Customer Reviews

The Undertaker's Gone Bananas

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
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I picked this up purely because of the title and it became an instant classic which I must have re-read at least ten times throughout my terrible teens. It was such strange, sad, quirky, funny and sometimes outright hilarious story, I still love it today.

Essentially it is a novel about friendship and finding your identity in that strange nuclear winter between childhood and the adult world, with some madcap adventures involving such things as hearses and coffins and lunatic undertakers. What more could a fledgling goth have asked for?

I went on to read some of Zindel's other writing such as the Pigman but they didn't have the same spark as The Undertaker's Gone Bananas. A must, if you like odd fiction with quirky characters.

This book is about two children that see Mr. Hulka, their new neighbor kill someone in the next room. Since these children are often making up stories and getting into trouble, no one will believe them. It is up to them to prove to everyone that their neighbor is a murderer.

I would definitely recommend this book. There was always something going on. The adventure never stopped. If you are into mysteries of any kind, I would definitely recommend this great book, because it always had me on the end of my seat, and turning the pages.

As soon as Mr. Hulka moved in the apartment next door Bobby had a feeling about him. He watched and one days sees Mr. Hulka kill his wife. Convinced he was a murderer, he tells his friend Lauri and calls the police. But nobody believes him. Lauri is convinced that it is totally coincidental, but Bobby thinks otherwise. Lauri goes along with it only because she think it's another on of his schemes to get her out of her fears of death. But then things take a turn for the worst and they find themselves in trouble, more than they bargained for, and they need help fast. I like this book because its keeps you reading all the way through. I think the plot is great, the characters are down-to-earth and real life, and the dialogue is excellent. It may be a little slow reading sometimes and may get tiring, but it is realistic and an over all good book. Are Bobby and Lauri going to make it? Is Mr. Hulka really a murderer? We'll see soon enough!

The multi-story Century Tower Apartment block has just opened, but the building is still largely unoccupied. Bobby and Laurie both live there and both go to the same nearby school. They have become firm friends. Bobby is highly strung and has a habit of saying just exactly what is on his mind. He is convinced that the world is full of bad people doing bad things, and as far as he is concerned he is not going to let them get away with it. As a result Bobby doesn't have many friends. In her recent past Laurie was a distraught witness of the death of a neighbor in a house-fire and as a result is troubled by fantasies of her own demise. She also has not made many friends at her new school. Together this odd couple go on a series of tricks and high-jinx that bring them dangerously close to the attention of the police. Then Mr. And Mrs. Hulka move in next door to Bobby. Driven by curiosity Bobby just has to find out more about this family.

This book is written in the social realism style of Zindel's early, highly successful books, but also contains many elements of the horror/thriller mode which he perfected in his later books such as Night of the Bat and Loch. Half the fun of the book is trying to work out just exactly what is going on. There are also some quite funny scenes as Bobby 'goes off' full flight. The human detail give the book depth and help to make it more interesting and believable. This is definitely one of Zindel's better books and will keep you reading until the end.

I read this book for the fist time almost 30 years ago when I was ten years old. It was excellent then and I still love it. It was one of the many childhood books that led to my great love of reading. Great for young mystery solvers!!

I still read this book, even as an adult. If you have ever felt like an outcast (I lead a perfectly normal life now, even though in high school I was the ultimate nerd) this is the book to read. Especially in the wake of the Columbine High School tragedy, Paul Zindel really knows how to discuss with empathy and humour how 2 teenagers who don't quite fit in find each other and form healthy bonds with one another

If only the rest of our lives were as eventful as this book! It's so funny,with an original plot. I like how Bobby and Lauri didn't care what others thought of them and had zany adventures. I was an outcast once,so I can identify with them. It shows that at times some popular people are vapid and have everything backwards;the outsiders are the ones who know what they're talking about. It took Lauri and Bobby to get onto Mr.Hulka's crime. Everyone else thought he was innocent and they were crazy. The game Bobby played with Lauri to allay her fear of death was humorous,although a bit morbid. The pranks they played were amusing. If you want to laugh and think,read this book.

The Undertaker's Gone Bananas is a story that I found to be very funny and unreal. Throughout the story Bobby and Lauri are faced with some unbelievable tasks. Some of the advetures were so unbelievable that some times the doubted each other on what to do next. The human concern that I found to be very valuable for young children is the facts on friendship. The author does a great job in describing the loyal and trustworthy friendship Bobby and Lauri have. In different scenes of the story other children make fun of both Bobby and Lauri. They both defend each other and protect each other from anytype of harm. They even stick it out together when things are about to fail. The story illustrates how friendship is important for people in oder to survive. I recommend this book to young readers who are looking for an enjoyable and fun story but at the same time wanting to learn about what friendship is all about. Young readers can probably relate to some of Bobby and Lauri's adventures to some of the adventures that cross their own mind. Read and enjoy.

THIS WAS A TRULEY INTRESTING BOOK WITH A LOT OF SURPRISES AND A VERY UNSUSPECTING AND TRULEY INSPERATIONAL ENDING

I am beginning my twenty-third year of teaching eighth graders, and this is still one of my favorite books to share with kids. Not only entertaining, it shows kids how they can use their wits to survive.