise known as the LVR, if he can get it working, that is highly sought after by...well...everyone. As is often the case with this genre, however, the amusement is interesting but short-loved. Soon you will find yourself pining for something with a purpose or at least a meaning and that is nowhere to be found within the pages of this book. However, the younger reader will probably be entertained throughout. The writing is witty enough to hold the reader throughout, although maybe not good enough for me to read the second installment that is sure to come.
All these people are the everyday life of the Cheesemans who are on the run from greedy corporate gangsters, government men in suits and an international spy with a chimpanzee for a partner. The reason they are on the run is because Mr Cheeseman has or may have a time machine otherwise known as the LVR, if he can get it working, that is highly sought after by...well...everyone. As is often the case with this genre, however, the amusement is interesting but short-loved. Soon you will find yourself pining for something with a purpose or at least a meaning and that is nowhere to be found within the pages of this book. However, the younger reader will probably be entertained throughout. The writing is witty enough to hold the reader throughout, although maybe not good enough for me to read the second installment that is sure to come.
August 10, 2013
This is a great book for all ages. Children will not want you to put it down and the tongue in cheek humor will have adults in stitches. Good morals taught with opportunities for meaningful parent child talks. Entertaining and fast paced book 2 in a series. I did not read book 1 but picked up ongoing plot easily and enjoyed it enough that I will likely read more in series. Young adults will get a kick out of it.
May 4, 2018
This book is one of the silliest and goofiest books I have ever read. There is never a dull moment, I always wanted to keep on reading. The main characters in the story changed their names about halfway through the book and they only reference them as that name throughout the rest of the book. There are two more books in the series, and I just can't wait to read them.
March 22, 2025
Another book for my school’s Battle of the Books competition! At first I wasn’t so sure about this one and the characters were confusing at times, but in the end I liked it and want to read the next one to see what happens!
February 6, 2022
I remember liking it, but not enough to get sucked into reading the sequels.
May 18, 2023
lowkey still makes me laugh even after 10+ years
2023 popsugar reading challenge: A book you read more than 10 years ago
2023 popsugar reading challenge: A book you read more than 10 years ago
August 24, 2010
(3rd grade +) This zany story is a fast-paced read, loaded with funny characters. I love that this family, composed of an inventor father; a teenage boy; a twelve-year old girl; an 8 year-old boy with a sock puppet named Steve; and a bald, psychic fox terrier named Pinky, is so supportive of their dad and of each other, despite their individual quirkiness. Ethan Cheeseman, the father, has nearly completed a time travel machine, which several entities want. The family is pursued by a cast of characters: government agents identified by numbers; corporate bad guys IDed by letter names; and an obese foreign agent with a chimp as a partner. Added to this mix is a band of kooky circus performers. Interspersed throughout are bits of advice by Dr. Soup, the narrator, such as "Advice on dealing with Triskaidekaphobia." This is the first story in a new series, but the story ends satisfactorily. I think this story could be enjoyed by children as young as second grade if read with an adult, as some parts of the story might be a little scary for kids this young. Also, the word plays, made-up words, sophisticated vocabulary and humor makes this a fun story for all.
January 7, 2012
This is a wonderfully entertaining children's novel. A father and his three children are on the run, staying ahead of corporate villains, secret government agents, and international superspies, all bent on getting their hands on his latest invention. With humor along the lines of Dave Barry, Douglas Adams, and (Brandon Sanderson's) Alcatraz series, it is often hilarious with off-the-wall narrative and side-commentary ("unsolicited advice").
Aside from the humor, I love the family relationships. The three siblings bicker and tease, but they also stand up for and support each other. Their individual quirks are even endearing to one another. The father, while usually preoccupied, is always loving and protective. This is a family that sticks together. At times it grows sentimental as they remember their lovely late wife/mother. In addition to these, I enjoy the bizarre but friendly vagabonds they encounter along the way. They all have some kind of odd difficulty, which the family is happily able to alleviate.
Written for grade-school age children, this little book can be enjoyable for adults as well.
