Punished! [Hardcover]

David Lubar (Author)

Book Description

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

Logan and his friend Benedict run into the wrong guy at the library–-literally. When Logan slams into the reference guy in the basement and gives him a little lip, Logan gets punished, really and truly punished. He has three days to complete three tasks before Professor Wordsworth will lift the magical punishment that keeps getting Logan in even more trouble.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5 Logan knows he shouldn't have been playing tag in the library reference stacks and he's sorry that he crashed into Professor Wordsworth. But what did the strange old man mean when he said that Logan should be punished? Suddenly, the boy starts speaking in puns really awful puns and he can't stop. His family and friends think he's just smarting off, but Logan quickly realizes that he is under a curse. According to the professor, there is only one way to break the spell. Logan has three days to collect seven oxymorons, seven anagrams, and seven palindromes or the pun-ishment will continue forever. This lighthearted fantasy would be an excellent classroom read-aloud. The language concepts are deftly explained and the clever, wordplay-filled dialogue provides numerous examples. There is an emphasis on problem-solving and self-reliance as well. Logan uses the dictionary and experiments with Scrabble™ tiles as he races against the clock to find the required answers. The short text and lively cover art will attract young readers, who will howl at the atrocious puns and repeat them at the earliest opportunity. Be prepared for an epidemic of juvenile punsters. Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. Wordplay is at the heart of this funny, surreal adventure in which even the title is a pun. While roughhousing at the library with his friend Benedict, Logan literally runs into an elderly patron, who, as a punishment, saddles Logan with an unusual curse: everything he tries to say comes out as a pun. After a day in which even his dog groans at his tedious jokes, Logan is desperate to lift the curse. The cure, according to the elderly spell caster, involves more wordplay: Logan must hunt down examples of oxymorons, anagrams, and palindromes. Younger kids may need help with a few of the more sophisticated puns ("I was jest doing wit you asked"), but with an appealing mix of magic and silliness, Lubar captures Logan's frustrations when he is unjustly accused of disobedience, his urgency to solve his dilemma, and the linguistic fun: "I realized I had two palindromes living at home . . . Mom and Dad." Teachers will find plenty of uses for this. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Darby Creek Publishing (March 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581960425
• ISBN-13: 978-1581960426
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #971,927 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Lubar is a genuinely funny guy who spent several years programming computer games. He has published several novels for young readers, including Flip, Wizards of the Game and Hidden Talents. Born in New Jersey, David now lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, his daughter, and three cats.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a good book for kids who enjoy wordplay, March 8, 2008

By 

M. Bauer "M." (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Punished! (Darby Creek Exceptional Titles) (Paperback)

Punished! tells the story of a boy named Logan who accidently collides with the mysterious Professor Wordsworth in the reference section of the library. After saying he is sorry, Wordsworth states that words are not always enough. Wordsworth decides that Logan needs to be "punished" and blows dust on him from an old book.

Immediately after his encounter with Professor Wordsworth, Logan realizes something is definitely wrong... everyone groans after he talks. Analyzing his speech, Logan now realizes he is speaking in puns. He tracks down Wordsworth a the library and asks how he can undo his "punishment". The professor then sets Logan to three separate tasks. First he has to gather oxymorons, then anagrams, and finally palindromes and bring them back to the professor in time, or Logan can't be cured.

I know of David Lubar from his short story collections In The Land of the Lawn Weenies and The Invasion of the Road Weenies. Those stories are somewhat twisted and mildly creepy, but appeal to a lot of my fourth grade students. Punished! doesn't play up the creepiness found in Lubar's short stories, but has some similar mysterious elements. The novel's action moves along and is quite predictable, but this book would appeal to third through fifth graders who enjoy wordplay. Recommended, but not essential.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny story, April 11, 2010

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Punished! (Darby Creek Exceptional Titles) (Paperback)

I think this book is really funny. It is about a boy named Logan who has a friend named Benedict. Benedict takes him to the library and they play tag. Logan runs into a man in the library, and the man blows magic dust at him. Then Logan can only talk in puns unless he is talking to the man or only says three words per sentence. The way he says the puns in sentences make me laugh. An example of him saying a pun is when the teacher asks him to use the word industry in a sentence and he says, "The cat got got stuck up industry and wouldn't come down."

When he asks the man how he can stop saying puns, he tells him to find seven oxymorons in twenty-four hours. After he finds all of them, the man tells him to find seven anagrams. He still finds all of them. His last test to get rid of his puns is to find seven palindromes. He finds six, but can't find the seventh. Right before time is up, he learns that the man's friends call him Bob, so Logan gets cured and has a pizza party at a pizzeria with Benedict.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Punished is Fabulous!, March 1, 2008

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Punished! (Darby Creek Exceptional Titles) (Paperback)

I'm in the 3rd grade and i just read Punished...wow! it's the best one on my reading record sheet! When Logan goes to the library to study for his research, someone stops him from running in the library and he gets his face puffed up with fairy dust which scrambled his brains. Now, whenever he talks a pun comes out. To cure this evil curse, he must go out and find certain types of words. I like it because everything in the story ties together (if you know what I mean.)