Elvis, the Turnip, and Me (The Zack Files #14) [Paperback]

Dan Greenburg (Author), Jack E. Davis (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

Late one night when Zack hears strains of "Heartbreak Hotel" coming from the fridge, he discovers the possibility that Elvis lives on...as a turnip! Talk about getting back to musical roots!

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap (November 9, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0448417499
• ISBN-13: 978-0448417493
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,176,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Amusing Series, August 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Elvis, the Turnip, and Me (The Zack Files #14) (Paperback)

This is the first "Zack Files" book I read to my last class of third graders. I have never experienced such excitement for a book series! They loved Zack, and we read about 6 of the books throughout the year. This is my favorite, being that I love music. I actually got the giggles, and had to put the book down to regain my composure! Very silly and fun; I can't vouch for all of the books, but I would recommend checking some of them out for some quick, amusing reading for kids.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A little less conversation. A little more action., September 25, 2005

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Elvis, the Turnip, and Me (The Zack Files #14) (Paperback)

I had always meant to get around to reading a selection from the "Zack Files" oeuvre, but somehow the inclination never seemed to strike me. As a children's librarian, I'd watch the kids greedily snap up all the new "Zack Files" paperbacks I'd purchased for the library like they were some kind of surrealistic popcorn. It wasn't until I found myself processing one of these books that I allowed my eyes to fall on the title. "Elvis the Turnip and Me". Huh. On the cover our hero Zack holds a turnip that bears a striking resemblance to The King. I was amused. I was intrigued. So, sensing that if I was ever going to read a review a "Zack File" this would have to be the one, I plucked the book up. The reading took roughly fifteen minutes. Twenty tops. At the end I realized (as reviewers prior to myself have already done) that this isn't a very plot-heavy book exactly but it does indeed do what it set out to. It amuses. And sometimes in the world of children's paperback series, that's more than anybody could ask.

Zack wakes up one night to nip a nighttime snack from the kitchen. He father, much to his chagrin, has recently begun a kind of health-food craze within the family and as a result our hero is desperate for junk food of any kind. On opening the fridge door to get some pop, there's no mistaking the sound coming from he vegetable bin. Something is singing "You Ain't Nothin' But a Hound Dog" in there. Zack's quick to discover that the singer is a turnip. A turnip named Elvis that knows all kinds of songs but doesn't crave the spotlight. Zack's eager to show Elvis the sights of New York, but in their travels they attract the attention of a nefarious Elvis collector. A man who will stop at nothing to procure his very own vegetable King. Nothing.

Archly conservative parents that disapprove of the notion of reincarnation, no matter how silly, can lay their little hearts to rest. The turnip, as it happens, is not Elvis redux. He's just a turnip who happens to sound and look and act like The King. No biggie. The plot, as such, ain't much. There is a brief bout of veggie-napping, but it's over within, literally, two pages. There's also a rather bizarre meeting with David Letterman that suggests (oddly) that the people who appear on his show are paid large amounts of money. I bet Mr. Letterman would be delighted to hear that.

Charm can carry you quite a ways, and in this "Elvis the Turnip and Me" has it in spades. Unfortunately it's not enough. This is a fun book in a fun series but nobody could get away with believing that this is great literature. All in all, amusing without ever making a whole lotta sense.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Teacher's Grade: C+, September 23, 2005

By 

N. Bilmes "bookaholic" (Vernon, CT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Elvis, the Turnip, and Me (The Zack Files #14) (Paperback)

This was another fun and quirky adventure for Zack and his dad as Zack encounters a talking turnip named Elvis. There's not much of a plot in this outing, and Zack is never in peril of any kind so the suspense is kind of thin. Overall, this was one of the more amusing Zack books but also one of the least satisfying.

I'm a 2nd grade teacher and have read this entire series, but won't be steering my class toward this one. Most kids I work with aren't Elvis fans and won't get much of the humor.