Aside from the humor, I love the family relationships. The three siblings bicker and tease, but they also stand up for and support each other. Their individual quirks are even endearing to one another. The father, while usually preoccupied, is always loving and protective. This is a family that sticks together. At times it grows sentimental as they remember their lovely late wife/mother. In addition to these, I enjoy the bizarre but friendly vagabonds they encounter along the way. They all have some kind of odd difficulty, which the family is happily able to alleviate.
Written for grade-school age children, this little book can be enjoyable for adults as well.
February 25, 2019
Language - G, Sexual Content - G; Violence - PG
Mr. Cheeseman and his three kids have to pack up everything and move in the middle of the night, again. They have been running away from secret agents for a couple of years now. The secret agents are after the LVR, a time machine that Mr. Cheeseman has almost finished. Leaving their house, furniture, and friends has two upsides: the three children get to choose new names and they get to camp out. Unfortunately, their pursuers are on their heels.
The narrator of this story makes a lot of comments every other chapter. These interruptions usually bug me enough to drop the book like a hot potato, but this narrator was hilarious! I almost read the whole book to my sister just reading the funny bits and we both laughed our lungs out. Dr. Cuthbert Soup is a genius with his dialogue, too. Three henchman of Mr. 5 were constantly debating the same topic through out the whole book and that made it all the more amusing. If you do not enjoy laughing, do not read this outstanding book.
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/
Mr. Cheeseman and his three kids have to pack up everything and move in the middle of the night, again. They have been running away from secret agents for a couple of years now. The secret agents are after the LVR, a time machine that Mr. Cheeseman has almost finished. Leaving their house, furniture, and friends has two upsides: the three children get to choose new names and they get to camp out. Unfortunately, their pursuers are on their heels.
The narrator of this story makes a lot of comments every other chapter. These interruptions usually bug me enough to drop the book like a hot potato, but this narrator was hilarious! I almost read the whole book to my sister just reading the funny bits and we both laughed our lungs out. Dr. Cuthbert Soup is a genius with his dialogue, too. Three henchman of Mr. 5 were constantly debating the same topic through out the whole book and that made it all the more amusing. If you do not enjoy laughing, do not read this outstanding book.
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/
October 26, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
Time flies...Right? Review of A Whole Nother Story by Dr. Cuthbert Soup
Do you like time machines? Villains? Families on the run? Hilarious jokes? Psychic hairless fox terriers named Pinky? Well, then this is the book for you. Jump into a land where Ethan Cheeseman and his three smart, polite, attractive, and relatively odor free children are in a race against evil henchmen, secret governmental agents, and international superspies to fix their super secret time machine and save Ethan’s wife, who died from an unknown illness.
This action packed book is also filled with laugh out loud jokes that make the entire book very funny. The book can get annoying because the characters change their names often and then you have to get used to it. But most of that is made up for by the hilarious advice pages at the end of almost every chapter, written from the author’s perspective. The genres are comedy and humor, mystery and suspense, fantasy. I rate this book 9.999/10.
-Jack
Time flies...Right? Review of A Whole Nother Story by Dr. Cuthbert Soup
Do you like time machines? Villains? Families on the run? Hilarious jokes? Psychic hairless fox terriers named Pinky? Well, then this is the book for you. Jump into a land where Ethan Cheeseman and his three smart, polite, attractive, and relatively odor free children are in a race against evil henchmen, secret governmental agents, and international superspies to fix their super secret time machine and save Ethan’s wife, who died from an unknown illness.
This action packed book is also filled with laugh out loud jokes that make the entire book very funny. The book can get annoying because the characters change their names often and then you have to get used to it. But most of that is made up for by the hilarious advice pages at the end of almost every chapter, written from the author’s perspective. The genres are comedy and humor, mystery and suspense, fantasy. I rate this book 9.999/10.
-Jack
January 30, 2010
This is a very entertaining book filled with intriguing, unusual and sometimes delightfully silly characters. A fortuneteller with short term memory loss, a cowboy poet who rhymes too much, a tightrope walker who has vertigo, a hairless dog who can warn the family of danger approaching from miles away and a one eyed sock puppet who has a mind of his own, are just some of the characters who energize these pages. All these and more are a part of the everyday life of the Cheeseman family on the run from greedy corporate gangsters, government men in suits and an international spy with a chimpanzee for a partner. Why on the run? Well, Mr Cheeseman has or may have a time machine, if he can get it working, that is highly sought after by almost everyone. Add to this the invaluable, unsolicited advice, freely interspersed throughout the book at no extra charge by the author and you have a real winner.
