Customer Reviews

Lizard music

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
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Victor's parents leave him and his sister alone for a week or two while they go off to get their heads and their relationship together. However, things really begin to get interesting when Victor's sister ALSO up and leaves to go with her friends on some sort of hippie camping trip! (yeah, the book is a bit dated...) Victor, then, is left alone to fend for himself for the next two weeks.

He's a bright kid, and perfectly happy NOT to have his crazy older sister or his doting parents around. He takes care of himself just fine, and one night over a TV dinner, he sees something verrrrry strange on the tube: a band of lizards playing music! What sort of program is THIS? he wonders-- it's not in the TV guide.

Giant lizards having an unreported jam session on late nite TV is just the beginning of the high weirdness, though. Soon he runs into a gentleman known as the Chicken Man because of his dancing chicken that lives under his hat (apparently he gives one-man/one-chicken shows on public busses and dispenses wisdom-- By Appointment Only-- from the depot). This Chicken Man character appears in the strangest of places and goes by some impossibly funny names and hints at Victor that he knows something about these lizards.

For a short time, the book turns into a sort of weird detective novel as Victor sets out to find out WHO the Chicken Man is, and WHAT are all these lizards doing?? Are they real?? How come no one else (including the manager of the TV station) knows anything about them?? Just what IS going on here??

Daniel Pinkwater is the author of a dozen books or so, many from the 1970's, of which almost all are still in print today ("The Hoboken Chicken Emergency", "Fat Men from Space", "The Big Orange Splot" and this title to name a few). Staying in print for more than 20 years is no mean feat in a world where children's authors come and go and "one hit wonders" in books are as common as popular music. I fancy the reason Mr. P. is still enjoying a good run and attracting new readers is because his books are genuinely funny and engaging. There's lots of simple humor and ridiculous situations to draw in the early/beginning reader, and his writing has a sharp wit and play-on-words that older readers will enjoy as well. Of the works he's written, "Lizard Music" is one of his best.

Readers should note, however, that like some of his other works, the plot of "Lizard Music" picks up and goes into high gear about halfway through the book. Yes, we find out a great deal more about these strange, instrument-playing lizards, but when we do, it feels like we're sprinting through the story. Some situations, while funny, seem TOO absurd, like the plot has suddenly twisted off into left field for a few paragraphs before getting back on track. It almost feels like Mr. Pinkwater was in a rush to finish and forgot to reread for clarity.

Still, this is a book geared to young readers who may not be as concerned about absurdities as older/adult readers. Indeed, they may enjoy the book all the MORE because of the strange, unexpected twists. If you are a Pinkwater fan, this is one of his better works and comes recommended. If you are new to Mr. P's works, this is an excellent choice for the intermediate reader. If you have a BEGINNING reader, I would highly recommend Mr. P's picture book, "The Big Orange Splot".

Thank you, Mr. Pinkwater! Keep up the good work!!

This is one of those books that you read, and because of its originality, it makes a lasting impression and you never forget it. I, like many other reviewers first read this book in the third or fourth grade. Our little private Catholic school got two D.M. Pinkwater books added to the library, and everybody in my class wanted to read them. I actually wanted the other, Fat Men From Space, but it was taken, so I picked up Lizard Music. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made! This book is amazing, it's funny, fascinating, and very strange. Everything from the Chicken Man to Raymond the Lizard(s), to some island made invisible because of... refraction of light... or something. (It's been a while.) Anyway, my point is, this book has made a great and long-lasting impression on me, and if you like strange and semi-eerie things, or just great fiction... this is a MUST READ!

Looking back at all the books I read as a kid, I fondly recall several books which did more than tell a wonderful story...they truly made me think differently about the world around me. The L'Engle books, the Dahl books, and the Pinkwater books fall into this category. But most of all, Lizard Music. It's the book that made my kid-self reorganize his brain to accomodate a world with talking lizards and lesser kudus. It's still one of my favorite books of all time.

I remember the day that I found this book vividly. The cover was more aesthetic than all the other books in the library, and, peering at the title, I figured I like lizards and I like music. I fell in love with this book shortly thereafter. It's been almost a decade later and I have since read books that have surpassed this in intellectual levels, but its oddness still appeals to me.

This is an obscure classic that belongs on the shelves next to Dr. Doolittle and Alice in Wonderland, other favorites from my past. It is difficult to describe this book beyond touting its greatness in vague terms, it is something to be experienced on ones own. To summarize shortly, it is the story of a boy left home alone and his adventure in the big city as he meets the Chicken Man, and sates his curiosity concerning the wacky lizard musicians he comes across. Whether you are young or old, this book will appeal to your creativity and your sense of absurdity.

My dad and i together have read a lot of daniel pinkwater's stories. i found that lizard music next to the snarkout boys collection is my favorite book of his. it's imaginative and dazzling. it expresses the meaning of being a child and takes you into a new world full of odd names and lizard music.

I won't repeat what others have already said. But I want to add this: unlike many of the reviewers, I first read this book as an adult in my late twenties--and I loved it! To this day, twenty years later, it remains one of my all-time favorites...every couple of years I get it out and re-read it for the pure pleasure of experiencing Pinkwater's wild imagination and believable characters. So don't assume this book is just for kids! Any adult with an imagination--and who remembers being a kid--will get a kick out of "Lizard Music."

This is the second book I read by Daniel Manus Pinkwater. I loved it! It's a great story, and one that kids will definetely like.. It's just got the exact mix of realistic adventure and silliness that makes a good read. Plus, it's got the Chicken Man, a character from several of Pinkwater's books, it features large lizards, and a healthy dose of Walter Cronkite. I don't think it gets much better.

I first read this book in fourth grade. I wore out several copies and haunted used book stores to locate them to give to young friends as I got older. I'm now purchasing copies for my nieces and nephews as birthday presents.

It's an excellent book, hysterically funny, as is all of Mr. Pinkwater's work.

I LOVE this book. I first read it when I was 9 or 10 and it actually started what I call my "lizard phase," which lasted until I was about 13. Daniel Pinkwater's books are smart and outrageously funny and life-changing and I recommend them to EVERYONE. Other good Pinkwater books to try are both Snarkout Boys novels, Borgel, and Young Adult Novel. But they are all good.

Lizard Music is a must read for people around 10-12. If you like comedy and/or suspence you'll love this book. First you meat a kid named Victor a 12 year old. His parents have left on a vacation and so has his sister so he's all alone. After watching the late late night movie he sees the strangest thing LIZARDS PLAYING MUSIC! Later he sees the strangest man known as Chicken Man who keeps a Chicken named Cluadia under his hat. With the help of Chicken Man he goes to an Invisible island with a wonderous city with the strangest sights you've ever seen. The ending is the best but you'll have to read the book to hear it. So as I said bever READ THIS BOOK!, you'll be glad you did.