The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death

by Daniel Pinkwater

Book Overview

There's a crime. There's a master criminal. There's a fat man in a fez. Fans of Lizard music take note. Chicken man is here, & his chicken dances while Daniel Pinkwater defies gravity to bring you a mind-boggling feast

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451163206
• ISBN13: 9780451163202
• Release Date: March 1983
• Publisher: Signet Book
• Weight: 2.45 lbs.
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Wonderfully unique

I remember reading (and rereading) this zany, gripping, urban adventure when I was in third or fourth grade (and its worthy sequel, The Snarkout Boys & the Baconburg Horror). On a whim, some twenty years later and with a law degree to my name, I tracked down a copy at the public library and ... wow! I enjoyed it every bit as much. Daniel Pinkwater deserves major kudos for such a book--someone buy that man a Napoleon or twelve.The fast-paced story is told from the viewpoint of Walter Galt. Walter is a teenager on the verge of dying from boredom at Ghengis Khan High School, until he meets Winston Bongo, another suffering student and the self-proclaimed inventor of 'snarking out'. The boys' late-night snarkouts eventually bring them into contact with a smorgasbord of oddball characters (such as Ms. Bentley Saunders Harrison Matthews, aka Rat) and places, from Blueberry Park to Lower North Aufzoo Street to Beanbender's Beer Garden and beyond. Ultimately, with the help of the world's greatest living detective, Walter, Winston and Rat must locate the world's largest avocado and save the world (or at least the nations' realtors)--but watch out for stuffed Indian fruit bats!Pinkwater is a true original and writes this surreal, comic yarn simply, cleanly, and hilariously. Highly recommended for kids, parents, avocado lovers ... and even lawyers who used to be kids. Five stars!

fond memories

My "hippie" aunt and uncle, in New York City, sent me this book, and Fat Men From Space, when I was about eight. I loved it!I am now almost thirty; yet I remember these books with great affection. Mind you, what you remember and what was true are two different things; but a book that can make you smile more than ten years later is worth the investment.

A sentimental fave

woooooo. suddenly I'm brought back to third grade when I first read this book. It was absolutely magical then and I remember how it stretched my imagination like taffy, and made me see avacados in a whole new light. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to be taken on a wacky adventure.

the snark out boys

The Snark Out Boys and The Avocado of DeathThe book The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death by Daniel Pinkwater is a book about kids who sneak out and go have fun during the night. It is a good book and I liked because it has action and the snarking out that the boys do is interesting. This book mainly is about these two boys who sneak out in the night to go to the theater to watch a movie at the Snark Theater. One day Walter, the main character of this story, has to go Snarking solo because his friend Winston Bongo gets sick. Walter tries to do a different Snarking, so he goes and makes a speech at the Blueberry Park. There he meets the girl who Walter called Rat. Walter thinks she has the world record of Snarking. He tells his friend and when he gets better Walter takes Winston Bongo to meet her. Rat shows them her Uncle Flipping who Snarks Out for seventeen years already. He is really crazy. One day he disappeared and the three kids go every night to look for him. Rat explained that when her uncle went to Iceland and by mistake he took something valuable and that now a criminal was after him. One night when the kids were looking for Flipping they found the best detective in the world Osgood and his companion D. Ormond. That meant the criminal was around. Would they find the criminal and discover what is valuable? You have to read it to figure it out. I kind of liked this book because it contains action and mystery. Like when they are trying to find Flipping and much more. I think people who are Daniel Pinkwater fan should read it because it fits all the stories that he writes but if you don't like to read books DON'T read this book is very predictable and boring and write when you start you are going to stop. I also liked this book because what the boys do is a very good idea to do when you can't sleep. It is kind of hard for me to do this because it is impossible to pass by the guards and also at night in Campinas, São Paulo, it is extremely dangerous and it is not an imaginary city like in the book. So, remember if you go to a nearby library don't forget to checkout The Snark Out Boys and the Avocado of Death. By Daniel Pinkwater because its full of action and what the boys do is very interesting to read.

The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death

What does "snarkout" mean and what is an "avocado of death"? Walter Galt and his "weird" friend, Winston Bongo, love to sneak out of their peaceful homes at midnight to "snark". They creep downtown in dark hats to the Snark Theater to enjoy double feature, old movies. Winston invented Snarking, or so he claims. When the boys meet Bentley Saunders Harrison Matthews, a girl who looks and calls herself Rat, they discover that not only did Winston not invent Snarking, but that Rat's uncle, Flipping Hades Terwilliger, has been snarking for every for seventeen years! Walter and, especially, Winston are in awe. When Winston and Walter become friends with Rat, Uncle Flipping leads all of them into a mysterious chase across town to a special underground street to a secret warehouse where Walter and Winston come face-to-face with a criminal mastermind and get a chance to work with a world-famous detective! This is an excellent science fiction book. In every chapter, a wild character or strange event was waiting to happen. Rat and her crazy family lead Winston and Walter into experiences that they've never dreamed of an, sadly, Winston realizes that he's not an original snarker. I really liked the book. It seemed really odd at the beginning when Walter, the narrator, started talking about "snarking" but once it was explained, everything began to make sense. I especially liked it when Walter, Winston, and Rat were working on the mystery (You have to read the book to find out!) with the world-famous detective and they discover a giant... I would encourage everyone to read The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death!