June 26, 2010
This is a fun "summer read". Meaning it is just a fun book to read for pure enjoyment.
The story is told with a wry sense of humor reminicent of Lemony Snicket, but with less biting wit and irony.
The story of three children escaping from dangerous people hot on their tail, but they do have their father who is also part of the escape plot. Along the way they meet some interesting characters and have to think fast and improvise ways to elude their would-be captors.
Despite the plot overview this is not really a blatant rip-off or the Unfortunate Events books. It has a charm of its own and is much less dark than the Snicket series.
It is just fun to read and enjoy and the similarities seem to fade away and don't really detract.
The story is told with a wry sense of humor reminicent of Lemony Snicket, but with less biting wit and irony.
The story of three children escaping from dangerous people hot on their tail, but they do have their father who is also part of the escape plot. Along the way they meet some interesting characters and have to think fast and improvise ways to elude their would-be captors.
Despite the plot overview this is not really a blatant rip-off or the Unfortunate Events books. It has a charm of its own and is much less dark than the Snicket series.
It is just fun to read and enjoy and the similarities seem to fade away and don't really detract.
March 17, 2013
A child's book appropriate for children, parents reading to children, teens, adults without children, grandparents, great-grandparents reading aloud to a blind partner, and sentient sock puppets. It's laugh-aloud funny, and like good animated family movies contains jokes just for the adults. Just read it.
February 9, 2010
Fun little book. Kids who have a quirky sense of humor will like this one. There's a bit of mystery, lots of bad guys, and tons of humor. My favorite character may very well have been Steve, the sock puppet. :D
September 9, 2016
Listened on audio. Or tried to listen! Couldn't really follow story line and/or characters. Just didn't grab me. Maybe too silly and/or strange. I could see some kids liking the weirdness of it all!
May 16, 2010
This book was very funny but it could've had a little more action.
September 11, 2010
Couldn't take it... Gave up before chapter 3.
June 7, 2012
Very silly. I read it out loud to my family while driving. Takes a minute to get into his humor, but I giggled plenty.
May 24, 2013
meh.
June 16, 2017
Me actually finished it. It became frustrating and difficult to follow. Me kept struggling along but finally stopped on page #104. Maybe me will try again at a later time. so me no finished it!
August 17, 2020
So fun and light hearted! Definitely made me laugh. If you’re wanting a complex plot and serious delving into the plot this is not the book for you. This is just funny and joyful.
April 11, 2018
Absurd, whimsical, weird and exasperating the way only family can be, this novel follows the travels of three Baudelaire-like children and their indulgent, easy-going father. Their mother died under not-so-mysterious circumstances and goonish, ridiculous and sinister people are tracking them in order to get their hands on a time machine, one with the bizarre, pseudo-scientific nomenclature of Luminal Velocity Regulator or LVR for short.
The children are your typical bickering siblings with odd little quirks that they will outgrow (hopefully). They can be resourceful in a crisis but most of the time we have to deal with nonsense like Crandall’s stubborn insistence on talking through a sock puppet that he insists is alive (the funeral scene is both touching and annoying), his carting about of a disgusting wad of gum, Barton’s problems with blurting and Saffron’s over-meticulous hair combing. At times, all three of the children can be whining, moody, argumentative and mean. It gives them the feeling of realism; after all, aren’t a lot of families like them?
The story about the time machine is almost secondary; for most of the book Mr. Cheeseman can’t get it to work because he doesn’t have the entire code necessary to make it function. But the machine forms the basis for their predicament as various bumbling henchmen with silly names like Aitch Dee, Mr. 88, et al., and Leon, a talking monkey, give chase in order to get their hands on it.
The book also gives us oddball characters that the Cheesemans encounter on their desperate flight. They’re not simply one-off beings meant to add color and variety. They form important parts of the plot, especially the members of Jibby’s traveling circus. There are also intersections of random pieces of advice or backstory. I thought the book could have worked without them but they don’t detract too much from the main storyline.
The story diverts, teases and pulls you in along with the Cheesemans as you root for them to succeed. It ends on a cliffhanger as the LVR finally manages to work, taking the entire family with it, sock puppet and all. But that’s a whole nother story.
