Escape of the Mini-Mummy (Who Shrunk Daniel Funk?) [Paperback]

Lin Oliver (Author), Stephen Gilpin (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Who Shrunk Daniel Funk?

Daniel Funk always wanted a brother, but he’s got three sisters instead. Until he shrinks to the size of a toe—and discovers Pablo, his twin brother who’s always that small! Together, they have mountains of tiny-size fun. In Attack of the Growling Eyeballs, they release a hissing cockroach at one of their sister’s slumber party and learn that tiny-size trouble can cause mega-size danger. In Escape of the Mini-Mummy, Daniel enters the school diorama contest against Vince the Pizza Prince. Pablo comes along, disguised as a toilet-papered mummy. Can Pablo help Daniel win big, or will he create big-time Egyptian chaos?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3–6—In this follow-up to Attack of the Growling Eyeballs (S & S, 2008), sixth-grader Daniel Funk must create a diorama for history class. He and his friend Vu decide to make an Egyptian tomb complete with mummy. Later, Daniel and his twin, Pablo, who is the size of a toe, decide that if they wrap Pablo up in toilet paper, he would make a more realistic mummy than one of his LEGO® people. Of course, the project does not go smoothly and in the process Daniel shrinks several times, always at the worst moment, and for reasons that they have yet to figure out. Was it the cinnamon he ate or the chemicals he ran through? Obviously, it's a mystery to be solved in future adventures. The writing is fast paced, with some of it really funny and other times more on the order of fourth-grade bathroom humor. One joke that is repeated too often has to do with confusion over the word "diorama," thought to be "diarrhea." Daniel does win the diorama contest, not because his entry is better, but because Pablo plays a somewhat mean trick on his competition. Readers are led to believe that this is justified because the other boy is a bully. One or two pen-and-ink illustrations appear in each chapter. Additional.—Elaine Lesh Morgan, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Lin Oliver is the author of the Who Shrunk Daniel Funk series, and the co-author, with Henry Winkler, of the bestselling Hank Zipzer series. She is a writer and producer of movies, books, and television series for children and families. The co-founder and executive director of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, she lives in Los Angeles with her husband and sons. Visit her at linoliver.com.

Stephen Gilpin graduated from the NYC School of Visual Arts where he studied painting and cartooning. He is the illustrator of the Who Shrunk Daniel Funk series and The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy series. Stephen currently lives in Hiawatha, KS. Visit him at sgilpin.com.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition (June 23, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416909605
• ISBN-13: 978-1416909606
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #180,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever and fun!, October 13, 2008

By 

H. Woodbury "heartful_home" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Escape of the Mini-Mummy (Who Shrunk Daniel Funk?) (Hardcover)

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From start to finish this book is sure to please children. From young readers to teen readers, they'll all crack up at the jokes posed throughout.

It's great for reluctant readers who need a book to really pull them in, and not too long to tire them out. On a level a step or two above Magic Treehouse--more like Beverly Cleary's books or Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing.

Even as a mother of 4, I read this book myself and giggled through the whole thing. The worse swear word is "Holy Macaroni" and there isn't any offensive content, except possibly a little too much harshness towards his sisters. And even that, is written in a way that should not be offensive to girls, since the main character himself is so clearly flawed. The author really captured the tween/teen boy's attitude.

The plot isn't anything grand, but I gave the book 5 stars for how clever it was, written completely 'in character', how appealing to the age group, and even sprinkling some interesting historical and other silly facts within. Kids might actually learn something. My tween girl and teen boys will all love it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Written at the right level for the age, October 9, 2008

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KindlePad (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Escape of the Mini-Mummy (Who Shrunk Daniel Funk?) (Hardcover)

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I have to admit, when I leafed thru this book I thought "meh" but when I gave it to my 11 year old daughter she cackled & laughed with delight in the back seat as she read it. Daniel Funk can shrink down to a very small size and thus embarks on a series of adventures. This one is about the escape of a Mummy and while its not the first book in the series, you don't really need to read them in order.

There is a certain amount of potty humor, which seems to be all the rage in pre-teen books these days (captain underpants, etc.) but I suppose that is an acceptable trade off to get kids to kids rather than watch tv or play video games.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read for a 11yr old boy, January 15, 2011

By 

MrsMonday (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Escape of the Mini-Mummy (Who Shrunk Daniel Funk?) (Hardcover)

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My 6th grade son had to read a book during the holiday break and finding books for him to read is tough because he's so picky. This book I thought he would like since he and the character are much alike...

He enjoyed Daniel Funk and asked for more books with this character so must have been a hit.
The comments and story of Daniel is one my son can relate to in school and every day life. He himself just completed a diorama and could totally relate on that topic! So much pressure to out beat everyone in his class. With the help from his brother Pablo, Daniel tries to win the diorama competition. Every now and then I heard my son giggle and laugh as he read this book. He would recommend to boys ages 10-12.