The Big Bazoohley [Hardcover]

Peter Carey (Author), Abira Ali (Illustrator) (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1995 | Age Level: 9 and up

"This novel is so full of pleasures that readers, along with the characters, receive a swell payoff--start to finish, it’s one Big Bazoohley of a book." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A mansion that can be entered only from a disguised door on a subway platform; impossibly detailed paintings that can fit inside a matchbox; an opulent hotel filled with snooty guests; a squadron of fiendishly well-kempt children competing for the title of Perfecto Kiddo-the Booker Prize-winning author of Oscar and Lucinda stuffs his first children's book with a lavish complement of elements that, while improbable, are so enticing or so funny that readers will wish they were true. At the center of this outlandish world is one Sam Kellow, an Everyboy whose sheer normalcy provides ample ballast for the eccentricities of the plot. He and his parents have flown to Toronto on a mission: Sam's artist mother will deliver one of the aforesaid miniatures to a tycoon at the aforesaid mansion and collect her pay-what Sam's high-rolling father calls "the Big Bazoohley" ("which meant the Big Win, the Big Prize, the Jackpot"). But the Kellows can't find the entrance, and they are down to their last few dollars. Seeking a way to raise some quick money, Sam is essentially kidnapped by the lunatic parents of a kid with chicken pox, who groom Sam within an inch of his life and enter him under their son's name in the Perfecto Kiddo contest (grand prize: $10,000). They plan to pocket the winnings; Sam, of course, has his own ideas. Carey combines daring exaggeration with cozily wrought details for an exquisitely balanced comedy. He lampoons the familiar and dreams up delectable satires. One of the Perfecto Kiddo contest events, for example, involves eating four-foot-long strands of spaghetti in tomato sauce; points are deducted for every drop that gets splattered. We know all along that Sam will win the contest and get the loot, and that his parents will hook up with the missing zillionaire-the urgency here is generated not by suspense about the outcome but by the strength of the reader's desire for a happy ending. This novel is so full of pleasures that readers, along with the characters, receive a swell payoff-start to finish, it's one Big Bazoohley of a book. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5?Nine-year-old Sam Kellow is off in search of the Big Bazoohley?the grand prize that his gambler father promises will come along when they need it the most. Since the buyer for his mother's latest painting has disappeared, his father has no immediate prospects for making money, and Sam knows that they are down to their last $53.20, the boy slips out of their swank Toronto hotel room to find a solution. He hasn't gotten very far when he is kidnapped by a very strange couple who decide to groom him as an emergency substitute for their own son, who is in bed with chicken pox just when he's due to enter, and hopefully win, the Perfect Kiddo contest, for a part in a commercial and a check for $10,000. Sam is a very clever youngster, and it doesn't take him long to figure out how to turn the situation into the solution he was hoping to find. Along the way there are plenty of laughs and surprises and an ending that pulls it all together. This is a breezy contemporary adventure with a touch of fantasy. Readers will delight in Sam's adventures, empathize with his difficult situations, and cheer for his triumphs.?Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy,
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 135 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (September 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805038558
• ISBN-13: 978-0805038552
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,001,170 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A children's book just as quirky and unique as they come!, December 28, 1998

By 

Margaret Fiore - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Big Bazoohley (Mass Market Paperback)

This kid needs more than ordinary luck to get himself and his parents out of a tight spot, but he isn't just going for a fix for the situation; he's shooting for the Big Bazoohley!

A book about guts and glory. A childhood adventure with a touch of magic.

Peter Carey brings his originality and poetic vision to a children's book with all the success he has had in adult prose. I loved it!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NOT the typical little kids' book!, June 28, 2007

By 

*.~angelacia~.* (san diego) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Bazoohley (Faber Childrens Classics) (Paperback)

I read this book when I was maybe 7 and thoguht it was really good...and now that I read it 8 yrs later I still love it! This book plays out so strangely. It's like a dream. You have to read it!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Big Bazoohley, November 13, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Big Bazoohley (Mass Market Paperback)

Do you like taking matters into your own hands, well if you do listen to this.
Ok theres a book I've been reading called The Big Bazoohley by Peter Carey.Its about a nine year old boy Sam.Sam's mom dad and of course him were down to there last twenty three dollars and fourty cents.So his family all went to a small town to see if they could make some money.Sam's Dad is a big gambler and his mom paints and sells art the size of match boxes but worth big bucks Sam was worried cause his big shot dad took his family to a huge hotel with a casino,buffet, and huge rooms.
The hotel was asking ....a night.Don't foreget they were broke, but sams mom was selling a .... piece of art so they supposed if she sold it theyed be able to pay rent.But it didn't work out how they thought,Sams mom didn't get the money and his dad was afraid to lose any more money by gambling it away.So Sam decided to go on a voyage for the thing his dad called the big Bazoohley.
I liked this story because a little boy thats 9 years old boy is going out to help his family.
I recommend this book to any body because it's usually hard for me to get into a book but I liked this one from the first chapter.