A Flying Birthday Cake? (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)) [Library Binding]

Louis Sachar (Author), Amy Wummer (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 26, 1999 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: A Stepping Stone Book(TM) (Book 6)

Marvin and Stuart get to sleep over at Nick Tuffle’s house for Nick’s birthday. They set out sleeping bags in the Tuffles’ backyard. Stuart and Nick fall right to sleep, but Marvin tosses and turns. Then he hears a noise, and something glowing zooms over his head. Is it really a flying birthday cake? Or something else? The next day, a very strange new kid shows up at school. . . .


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Louis Sachar is one of the few masters of American fiction' Independent on Sunday Praise for 'Holes': 'Magic and hard realism come crashing together. This is an extraordinary and unconventional novel' Observer 'An exceptionally good novel' Sunday Times Praise for 'Sideways Stories from Wayside School': 'Thirty clever, fast-moving stories that describe the bizarre events at Wayside School ... each story is refreshingly different' Guardian --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Louis Sachar is the author of the international bestseller and award-winning Holes, now a feature film. All of Louis's books for children have been published in the UK by Bloomsbury. These also include Stanley Yelnats' Survival Guide to Camp Greenlake, Dogs Don't Tell Jokes, There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom, The Boy Who Lost His Face, Pig City, Someday Angeline and the Wayside School books. Louis Sachar lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, daughter and two dogs. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Library Binding: 96 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers; Library edition edition (October 26, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679990003
• ISBN-13: 978-0679990000
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.5 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,617,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

author spotlight
Newbery Award-winning author Louis Sachar is the creator of the entertaining Marvin Redpost books as well as the much-loved There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom, winner of 17 child-voted state awards.

Louis Sachar's book Holes, winner of the 1999 Newbery Medal, the National Book Award, and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, is also an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, an ALA Quick Pick, an ALA Notable Book, and was made into a major motion picture.

A Few Words From Louis Sachar
Of all the characters from Holes, why did you choose to revisit Armpit in SMALL STEPS?
LS: I tend to write about underdogs. It seemed to me that life would be tough for an African-American teenager from a low-income family with a criminal record. Especially someone stuck with the name, "Armpit."
Although this new book is about a character from Holes, the two books are very different. How would you explain to a fan of Holes what to expect from SMALL STEPS?
LS: I can't. I'm no good at describing my books. Holes has been out now for seven years, and I still can't come up with a good answer when asked what that book is about.
Could you imagine future novels about any of the other boys?
Do you think about what Stanley is up to now?
LS: I don't think too much about Stanley or Zero. I left them in a good place. Although money doesn't bring happiness, or give meaning to someone's life, the problems Stanley and Zero face now (and I'm sure they do face many problems) are less interesting than those faced by someone like Armpit.
Plenty of teenagers fantasize about what it would be like to be a young rock star.
You portray it as lonely. Tell us about that decision.
LS: The media tends to portray the teenage world as one where drinking and sex is taken for granted. In fact, I think most teenagers don't drink, are unsure of themselves, and feel awkward around members of the opposite sex. I thought it was important to show Kaira, a rock star no less, as such a person. Her situation, in many ways, is made more difficult as she has no social contact with anyone her age. She is trapped in a world of agents, record producers, and hanger-ons.
I'm imagining that off all the books you've written, Holes is the one that has changed your life the most. Not only did it win the Newbery Medal, it's also simply a popular sensation. Is this assessment accurate? What is this novel's continuing impact on your life? Would you consider it the book that you are proudest of?
LS: Not counting Small Steps, I think Holes is my best book, in terms of plot, and setting, and the way the story revealed itself. It hasn't changed my life, other than that I have more money than I did before I wrote it. I'm still too close to Small Steps to compare it to Holes.
Why do you typically write only two hours each day?
LS: Small steps. Every time I start a new novel it seems like an impossible undertaking. If I tried to do too much too quickly, I would get lost and feel overwhelmed. I have to go slow, and give things a chance to take form and grow.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Was that a flying saucer Marvin saw?, April 14, 2000

By 

Peggy Jo Skill (Puyallup, Washington) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flying Birthday Cake? (Marvin Redpost 6, paper) (Paperback)

What makes this a standout even among the Marvin Redpost series is the subtlety. As usual, Marvin is faced with a puzzling reality, in this case a new boy at school who never changes his clothes and who has serious glitches in his knowledge base. And, as usual, Marvin is faced with a moral dilemma, in this case: should he be friends with this misfit whom he discovers he actually likes? Marvin, never speculates that this boy could be from outer space, but the reader certainly does. In the end we are left wondering, is he, or isn't he?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific series for beginning readers, July 7, 2004

By 

audrey (white mtns) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Flying Birthday Cake? (Marvin Redpost 6, paper) (Paperback)

Marvin Redpost is a third grader whose friends don't like the new kid in school, Joe Normal, but he finds that Joe is friendly and fun. What should he do? The dialogue is funny, and even though the text is easy enough to be enjoyed by beginning readers the concepts of friendship and family are not too simplistic.

We found this fun book at a garage sale, and based on the interesting characters and fun plot, we will get more of this series.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed by the Title, August 14, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Flying Birthday Cake? (Marvin Redpost 6, paper) (Paperback)

I liked the book and I don't want to tell you what happens, but The Flying Birthday Cake has nothing to do with a flying birthday cake! If you are expecting a birthday cake to fly, you might be a little disappointed like I was.