Winchell Mink: The Misadventure Begins
By Steve Young (2004). Published by Harper Collins.
Winchell Mink has a box turtle for a best friend and is relentlessly bullied by Clayton Moore, a Latin-speaking, articulate jerk. Winchell wakes up on his birthday morning and hears a message in his head that is telling him to “experience life,” so he goes out with his box turtle named Hannibal and goes near THE CLIFF. When he gets near THE CLIFF, he somehow falls off the edge and gets stuck on a ledge. This is when the misadventure begins. First he and Hannibal switch bodies. Then he becomes a dinosaur. After that, he switches bodies yet again, and becomes a boy named Bobby Dungermutt, who has a butt shaped like a plunger. Of course, everyone calls him Bobby Plungerbutt. After that, he meets Abraham Lincoln, and then transforms back into his turtle again, where he goes on trial for a crime he doesn’t know about. At every transformation, Clayton the bully is there to make his life more difficult, even though all Winchell is trying to do is get back to his house and get himself off the ledge. The story is full of ridiculous humor, figurative language turned literal, and completely unbelievable situations. Strange, fantastical, and silly things happen to Winchell at every turn, but eventually he does get home for a surprise party, and even resolves things with Clayton Moore.
Interest: Ages 7-11
Genre: Humor
Personal Thoughts: This book was both hilarious and ridiculous. I think it would make a great read-aloud for classes from 3rd-7th grade. It is funny and creative. It’s also relatively short—135 pages.
Reason for Selection: I spoke with the children’s librarian at my local library because I was looking for books that would make me laugh out loud, and he recommended this one.
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