A review by pwbalto
SPHDZ Book #1! by Jon Scieszka, Francesco Sedita
3.0
Any book that name-checks the nastiest old old-man dive bar in Park Slope automatically gains my respect. I was happily muddling through this latest goof-fest from Former Ambassador Scieszka, when the Beset Protagonist and his friendly alien antagonists walked past a building with a sign on it that read "Jackie's 5th Amendment." Jackie's 5th Amendment? Dude. I knew the kids were in Brooklyn, and I even knew they were in Park Slope, but they were on 5th Avenue just down from the Chip Shop? I was just there! And Jackie's 5th Amendment was a bar even *I* was hesitant to go into. Here's what the neighbors and critics say about the place:
"In an otherwise beautiful, friendly and decent neighborhood, Jackie's attracts an awful clientele of alcoholics, alcoholics and alcoholics. Patrons harass the neighbors and wander around the streets like belligerent zombies. Jackie's is a place where the hopeless go to bide time before their deaths."
"How many winos does it take to line up at a bar's door at 7am? It depends: How many stools are inside?"
"If you're secretly harboring a longing for the nightlife of a two-bit hometown, complete with cheap furniture, out of date music, patrons too old to give a crap about irony or the next big thing, then you'll want to seek out Jackie's."
How's the book? The book is fine. It's cute. It's got excellent online ancillaries. Did it make me laugh out loud? Well, no. Sometimes I don't laugh out loud. But it did make me wonder if I ever sat next to Jon Scieszka at O'Connor's, the other old-man bar in Park Slope. I bet Jon Scieszka would do a great impersonation of a belligerent zombie - god knows I do!
"In an otherwise beautiful, friendly and decent neighborhood, Jackie's attracts an awful clientele of alcoholics, alcoholics and alcoholics. Patrons harass the neighbors and wander around the streets like belligerent zombies. Jackie's is a place where the hopeless go to bide time before their deaths."
"How many winos does it take to line up at a bar's door at 7am? It depends: How many stools are inside?"
"If you're secretly harboring a longing for the nightlife of a two-bit hometown, complete with cheap furniture, out of date music, patrons too old to give a crap about irony or the next big thing, then you'll want to seek out Jackie's."
How's the book? The book is fine. It's cute. It's got excellent online ancillaries. Did it make me laugh out loud? Well, no. Sometimes I don't laugh out loud. But it did make me wonder if I ever sat next to Jon Scieszka at O'Connor's, the other old-man bar in Park Slope. I bet Jon Scieszka would do a great impersonation of a belligerent zombie - god knows I do!