Barry Trotter and the Dead Horse (Gollancz Sf S.) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is a rather funny parody of the Harry Potter series. While some of the language is not appropriate for persons under the age of 17, I found it very enjoyable. I would recommend this bool for anyone who likes Harry Potterand does not want a serious read with adults in mind.

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Barry Trotter is pretty disreputable and unpleasant. Imagine what he was like as a teenager. Here's the beginning of the whole sorry tale. Did Barry and Ermine do it? (Their homwork, that is.) How exactly did Lon end up with a hole in his head that whistles when the wind blows? Was Lord Valumart always that crass? And where did that ridiculous German accent come from? As funny and twisted as the first two books, BARRY TROTTER AND THE DEAD HORSE is also as affectionate towards JK Rowling's originals. This has lead to the books gaining a devoted following amongst fans of Harry Potter as well as being a welcome antidote for the over-egging (eeuwww) of the boy wizard. A process that we're not a part of at all. Oh no. Not even a tiny bit.

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The McSweeney's Joke Book of Book Jokes (Vintage) Review

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(More customer reviews)I truly love to laugh. In fact I relish in it. I also love to read. So when something I happen to be reading makes me literally laugh out loud, I am nearing Nirvana. The McSweeney's Joke Book of Book Jokes helped me approach that state from page one. It is a collection of shorts, ranging from letters to stories, from authors who take some of our most famous books and literary situations and twist them into things that are nothing short of hilarious.
This particular joke book is unlike any other I have ever perused. It pokes fun at the very thing it is: a piece of writing. Starting right out of the gate with a snippet entitled "The Recruitment of Harry Potter" and staying strong with tales of Humbert Humbert's appearance on "To Catch a Predator," to official guidelines for a writer submitting works for a refrigerator door, this collection will have you chuckling to yourself in some places and flat out guffawing in others.
You do need to be on top of your literary toes for some of the jokes. No genre is safe from teasing and unless you have read everything from Harry Potter to the Iliad, you may not get some of the humor. On the flip side, not getting a joke in the book is great motivation to research the background of the joke and find another book you can fall in love with.
This book is flat out funny and well worth the read. Pick up a copy of McSweeney's Joke Book of Book Jokes and put down whatever you are drinking...you don't want to snort it out of your nose when you laugh!
Armchair Interviews agrees.

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As John Hodgman says in this book's introduction, "We all know that books are funny. First, they are made of paste and cloth, which is funny, as is the fact that people still buy and read them." With that in mind, the McSweeney's Joke Book of Book Jokes collects the best book-related humor from the humor-laden archives of McSweeney's Internet Tendency. Open it and be regaled by such sketches, lists, letters, and spoofs as:Postcards from James Joyce to his Brother StanWinnie-the-Pooh is My CoworkerIkea Product or Lord of the Rings Character?Popular Children's Fairy Tales Reimagined Using Members of My FamilyThe Very Unauthorized Biography of Steven Seagal Chuck Norris EroticaJohn Updike, Television WriterJane Eyre Runs for PresidentCormac McCarthy Writes to the Editor of the Santa Fe New MexicanHolden Caulfield Gives the Commencement Speech to a High SchoolLetters from Odysseus's College RoommateAnd many dozens more.

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Harry Putter and the Deathly Hairballs Review

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(More customer reviews)I truly enjoyed this book, but the plot just took too many wild twists and turns for me.
I would recommend it to ages 14+ and give it a three star rating, good, but not the best.

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There a panic going on at Hogwashes.There's a new threat, a fiendish devil cat roaming the dungeons.After it rends them to death with its sharp claws, it leaves a hairball behind on each of its victims, a sick kind of calling card left at the scene of each murder.The long awaited sequel to "Harry Putter and the Chamber of Cheesecakes" has finally arrived. In this hysterical parody of J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series, your favorite characters, places, and past events have been twisted around with devilish wit. You'll follow the adventures of Harry Putter, Ron Cheesley, and Hermione Stranger in their quest to destroy Lord Moldyfart. While some of the encounters are spoofs reminiscent of the original tales, others are new, keeping the storyline fresh and unpredictable. If you like the original Harry Potter series, you'll love this crazy parody.

