marmarlad's review against another edition
5.0
Found in a used bookstore on cape cod, bought as a joke, ended up deeply enjoying the weirdness / fantastical creativity / cutting sarcasm / oddly poignant emotional moments. I wish I had a 10 year old to give this to.
zoes_human's review against another edition
I laughed quite a bit, but this is definitely the sort of humor that doesn't appeal to everyone. Whales on Stilts! is a goofy and wonderful parody of all the science fiction and adventure radio and TV shows that were popular in the 40s and 50s. It even features a hilarious parody of the Ovaltine commercials from that era. I, personally, loved this, but the humor may be much too absurd for some.
Lovers of M.T. Anderson's [book:Feed|169756] may be sorely disappointed. I adore that book, but do not go into this one expecting something on that level. This is a totally different beast. It's pure adventure and humor and loads of fun.
Lovers of M.T. Anderson's [book:Feed|169756] may be sorely disappointed. I adore that book, but do not go into this one expecting something on that level. This is a totally different beast. It's pure adventure and humor and loads of fun.
ehparrish's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
spiderfelt's review against another edition
3.0
Full of hyperbole and a tendency to exaggerate the elements of 1950s thrillers, my son and I enjoyed this short book. Perfect as a reader for a fourth grader, I particularly loved the illustrations. While it appears to be one in a series, it took a bit of time for the tongue-in-cheek humor to come through. Should we read another, I'm sure we will be laughing out loud from page one.
saywibble's review against another edition
4.0
Very, very funny book. I loved it! However it didn't do much for my 9yr old, so I wonder how much of the humour requires extensive reading in the genres being satirised?
socr8sjohnson's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty.
Dang.
Weird.
I liked it. There were parts that were laugh out loud funny for me. The author's crazy asides and footnotes and fake ads for books and such was nice. I giggled. I turned pages. It was a funny booky experience. Will read the others in the series.
Dang.
Weird.
I liked it. There were parts that were laugh out loud funny for me. The author's crazy asides and footnotes and fake ads for books and such was nice. I giggled. I turned pages. It was a funny booky experience. Will read the others in the series.
book_nut's review against another edition
4.0
Admittedly, I have a wacky-odd sense of humor, but man, I haven't laughed this hard since... well, since I read Order of the Odd-Fish. Weirdly hilarious.
herlifewithbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Super fun. Audio was fine, but I wish I was reading in print so I could really catch all of the humor - cause it's completely loaded.
ericaceae's review against another edition
4.0
SUCH a funny book! Very silly, but there is a good story in there too.