Good, the Bad and the Goofy [Paperback]

Jon Scieszka (Author), Lane Smith (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 29, 1993

Once again Joe's Book works its warped magic on Joe and his friends as the Time Warp Trio zoom back in time to 1868 and the days of the wild west. Stampeded by cows while being cowboys, they wonder if it would be better to be Indians.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The third field trip of the Time Warp Trio lands them in the heart of the Old West. Far from enjoying the pulsating adventure of TV westerns, however, Fred, Sam and Joe suffer the dust-choked, mosquito-infested monotony of a cattle drive--until the Indians show up. Once again the threesome utilizes a bit of 20th-century cunning to save their hides and outwit their opponents. Scieszka's zany sarcasm sets a lively pace and offers up subtle parodies of popular western stereotypes. (This time, the Indians get to be the good guys.) Despite some clever wordplay, the story lacks the inventiveness and high-pitched excitement of the trio's previous adventures. Nonetheless, these collaborators' fans will no doubt gobble up this latest time-travel installment as they eagerly await the next one. Smith's black-and-white illustrations possess his characteristic brio--a double-page spread of a cattle stampede is particularly flashy. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5-- This third book in the series moves at the same breakneck pace set in Knights of the Kitchen Table and The Not-So-Jolly Roger (both Viking, 1991). The title of the new book brings back memories of the classic ``Spaghetti Western,'' The Good, the Bad , and the Ugly . There are similarities beyond the titles. Scieszka's book also includes an ample dose of humor, a lively pace, and on-target dialogue. A spell, accidentally cast, transports Joe, Fred, and Sam back to the Chisholm Trail of 1868. > They narrowly escape two stampedes, a flash flood, being scalped by Cheyenne braves, and a charge of the Seventh Cavalry lead by Lieutenant (soon to be General) Custer. Sam's knowledge, `` `magic . . . picked up in a book,' '' and a Time Freezer spell save the day and return the trio to the present. Smith's typically zany pencil and charcoal drawings heighten the drama and enhance the wacky mood of the story. It seems that while Joe's magic book remains in the possession of the Time Warp Trio, wild adventures are bound to reoccur and please readers. Great fun!-- Gale W. Sherman, Pocatello Public Library, ID
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Puffin Books (July 29, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140363998
• ISBN-13: 978-0140363999
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,942,431 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jon Scieszka was born in Flint, Michigan on September 8th, 1954. He grew up with five brothers, has the same birthday as Peter Sellers and the Virgin Mary, and a sneaking suspicion that the characters in his Dick and Jane reader were not of this world. Those plain facts, plus his elementary school principal dad, Louis, his registered nurse mom, Shirley (who once took Jon's Cub Scout den on a field trip to the prenatal ward), Mad Magazine, four years of pre-med undergrad, "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show", an M.F.A. in Fiction from Columbia University, Robert Benchley, five years of painting apartments in New York City, his lovely wife Jeri Hansen who introduced him to Molly Leach and Lane Smith, Green Eggs and Ham, his teenage daughter Casey and almost teenage son Jake, ten years of teaching a little bit of everything from first grade to eighth grade, and the last twenty years of living in Brooklyn...are just some of Jon's answers to the questions, "Where do you get your ideas?" and/or "How did you become a writer?" I don't know, just because, none of your beeswax, and flapdoodle poppycock and balderdash are some more of Jon's answers to questions you can imagine on your own. Jon met up with Lane Smith around 1986 or so, and nothing has been the same since. Their first book, the wiseguy fairy tale retelling, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! was initially rejected by most publishers as "too weird" and "too sophisticated". Published by Viking in 1989, The True Story has now sold over a million copies, been translated into ten languages, and been called a "classic picture book for all ages". Jon and Lane's The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (1992) took the world of the picture book a few steps further. Goofing with the conventions of fairy tales and even being a book, The Stinky Cheese Man became a household word, sold another mess of copies in multiple languages, offended a few purists, and still managed to win a Caldecott Honor medal. Math Curse (1995) further stretched the notion of what subjects make good picture books, selling more books faster than either 3 Little Pigs or Stinky Cheese, and winning a whole slew of awards --all for a book full of mathematics.More recently, Jon and Lane have resurrected fables (in the smart, funny, and a little bit wicked way Aesop would have wanted them) in their latest collaboration, Squids Will Be Squids (1998). No telling where they might take the picture book next. Someone once wrote, "Jon Scieszka has forever changed the face of children's literature." And while there is still some confusion over exactly who that someone was, and whether children's literature does, in fact, have a face, most would agree-from The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! to Squids Will Be Squids, since Scieszka put pen to paper, children's literature sure has been...different.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully fun for boys, October 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Good, the Bad, and the Goofy (The Time Warp Trio) (Mass Market Paperback)

My two boys (ages 6 and 8) and I loved all the Time Warp Trio books. Fun and fantasy with some history lessons thrown in. Lots of laughs.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Out of this World, and Back in Time!, January 23, 2001

By 

Simba Girl (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Good, the Bad, and the Goofy (The Time Warp Trio) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Time Warp Trio is a crazy trio of a spotlight man, a brainiac, and a human pig. "Mr. Spotlight" opens The Book. He says the goofiest rhyme you can think of to send his crew back in time to the cowboys. What do you know? It works! All of a sudden, this Time Warp Trio find themselves in a "twister" of adventure. Illustrations help you imagine the story clearly. If it gets boring for a page or two, don't panic; it will jump right back into adventure. Beware, it's dynamite laughs.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Laugh out loud fun boys will love!, July 14, 2000

By 

Dawn Dixon - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Good, the Bad, and the Goofy (The Time Warp Trio) (Hardcover)

A magical birthday gift lands Fred, Sam and Joe smack-dab intothe middle of the old wild west, cowboys, Indians, and a ragingstampede. Authentic western flavor combines well with the history/adventure slant. The Time Warp Trio have to be brave, clever, and quick, very quick, on their feet to survive this adventure. Another book of the Time Warp Trio series, Jon Scieszka combines adventure, history, fantasy and humor in a compelling format that even reluctant readers will find hard to put down.