Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things . . .: That Aren't as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray ... So Maybe You Could Help Us Out (Mcsweeneys) [Hardcover]

Nick Hornby (Author), Neil Gaiman (Author), Jon Scieszka (Author), Jonathan Safran Foer (Author), Editors of McSweeney's (Editor), Lemony Snicket (Introduction)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Mcsweeneys

Interspersed with charts, graphs, and various crossword puzzles, A Book of Noisy Outlaws, Evil Marauders, and Some Other Things . . . features some of today's best authors spinning new tales ranging from the spooky to the strange. George Saunders tells the story of a father who takes caution to dangerous extremes in "Lars Farf, Excessively Fearful Father and Husband." In "ACES by Phone," a small boy finds a cell phone that lets him listen in on the thoughts of dogs, and in "Small Country," Nick Hornby introduces a country too small for a postal system but, unfortunately for one bookish boy, just big enough for a football team. Each story features full-color illustrations by artists including Barry Blitt, Lane Smith, David Heatley, and Marcel Dzama.

The collection includes previously unpublished children's stories from Jonathan Safran Foer (Everything is Illuminated), Nick Hornby (High Fidelity), Neil Gaiman (Sandman), George Saunders (CivilWarLand in Bad Decline), Kelly Link (Stranger Than Fiction), and Jon Scieskza (Stinky Cheese Man). The dust jacket folds into a unique aerogram, which factors into a special contest involving a story written partly by Lemony Snicket, partly by thousands of children.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. This is a charming, funny anthology from little-indie-engine-that-could. McSweeney's boasts an all-star list of contributors from both adult books and children's literature. The collection begins with a hilarious introduction by noted misanthrope Lemony Snicket, who parodies various kid-lit genres (a talking paperweight, a long-division worm who makes math fun, etc.). This sort of kid-friendly irreverence marks the best of these stories. Kelly Link tells the story of a boy who encounters a thoughtful, verbose monster on a summer camp overnight. And Nick Hornby proves his versatility with a quirky tale about a young resident of the world's smallest nation. Some of the stories from adult-book writers aren't as effective--while Jonathan Safran Foer's story (taken from his new novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) is evocative of childhood, its real audience is adult. But rarely does an anthology contain so much good stuff from big names, and whether they are drawn to the book by Jeanne DuPrau or Jon Sciezka or Snicket, middle-grade readers will likely emerge from this with new favorite authors. John Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Inside Flap

Contributors include: Barry Blitt, Juliette Borda, Peter de Sève, Shelley Dick, Henrik Drescher, Jeanne DuPrau, Marcel Dzama, Jonathan Safran Foer, Clement Freud, Neil Gaiman, David Heatley, Brett Helquist, Nick Hornby, Richard Kennedy, James Kochalka, David Levinson Wilk, Kelly Link, George Saunders, Jon Scieszka, Lane Smith, Lemony Snicket, Rachell Sumpter, Sam Swope, and Jan Van Der Veken.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: McSweeney's; 1st edition (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932416358
• ISBN-13: 978-1932416350
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #435,451 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Drop everything and buy this book!, November 3, 2005

By 

Frances D. Granatino (Malvern, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things . . .: That Aren't as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray ... So Maybe You Could Help Us Out (Mcsweeneys) (Hardcover)

What more can one say about a book that sports brand new, fresh-off-the presses stories by the likes of Nick Hornby, Neil Gaiman and Jon Scieszka?

Plenty.

How about an introduction by Lemony Snicket, that starts: "An introduction to a book of stories is like a warning printed on a bottle in a medicine cabinet....," with funky illustrations by Brett Helquist?

What if Lemony Snicket has also written, on the inside of the dust jacket, the beginnings of a story that, when completed and submitted by some lucky reader, will be eligible for a grand prize? The dust jacket is designed so that it can double as an envelope for your submission, but I really wouldn't want to do that if I were you, since this book is going to be a collector's item. Actually, I wish I hadn't told you about any of this, since I'm going to be buying up as many copies as I can get my hands on.

My two favorite stories are "Seymour's Last Wish," by Sam Swope, and "The ACES Phone," by Jeanne DuPrau. The former features a young lad - the hapless Seymour - whose mother favors cats over him, until a fairy grants Seymour three wishes and his options expand; the latter introduces the reader to a cell phone found on a playground that has unusual spiritual powers with respect to canines.

Want to know more? Well, for starters, there used to be a Sixth Borough in New York City. There's an explanation and a fold-out map in case you're wondering what happened to it.

There is also an Excessively Difficult Crossword Puzzle, for those who like such things. I suspect Mr. Snicket had a hand in this crossword puzzle, crafted by David Levinson Wilk, but you'll have to make up your own mind on that one. And if the answer to one of the questions is "Count Olaf," I certainly didn't tell you.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Great, November 4, 2005

By 

amyrose (NYC,NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things . . .: That Aren't as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray ... So Maybe You Could Help Us Out (Mcsweeneys) (Hardcover)

I told myself I bought this book for my son but actually planning to keep it for myself. It is a great collection, all of the stories are charming, fun and interesting.
However, I wasn't allowed to keep it for myself as my 7 year old son loved it even more than me. He read the Neil Gaiman story first but then got sucked in and spent last Saturday morning reading it - I don't think you can ask for a more ringing endorsement than that.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The scary, the funny, and the just plain weird, January 10, 2006

By 

Craig (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things . . .: That Aren't as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray ... So Maybe You Could Help Us Out (Mcsweeneys) (Hardcover)

Take some excellent, renowmed writers, have them write a collection of stories for kids, and this is what you get. An eclectic, fun, sometimes creepy mix of tales that those of all ages are likely to enjoy.

While writers like Nick Hornby and Neil Gaiman contribute, the best effort comes from Kelly Link, in his tale titled, "Monster." Although written for children, this is one of the funniest short stories I've read in quite some time - funny, scary, straightforward in its telling - and it's the highlight of an outstanding collection.

The only thing that keeps me from giving this 5 stars is the fact that there are a couple of weak stories that hurt the overall collection. Still, I'd highly recommend this for readers of any age. You might not like every story, but I guarantee that there will be several that catch your fancy.