There is only one way to keep from turning into a werewolf, and that is with the help of a magic pretzel. This seems simple enough--unless the only magic pretzel on earth happens to be kept by your half brother Lance Von Sweeny in a special, burglar-proof case in the Museum of the Pretzel on Nemo Boulevard. This is the predicament of Mr. Talbot, beloved (yet weird and scary) teacher, half-man, half-wolf, and sponsor of the Watson Elementary School Werewolf Club.
Norman Gnormal is the only nonwerewolf in the club, but the others let him in because his parents actually wanted a dog instead of a little boy and raised him accordingly. Although Norman (alias "Poodle Boy" or "Alpo-breath") is mocked for growling and keeping meat in his desk, his canine sense of smell and expert tracking skills serve him well in the search for the elusive, parsnip-driving Lance Von Sweeny and the desired magic pretzel. Of course, nothing turns out as expected in Daniel Pinkwater's delightfully absurd, absurdly delightful first installment in The Werewolf Club series of short chapter books.
Jill Pinkwater's pen-and-ink illustrations suit the story's comic buoyancy and contribute to the airy, easy-to-read format. If your children are new to Pinkwater, it's as crucial as a magic pretzel to a reluctant werewolf that you introduce them to The Hoboken Chicken Emergency and when they're ready, his collection of classics, 5 Novels. Move over, Captain Underpants, and make way for The Werewolf Club. Awoooooo! (Ages 7 to 10) --Karin Snelson
From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4-This beginning chapter book is creative and filled with zany humor. Even the chapter numbers are funny-beginning with "Minus Three." Chapter one is a mere 16 words long and none of the 38 chapters has more than two pages of text. Norman Gnormal is not your average fourth grader. He was raised as a dog because (he thinks) his parents really wanted a dog instead of a boy. Due to his strange behavior (growling, drooling, threatening to bite other students), the school principal signs him up for the new Werewolf Club started by one of the teachers. It turns out that the odd instructor is stuck between being a man and a werewolf because of a supposed curse from his half-brother. Norman and his three real werewolf schoolmates locate the half-brother and get the magic pretzel that can allegedly reverse the curse. Although this book is not quite as engaging as Pinkwater's slightly longer works, it may lead readers to them and is certainly howling good fun.Kate Kohlbeck, Randall School, Waukesha, WI Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
When a book begins with "Chapter Minus Three, Frequently Asked Werewolf Questions," kids can bet they're in for a good time, and so they are in this first volume of The Werewolf Club series. Narrator Norman Gnormal, not the most popular fourth grader at Watson Elementary School, joins the Werewolf Club, though he isn't really a shape shifter like other members of the group . . . yet. When their sponsor, the mysterious Mr. Talbot discloses his troubling secret (he's stuck in wolf mode), club members go on the prowl to find the Magic Pretzel that can lift the curse on him. If the series' premise (a school-sponsored club for students who are werewolves) seems a little wacky, the story's details are sometimes downright bonkers, and Pinkwater's many fans wouldn't have it any other way. Jill Pinkwater's amusing drawings appear throughout the book. Recommended only for those with a sense of humor, this offbeat story is accessible to children just beyond the beginning reader stage, though older children will find it amusing too. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
What's salty and cures werewolves? There's only one way to cure a werewolf and that's to eat Alexander the Great's Magic Pretzel. You knew that, right? So, that's what Norman and his werewolf friends at the Watson Elementary School try to find, with the help of their teacher, Mr. Talbot. There's danger! There's adventure! There's hilarious fun! Do they find the Magic Pretzel? Well, read this amazing chapter book and find out!
Card catalog description
Fourth-grader Norman Gnormal, who behaves a lot like a dog, finds his first real friends when the principal signs him up for the Werewolf Club at school.
The Magic Pretzel: Ready For Chapters 1, Vol. 1 ANNOTATION
Fourth-grader Norman Gnormal, who behaves a lot like a dog, finds his first real friends when the principal signs him up for the Werewolf Club at school.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
What's salty and cures werewolves?
There's only one way to cure a werewolf and that's to eat Alexander the Great's Magic Pretzel. You knew that, right? So, that's what Norman and his werewolf friends at the Watson Elementary School try to find, with the help of their teacher, Mr. Talbot.
There's danger! There's adventure! There's hilarious fun! Do they find the Magic Pretzel? Well, read this amazing chapter book and find out!
FROM THE CRITICS
School Library Journal
Gr 2-4-This beginning chapter book is creative and filled with zany humor. Even the chapter numbers are funny-beginning with "Minus Three." Chapter one is a mere 16 words long and none of the 38 chapters has more than two pages of text. Norman Gnormal is not your average fourth grader. He was raised as a dog because (he thinks) his parents really wanted a dog instead of a boy. Due to his strange behavior (growling, drooling, threatening to bite other students), the school principal signs him up for the new Werewolf Club started by one of the teachers. It turns out that the odd instructor is stuck between being a man and a werewolf because of a supposed curse from his half-brother. Norman and his three real werewolf schoolmates locate the half-brother and get the magic pretzel that can allegedly reverse the curse. Although this book is not quite as engaging as Pinkwater's slightly longer works, it may lead readers to them and is certainly howling good fun.-Kate Kohlbeck, Randall School, Waukesha, WI Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Art & Photography
Book Info
