Elvis The Turnip...And Me (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Zack Files (Prebound)) [School & Library Binding]

Dan Greenburg (Author), Jack E. Davis (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1998 | Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Zack Files (Prebound) (Book 14)

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Late one night when ten-year-old Zack hears strains of ""Heartbreak Hotel"" coming from the refrigerator, he discovers the possibility that Elvis lives on as a turnip.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dan Greenburg has known success as a humorist, a novelist, a journalist, a screenwriter, and a playwright. Now he has turned his considerable talent to writing an original new series of books for a younger audience. Inspired by his own son Zack, for whom the hero of his new series, The Zack Files, is named, Greenburg has combined his love of humor, his interest in things paranormal, and his talent for writing to create books that kids like Zack will want to read. With 18 books to his credit, Dan Greenburg's work has been translated into 19 languages and is available in 22 countries. His best-selling titles for adults include How to Be a Jewish Mother, How to Make Yourself Miserable, Scoring, Love Kills, How to Avoid Love and Marriage and Exes. His previous books for children include Young Santa, The Bed Who Ran Away From Home, Jumbo the Boy and Arnold the Elephant. His articles have appeared in the New Yorker, Esquire, Ms., Time, Newsweek, Life, New York magazine, Cosmopolitan, the New York Times Book Review, Vanity Fair, Playboy, and have been reprinted in 33 anthologies of humor and satire in the United States and England. Born and raised in Chicago, Dan Greenburg received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Illinois, and his M.A. from UCLA. He is the father of Zack, a teenage son, who played the title role in the motion picture, LORENZO'S OIL, and served as the inspiration for The Zack Files. Mr. Greenburg lives in Westchester County, New York.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 64 pages
• Publisher: Turtleback (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613115112
• ISBN-13: 978-0613115117
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,057,985 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dan Greenburg has known success as a humorist, a novelist, a journalist, a screenwriter, and a playwright. Now he has turned his considerable talent to writing an original new series of books for a younger audience. Inspired by his own son Zack, for whom the hero of his new series, The Zack Files, is named, Greenburg has combined his love of humor, his interest in things paranormal, and his talent for writing to create books that kids like Zack will want to read. With 18 books to his credit, Dan Greenburg's work has been translated into 19 languages and is available in 22 countries. His best-selling titles for adults include How to Be a Jewish Mother, How to Make Yourself Miserable, Scoring, Love Kills, How to Avoid Love and Marriage and Exes. His previous books for children include Young Santa, The Bed Who Ran Away From Home, Jumbo the Boy and Arnold the Elephant. His articles have appeared in the New Yorker, Esquire, Ms., Time, Newsweek, Life, New York magazine, Cosmopolitan, the New York Times Book Review, Vanity Fair, Playboy, and have been reprinted in 33 anthologies of humor and satire in the United States and England. Born and raised in Chicago, Dan Greenburg received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Illinois, and his M.A. from UCLA. He is the father of Zack, a teenage son, who played the title role in the motion picture, LORENZO'S OIL, and served as the inspiration for The Zack Files. Mr. Greenburg lives in Westchester County, New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Amusing Series, August 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Elvis, the Turnip, and Me (The Zack Files #14) (Paperback)

This is the first "Zack Files" book I read to my last class of third graders. I have never experienced such excitement for a book series! They loved Zack, and we read about 6 of the books throughout the year. This is my favorite, being that I love music. I actually got the giggles, and had to put the book down to regain my composure! Very silly and fun; I can't vouch for all of the books, but I would recommend checking some of them out for some quick, amusing reading for kids.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A little less conversation. A little more action., September 25, 2005

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Elvis, the Turnip, and Me (The Zack Files #14) (Paperback)

I had always meant to get around to reading a selection from the "Zack Files" oeuvre, but somehow the inclination never seemed to strike me. As a children's librarian, I'd watch the kids greedily snap up all the new "Zack Files" paperbacks I'd purchased for the library like they were some kind of surrealistic popcorn. It wasn't until I found myself processing one of these books that I allowed my eyes to fall on the title. "Elvis the Turnip and Me". Huh. On the cover our hero Zack holds a turnip that bears a striking resemblance to The King. I was amused. I was intrigued. So, sensing that if I was ever going to read a review a "Zack File" this would have to be the one, I plucked the book up. The reading took roughly fifteen minutes. Twenty tops. At the end I realized (as reviewers prior to myself have already done) that this isn't a very plot-heavy book exactly but it does indeed do what it set out to. It amuses. And sometimes in the world of children's paperback series, that's more than anybody could ask.

Zack wakes up one night to nip a nighttime snack from the kitchen. He father, much to his chagrin, has recently begun a kind of health-food craze within the family and as a result our hero is desperate for junk food of any kind. On opening the fridge door to get some pop, there's no mistaking the sound coming from he vegetable bin. Something is singing "You Ain't Nothin' But a Hound Dog" in there. Zack's quick to discover that the singer is a turnip. A turnip named Elvis that knows all kinds of songs but doesn't crave the spotlight. Zack's eager to show Elvis the sights of New York, but in their travels they attract the attention of a nefarious Elvis collector. A man who will stop at nothing to procure his very own vegetable King. Nothing.

Archly conservative parents that disapprove of the notion of reincarnation, no matter how silly, can lay their little hearts to rest. The turnip, as it happens, is not Elvis redux. He's just a turnip who happens to sound and look and act like The King. No biggie. The plot, as such, ain't much. There is a brief bout of veggie-napping, but it's over within, literally, two pages. There's also a rather bizarre meeting with David Letterman that suggests (oddly) that the people who appear on his show are paid large amounts of money. I bet Mr. Letterman would be delighted to hear that.

Charm can carry you quite a ways, and in this "Elvis the Turnip and Me" has it in spades. Unfortunately it's not enough. This is a fun book in a fun series but nobody could get away with believing that this is great literature. All in all, amusing without ever making a whole lotta sense.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Teacher's Grade: C+, September 23, 2005

By 

N. Bilmes "bookaholic" (Vernon, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Elvis, the Turnip, and Me (The Zack Files #14) (Paperback)

This was another fun and quirky adventure for Zack and his dad as Zack encounters a talking turnip named Elvis. There's not much of a plot in this outing, and Zack is never in peril of any kind so the suspense is kind of thin. Overall, this was one of the more amusing Zack books but also one of the least satisfying.

I'm a 2nd grade teacher and have read this entire series, but won't be steering my class toward this one. Most kids I work with aren't Elvis fans and won't get much of the humor.