The children are your typical bickering siblings with odd little quirks that they will outgrow (hopefully). They can be resourceful in a crisis but most of the time we have to deal with nonsense like Crandall’s stubborn insistence on talking through a sock puppet that he insists is alive (the funeral scene is both touching and annoying), his carting about of a disgusting wad of gum, Barton’s problems with blurting and Saffron’s over-meticulous hair combing. At times, all three of the children can be whining, moody, argumentative and mean. It gives them the feeling of realism; after all, aren’t a lot of families like them?
The story about the time machine is almost secondary; for most of the book Mr. Cheeseman can’t get it to work because he doesn’t have the entire code necessary to make it function. But the machine forms the basis for their predicament as various bumbling henchmen with silly names like Aitch Dee, Mr. 88, et al., and Leon, a talking monkey, give chase in order to get their hands on it.
The book also gives us oddball characters that the Cheesemans encounter on their desperate flight. They’re not simply one-off beings meant to add color and variety. They form important parts of the plot, especially the members of Jibby’s traveling circus. There are also intersections of random pieces of advice or backstory. I thought the book could have worked without them but they don’t detract too much from the main storyline.
The story diverts, teases and pulls you in along with the Cheesemans as you root for them to succeed. It ends on a cliffhanger as the LVR finally manages to work, taking the entire family with it, sock puppet and all. But that’s a whole nother story.
June 27, 2017
A psychic, hairless dog, top secret government agents, various members of a traveling circus...with characters like that I just had to read it. Figured it would be a whopper of a tale, and I was right.
The Cheeseman family seems to constantly be on the run. Trying to stay ahead of the government agents, international super spies and corporate villains who are all after the LVR that Mr. Cheeseman has invented. The LVR is a time travel machine that should work once Mr. Cheeseman remembers the secret code needed to turn it on.
Mr. Ethan Cheeseman (the father) and his two boys and one girl light in a town in hopes of having time to remember the code, but find that their trackers are hot on their tails and so the Cheesemans have to pack and run. One thing that helps keep them just ahead is their psychic, hairless dog Pinky. She has the ability to sniff evil and will growl when it is near. Sort of a natural alarm.
When they are forced to pack and run the find themselves meeting up with some unique characters. The traveling circus with a strong man, a man with the name of Three Eyes, the leader named Jibby who has a Swiss army knife in place of a hand, Jake the sword swallower, and a few more. Then the later meet up with the poetry writing cowboy. Helping each other with problems, they all develop a friendship and promise to meet up again.
There is also advice given by Dr. Cuthbert Soup as he is an expert on advice giving. This is a fast paced and funny book rated for 8 and up, but adults can get some giggle time out of it too.
I didn't list the children's names as they change them each time the family has to pack and run. I can tell you that they are attractive, polite and relatively odor-free children. Also pretty smart and resourceful!
The Cheeseman family seems to constantly be on the run. Trying to stay ahead of the government agents, international super spies and corporate villains who are all after the LVR that Mr. Cheeseman has invented. The LVR is a time travel machine that should work once Mr. Cheeseman remembers the secret code needed to turn it on.
Mr. Ethan Cheeseman (the father) and his two boys and one girl light in a town in hopes of having time to remember the code, but find that their trackers are hot on their tails and so the Cheesemans have to pack and run. One thing that helps keep them just ahead is their psychic, hairless dog Pinky. She has the ability to sniff evil and will growl when it is near. Sort of a natural alarm.
When they are forced to pack and run the find themselves meeting up with some unique characters. The traveling circus with a strong man, a man with the name of Three Eyes, the leader named Jibby who has a Swiss army knife in place of a hand, Jake the sword swallower, and a few more. Then the later meet up with the poetry writing cowboy. Helping each other with problems, they all develop a friendship and promise to meet up again.
There is also advice given by Dr. Cuthbert Soup as he is an expert on advice giving. This is a fast paced and funny book rated for 8 and up, but adults can get some giggle time out of it too.
I didn't list the children's names as they change them each time the family has to pack and run. I can tell you that they are attractive, polite and relatively odor-free children. Also pretty smart and resourceful!
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