Kokopelli and Company in Attack of the Smart Pies [Hardcover]

Larry Gonick (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Hoping to escape her evil, doughy foster father, Emma Drinkwater sneaks into Kokonino County, the human-free home of the New Muses. She quickly finds herself embroiled in the Great Pie War launched by Kokopelli, flute-playing Muse of Tunes and Tricks, against Urania, the high-minded Muse of Astronomy. The stakes are high: Mr. Drinkwater is holding Emma's teacher hostage in the cellar while he attempts to decode a secret message involving Emma's real parents. The Muses could help, but not while they're distracted by flying pies, which are rapidly escalating from Smart Pies to Smarter Pies to SMARTEST PIES — state-of-the-art, satellite-guided pies hurtling through the air, zeroing in with greater and greater accuracy as the Great Pie War crumbles to a messy conclusion.

Gonick's alternate universe is crammed with off-the-wall characters and sly, smart humor, along with plenty of spot illustrations to help reluctant young readers make the transition from graphic novels to narrative fiction.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7–In this inventive novel that mixes fantasy, humor, horror, and mystery, Emma, a 12-year-old orphan, runs away from her foster father, Darien Drinkwater, when he suddenly becomes hostile following the death of her foster mother. At a local mall, she meets Feather, the Muse of Plants. When he returns home to Kokonino County, the land of the New Muses, Emma follows him. Feather reassures her that the Muses will help her, and they do. With "Intelligent Air" computers, they can observe and influence unsuspecting people on Earth. Meanwhile, Kokopelli, the Muse of Tunes and Tricks, has been trying to hit Urania, the Muse of Astronomy, with pies that are programmed for greater and greater accuracy. While these escapades are amusing, the real story of interest has to do with Drinkwater's role in Emma's parents' death and his intentions regarding her inheritance. The Muses return Emma to human civilization, Drinkwater is apprehended, and the girl goes to live with her teacher, who turns out to be a long-lost cousin. The cartoonlike spot illustrations will appeal to children, including reluctant readers. The book has a lot to offer, and the characters have distinct personalities.–Heather Ver Voort, Washington West Elementary, Olean, NY
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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Cricket Books (March 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812627407
• ISBN-13: 978-0812627404
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,040,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Larry Gonick has been creating comics that explain history, science, and other big subjects for more than thirty years, ever since Blood from a Stone: A Cartoon Guide to Tax Reform appeared in 1977. He has been a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT and is staff cartoonist for Muse magazine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Are Bunker Busting Bear Claws the Future of Muse Prankfare?, July 22, 2005

By 

Bruce Crocker "agnostictrickster" (Whittier, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kokopelli and Company in Attack of the Smart Pies (Hardcover)

Let me start with my [dis]qualifications: I am a 46 year old childfree science teacher familiar with the works of Larry Gonick, but pretty clueless about Kokopelli & Company or Muse Magazine [I did a little research before I bought Attack of the Smart Pies - I read a good number of the Kokopelli & Company strips on the Muse Magazine website]. I am obviously NOT part of the target audience for this book [or the strip and the magazine] which is 9 - 14 year olds, but I do teach students at the upper end of the target range. That said, I really enjoyed Attack of the Smart Pies!

The majority of the story takes place in Kokonino County, home to the 9 New Muses. Emma, an orphan escaping from a bad situation in her current foster home, follows Feather, Muse of Plants and a doughnut addict, back to Kokonino County where HUMANS ARE NOT ALLOWED! Emma needs help with her stepfather, but gets wrapped up in the Muses' arms race [smart pies and defenses against smart pies]. The intended audience should love the story, but there's enough depth to the story that an adult [or a really precocious kid] can take away a lot from reading Attack of the Smart Pies. Even though Kokopelli, Muse of Tunes and Tricks and flinger of pies, might like me to give up the ending [especially since the trickster plays a key role in the resolution of the story], I won't be a spoiler and tell you what happens.

I will be extremely pleased when my copy of Attack of the Smart Pies makes its way into the library at the high school where I teach.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Benedict's Review, February 27, 2006

By 

James Cahill (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kokopelli and Company in Attack of the Smart Pies (Hardcover)

Review of Attack of the Smart Pies by Larry Gonick

My son Benedict (age 10) writes: When I read the book Attack of the Smart Pies, I thought it was good. It's lots of fun and very funny. In the story, there is a bird who likes donuts. Larry Gonick made up funny names of donuts with fish flavor, or raisin-glazin' It is a really ingenious book There are also many beautiful drawings in it, of imaginary creatures. A great picture I found was one of the machine throwing the pies. I like Larry Gonick's work very much-I also have read and enjoyed his Cartoon History of the Universe, vol. 1-7.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally!, December 4, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Kokopelli and Company in Attack of the Smart Pies (Hardcover)

I have been a fan of Muse since I was very young, and I always loved the comics. So imagine my excitment when I heard that FINALLY book about Koko and his friends was in stores! I rushed to Barnes & Noble and bought it. This is a hilarious book! Larry Gonik is an excellent writer as well as artist.