McBroom Tells a Lie (Adventures of McBroom) [Mass Market Paperback]

Sid Fleischman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 7, 1999 | Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Adventures of McBroom

A farmer and his family save their amazing one-acre farm by using a Popcornmobile, frozen sunlight, and lightning bugs.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Price Stern Sloan (June 7, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843174978
• ISBN-13: 978-0843174977
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,136,395 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Since his autobiography, The Abracadabra Kid: A Writer's Life, was published in 1996, Sid Fleischman has been stealing the spotlight with his exuberant brand of nonfiction. Sir Charlie: Chaplin, the Funniest Man in the World is Fleischman's fourth true tale, following the widely acclaimed The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West and the best-selling Escape! The Story of The Great Houdini.
Fleischman's books have been made into films, performed as plays, and translated into nineteen languages. The author was awarded the Newbery Medal for The Whipping Boy.
Sid Fleischman lives in Santa Monica, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Story--Excellent Writing, April 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: McBroom Tells a Lie (Adventures of McBroom) (Mass Market Paperback)

Kids at this age love tall tales & this is a great one. McBroom & his family are clever and fun people who accomplish amazing things. The story is great and the writing is superb. My child and I laughed our way through this book, but it also caused us to think about the nature of truth and stretching it some.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Later, lesser McBroom book is still fun, if a little tired, December 6, 2009

By 

Muzzlehatch (the walls of Gormenghast) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: McBroom Tells a Lie (Adventures of McBroom) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the 8th McBroom book (I think), originally published in 1975. The illustrations in this one are, interestingly, just in pen and ink (black and white) and done in a very deliberately childish style - or so it strikes me - by Walter Lorraine, one of a number of different artists used on this series. I have to say that these are the least-attractive pictures in any of the books I've read; it's not the lack of color, but the deliberate crudeness that's off-putting to me - all of the characters look like the crazed products of a 6-8 year old.

Well, thankfully, the story is better, though it's no great shakes either. I think the formula was perhaps getting a little old by this time; or, hopefully, Sid Fleischman's invention just flagged this once. Like several other books in the series, this one concerns neighbor Heck Jones' attempts to get hold of McBrooms' magical 1-acre farm (where ANYTHING will grow, magically fast) and patriarch Josh McBroom's comical and half-baked methods of defeating his rapacious neighbor - this time helped out significantly by his many children (WillJILLHesterCHESTERPeterPOLLYTimTOMMaryLARRYandlittleCLARINDA) and their invention of a jumping-bean-powered car. Oh, and McBroom DOES tell a lie - despite his reputation for always being truthful.

Still worth a look for fans of this series and those who'd still like to be able to believe in tall tales; just not the best of McBroom by a long shot in my opinion.