The Magic Pretzel : Ready For Chapters 1 [Paperback]

Daniel Pinkwater (Author), Jill Pinkwater (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Werewolf Club Ready for Chapters

What's salty and cures werewolves?

There's only one way to cure a werewolf and that's to eat Alexander the Great's Magic Pretzel. You knew that, right? So, that's what Norman and his werewolf friends at the Watson Elementary School try to find, with the help of their teacher, Mr. Talbot.

There's danger! There's adventure! There's hilarious fun! Do they find the Magic Pretzel? Well, read this amazing chapter book and find out!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

There is only one way to keep from turning into a werewolf, and that is with the help of a magic pretzel. This seems simple enough--unless the only magic pretzel on earth happens to be kept by your half brother Lance Von Sweeny in a special, burglar-proof case in the Museum of the Pretzel on Nemo Boulevard. This is the predicament of Mr. Talbot, beloved (yet weird and scary) teacher, half-man, half-wolf, and sponsor of the Watson Elementary School Werewolf Club.

Norman Gnormal is the only nonwerewolf in the club, but the others let him in because his parents actually wanted a dog instead of a little boy and raised him accordingly. Although Norman (alias "Poodle Boy" or "Alpo-breath") is mocked for growling and keeping meat in his desk, his canine sense of smell and expert tracking skills serve him well in the search for the elusive, parsnip-driving Lance Von Sweeny and the desired magic pretzel. Of course, nothing turns out as expected in Daniel Pinkwater's delightfully absurd, absurdly delightful first installment in The Werewolf Club series of short chapter books.

Jill Pinkwater's pen-and-ink illustrations suit the story's comic buoyancy and contribute to the airy, easy-to-read format. If your children are new to Pinkwater, it's as crucial as a magic pretzel to a reluctant werewolf that you introduce them to The Hoboken Chicken Emergency and when they're ready, his collection of classics, 5 Novels. Move over, Captain Underpants, and make way for The Werewolf Club. Awoooooo! (Ages 7 to 10) --Karin Snelson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-This beginning chapter book is creative and filled with zany humor. Even the chapter numbers are funny-beginning with "Minus Three." Chapter one is a mere 16 words long and none of the 38 chapters has more than two pages of text. Norman Gnormal is not your average fourth grader. He was raised as a dog because (he thinks) his parents really wanted a dog instead of a boy. Due to his strange behavior (growling, drooling, threatening to bite other students), the school principal signs him up for the new Werewolf Club started by one of the teachers. It turns out that the odd instructor is stuck between being a man and a werewolf because of a supposed curse from his half-brother. Norman and his three real werewolf schoolmates locate the half-brother and get the magic pretzel that can allegedly reverse the curse. Although this book is not quite as engaging as Pinkwater's slightly longer works, it may lead readers to them and is certainly howling good fun.
Kate Kohlbeck, Randall School, Waukesha, WI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin; Original edition (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689837909
• ISBN-13: 978-0689837906
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #431,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Daniel Pinkwater lives with his wife, the illustrator and novelist Jill Pinkwater, and several dogs and cats in a very old farmhouse in New York's Hudson River Valley.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Werewolf Club howls, June 7, 2000

By 

Xeneri - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Magic Pretzel : Ready For Chapters 1 (Paperback)

This is my first book by the Pinkwaters (Daniel writes and Jill illustrates) but it won't be my last. The Werewolf Club : The Magic Pretzel, is a silly, absurd book but in the most delightful way.

You see, Mr. Talbot, half-man, half-wolf, and sponsor of the Watson Elementary School Werewolf Club needs the one thing that can keep you from turning into a werewolf: The Magic Pretzel. Unfortunately, it is under the care of Talbot's half brother, Lance Von Sweeny, who keeps it locked away. Enter Norman Gnormal, the only nonwerewolf in the club, who was raised as a dog by his quirky parents (who actually wanted a dog instead of a little boy). Norman uses his tracking skills and canine-like smell to help Talbot find the magic pretzel, but of course it ain't easy.

This is the first book in the series known as THE WEREWOLF CLUB and I hope the next book is just as wacky and wonderful as this one. The illustrations aid a great deal to the story and serve the writing style very nicely. Grab a bowl of pretzels (magic or otherwise) and enjoy.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How Do You Cure a Werewolf?, October 12, 2000

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Magic Pretzel : Ready For Chapters 1 (Paperback)

Fourth grader, Norman Gnormal has been raised as a dog...it's what his parents really wanted when they had him and his earliest memories are of playing fetch with his father. Now the principal of the Watson Elementary School has signed him up for the Werewolf Club, since there aren't any other activities for boys who think that they're dogs. At the first meeting, scary and weird Mr Talbot, a werewolf himself and the club's sponsor, sets the group's first mission in motion. They are going to cure themselves of this evil curse by stealing the "Magic Pretzel", kept in a burglar proof case in the Museum of Pretzel. One bite, under the full moon and the curse will be lifted! Daniel Pinkwater has written a fast paced, funny, absurd and delightful short chapter book, that is just perfect for kids aged 7-10. With action packed scenes and hip kid-speak language, your youngsters will be turning pages to the very end as Norman, the only non-werewolf of the club, uses his canine skills to find and capture the prized pretzel. This is the beginning of a terrific series and a sure way to help your kids enjoy reading.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First in a fun and furry series, September 14, 2004

By 

Kara Reuter (Columbus, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Magic Pretzel : Ready For Chapters 1 (Paperback)

This book features Normal Gnormal, a 4th-grader raised as a dog. When his parents become concerned about his behavior at school (growling and storing meat in his desk), Norman's principal signs him up for the school's werewolf club along with Ralf Alfa, Billy Furball, and Lucy Fang. The club is sponsored by "weird and scary" teacher, Mr. Talbot, who always wears a long coat, gloves, hat, scarf, and sunglasses. The children discover that Mr. Talbot is, in fact, a werewolf stuck in wolf form as a result of a curse placed on him by his half brother, Lance Von Sweeny. The curse can only be lifted by the titular magic pretzel, in Lance's possession. Obtaining the pretzel and returning Mr. Talbot to human form the book's main adventure. This is the first book in a series, which picks up from Pinkwater's 1985 book, I Was a Second-Grade Werewolf, slyly mentioned as Ralf's favorite book. Presented in 78 pages and 38 brief chapters, the story begins by providing a bit of background in "Chapter Minus Three" through "Chapter Zero" as a kind of countdown before launching into the main story. The tone is playful, current (the first chapter's "Frequently Asked Werewolf Questions" recall FAQ's on the World Wide Web), and hip without seeming to pander to childrens' tastes. The story is easy to follow with many comically nonsensical tidbits, including the parsnip car driven by Lance and the Museum of the Pretzel. The book's simple cartoonish black and white illustrations bring faces to the characters and, in the case of the children, present vital statistics such as height, weight, and type of wolf on ID cards. Although the characters and events are outlandish and comical, the story presents aspects of school and family life that will be familiar and poignant to children. Newly independent readers will enjoy the fast-paced and funny style of this chapter book; avid readers will also enjoy beginning an entertaining series.