Listen Ear: And Other Stories to Shock You Silly!

by Paul Jennings

Book Overview

Stare if you dare, into Paul Jennings' wild world. How will you stop a thousand rabbits breeding in your bedroom? Who would want to collect toilet rolls? Could you do it? Fifty dollars if you don't... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 014038961X
• ISBN13: 9780140389616
• Release Date: May 1998
• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.1" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

A Book of Misfits

I first read "Uncovered", the eighth short story collection in Paul Jenning's "Un" series, a couple of months after it came out in the early months of 1996. I was twelve and a half at the time, and had just started high school. I had gone from being reasonably well liked to being a misfit of misfits in the space of those few months, and I used to hide out at the library (among other places) at lunch time. A copy of "Uncovered" caught my eye, so I borrowed it. Took me two days to read, and I can say I was pretty disappointed with it at the time. Some parts I found depressing, while other parts didn't grab me at all. "Uncovered" is a collection of nine quirky short stories for kids, though they can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. However, compared to Paul Jennings' other short stories which are full of wacky invention and elements of fantasy, the ones in "Uncovered" are a lot more realistic. Five of the nine stories, though sometimes a little strange, could actually happen in real life. Also, rather than focusing on stories strictly about kids, he also writes one or two about puberty. They're not as unique as the stories from his other volumes I don't think, but Paul's compelling pace and his unconvential but rhythmic sense of grammar make it fairly readable. I think one of the main reasons I found the book so depressing as a seventh grader was because of all the misfit characters. I mean, characters in Paul Jennings' books all usually have problems to deal with, but some of the kids here are kids are real outsiders in the eyes of the outside world. "For Ever" focuses on a kid with terminal illness who has an autistic brother obsessed with toilet paper and honey, "Ringing Wet" has a bed wetting girl with a high sense of paranoia and "Pubic Hare" has an early blooming boy who hangs out with eastern gurus chanting mantras. Being something of a misfit myself was probably the main reason this book got me so down. I had enough of being an outsider at school, now it was usurping the stories of my then favorite author? Was this all there was going to be? A kid who loved fantasy and imagination reduced to living in a world of faded brown grass, rejection and realism like these characters? I know now that wasn't to be the case, and I like the book much more than I did then. I can see what Paul was trying to do now. Still, it isn't perfect, and it is a rather odd addition to the series. I wouldn't recommend this book to newcomers of Paul Jennings, rather I think they should get their hands on more essential books of his like "Unreal" and "Uncanny". Even "Unseen" (which was the book that came out after "Uncovered") is a pretty good introduction. Three and a half stars for "Uncovered", I think. Four stars for fans (like myself) and three for everyone else.