Benny and Omar

By Eoin Colfer

Book Overview

In my old school we had fighting no pool and there'd be vicious matches against the other schools . . . I miss all that stuff

Moving to Africa is the worst thing that has ever happened to Benny Shaw. No one plays hurling (the best game on the planet) and the local school is run by hippies who like to talk about feelings. As if.
But when Benny meets wisecracking Omar (the name's Bond James Bond Omar) who only speaks English in TV catchphrases he decides that maybe life in this new country can be fun after all . . .

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0141323280
• ISBN13: 9780141323282
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.0" x 0.0" x 0.0"
• Age Range: 10 to 13 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 8

Customer Reviews

brilliant!

a brilliant and hilarious plot,benny and omar is the best book i've read in ages! its a comedy,its action packed,its a bit romantic,its educational,and its a weepy too.i highly recommend for ages 10 to 100!

Kati

Benny and Omar The O'Brien press, 2006, 279pp, $18.95 Eoin Colfer ISBN 978-1-4231-0281-6 What would you do if you had to move to Tunisia, Africa just because your dad got a promotion? Would you be happy for your dad and congratulate him? If you said yes to these questions then Benny did the exact opposite f you, in this fantastic realistic fiction by Eoin Colfer!! Benny Shaw lives in his own little sarcastic and "not caring what other people think" kind of world. Having to move to Africa doesn't completely change that world, it just simply adjusts a little of it. There he finds out that the teachers' have their students call them by their first name but, Benny just calls them hippies. He also finds out that the students all hate him because of all his "negative energy," except one girl Grace that actually likes him. He also meets Omar who fools Benny into thinking he's still in Ireland Each chapter has a title that's a little odd, for example chapter nine; Corpzublicked. It sounds weird now but throughout the book it explains itself. I personally fell in love with this amazing book because it explains a crisis that a teenager would actually go through. I recommend this book to anyone that absolutely loves a good book! Eoin Colfer is a great author in this amazing thriller Benny and Omar!! --Kati

Hilarious!

Suitable for adults. Communicating with only TV lingo, Benny finds a Tunisian friend and learns what's really important.

International Coming-of-Age Story for Boys

My 12-year old son and I greatly enjoyed reading this funny, illuminating, and entertaining coming-of-age story. We haven't read Artemus Fowl, so I can't really compare it, but this book, on its own, is outstanding. It follows a familiar coming-of-age story arc---problem child runs into crisis from which he learns and grows---but the book offers so much more than that. The story is told from the perspective of the always-in-trouble protagonist, but without a hint of patronizing condescension. The "Irishness" of the book's language and culture, and the African setting both add deliciously to the mix. The story never flags: lots of laughter and no small amount of suspense. Clever and original; we loved it.

To any one who say this books is stupid - grow up!

This book isn't supposed to be in the same style as Artemis Fowl. But, amazeningly, it far supasses it. The author weaves mystery, comedy and adventure in to a story whic to me, reminds me of a mixture of Survivor, Annie and the Producers. The comedy is great. When i first read this book, i was 12, so i didn't reall y understand all of the jokes, but now, 2 years later, the jokes amuse to no end. The way that Benny and Omar communicate is classic, using TV terms like "I'm Bonds, James Bond Omar" to introduce ones self.Okay. ENough of the fawning. Now to the plot. It's a great plot. Benny, a fairly self centered Irish preteen is moved with his family to Tunisia. There he teams up with a boy who lives in a cardboard box and has learn ed his english from TV. What follows is one of the best adeventures with children that i have ever read.Omar, the boy, is basically living in poverty and with very little to survive on. He and BEnny instantly pair up and help each other out. Benny enjoys this all until Omar asks him to help kidnap Omars sick little sister. Colfer writes it soooooo well. He had jokes at just the right time and develops Benny (and Omar a little bit) so well that you can really see the changes happening adn why. Despite the way that the book ended, i still enjoyed it emensly and Benny and Omar is one of my favorite books.Ever.