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Henry Potty and the Pet Rock: An Unauthorized Harry Potter Parody (Special Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)Henry Potty and the Pet Rock is an adorable unauthorized Harry Potter parody written by Valerie Estelle Frankel. Henry Potty is the baby left in an asparagus crate on the doorstep of the Dorky family, relegated to the lowly status of household slave. Though his daily duties involve catering to the whims of Dumpy Dorky and his Dorky parents, Henry is fully aware that he is destined to be the hero of the novel, and bides his time with a room filled with the various action figures, games, and merchandise that will inevitably be in demand when his heroics are recognized.
When Henry receives an acceptance letter to Chickenfeet Academy in California from Professor Bumbling Bore, the Dorkys are eager to send him on his way. With the lackluster aid of his fairy godmother, Henry boards the Chickenfeet trainer for his new life as a "gizzard." Once at school, Henry and his classmates are greeted by the large and hairy Higgle, who ushers them on to a long and boring introduction from Professor Bore, then to dorm selection by the "sorting rat" under the direction of Miss McGonk. After being bitten by the sorting rat, Henry meets his new Heroes Dorm roommates, Horrendous Gangrene, a "which," and Really Wimpy, another gizzard. While Horrendous and Really work to defeat the pungent Lord Revolting while keeping up with their school assignments, Henry will valiantly take the credit for their accomplishments.
Though intended as a children's book, Henry Potty and the Pet Rock has no discernable age limit, as the cover reveals when it states "For ages 2-222." The story flows with a corniness that will make young children giggle, dotted with random jokes to keep an adult reader's attention.
Armchair Interviews says: Even Frankel's bio at the end of the book is filled with humor.

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Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage: An Unauthorized Harry Potter Parody Review

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(More customer reviews)
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (7/08)
As you can probably discern from the title of the book, "Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage," is a spoof on author J. K. Rowling's ever-popular Harry Potter series of books. Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, "Henry Potty and the Pet Rock," this newest book by Valerie Estelle Frankel, chronicles more creative adventures of Henry Potty. In this book, Lord Revolting has divided his soul up into seven Plot Devices and it is up to Henry Potter to find and destroy them. There are many challenges to overcome and creatures to defeat like mimes, extremists, and even the Tooth Fairy. Will he be able to destroy the Plot Devices in time or will he be defeated by a paper shortage?
"Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage" is a silly, hilarious book that is perfect to read when you want to take a break from reality. Travel to Frankel's fantasy world, which is full of outrageous characters and funny story lines, and be prepared for a wild ride! Even with loads of wacky characters and crazy situations the plot flows very smoothly. This relatively short book, at 169 pages, flies by and I read it from cover to cover in one afternoon. It is a perfect summer read and is a great book to take to the beach. However, be prepared for questions if you read the book in a public place! At least three times I got asked, "Does that say `Henry Potty' on the cover?"
The book is very creative and the plays on the original Harry Potter series, as well as on other fairy tales and fantasy characters, are ingenious! I have only read a couple of the books in the Harry Potter series and think that if you are an avid fan you will completely appreciate this parody of the series and will understand all of the humor. Even if you can't stand the original Harry Potter books, I think that you will enjoy this book because of the way it pokes fun at the series. You definitely can't go wrong in choosing Frankel's newest parody!


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Papercutz Slices #1: Harry Potty and the Deathly Boring Review

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(More customer reviews)As a 26-year-old woman, it's been difficult for me to become too invested in any of the graphic novels being released by Papercutz--and rightfully so. The nearly six-year-old company is a graphic novel publisher for tweens and teens, and though Harry Potter has supposedly crossed all age groups, I never became a fan. So needless to say, Papercutz's Harry Potty and the Deathly Boring, a parody of the ultrapopular book series/move franchise, wasn't necessarily my cup of tea, but even I could appreciate some of the subtle social commentary and tongue-in-cheek references that your average kid wouldn't have picked up. Also, just to be fair, it should be pointed out that my two young nieces, ages six and seven, thought Harry Potty was hilarious.
Apparently, this is just one of what will become a long line of parodies produced by Papercutz's Slices, a parody imprint "dedicated to cutting up your favorite pop culture icons." All of the familiar characters are here, though renamed in snarky fashion. There's Harry Potty (Harry Potter), of course, and Don Measley (Ron Weasley), Whiny Stranger (Hermione Granger), Dumb-as-a-Door (Dumbledore), and Frappe (Severus Snape), etc. The Deathly Boring is writer Stefan Petrucha's take on the tale of how Potty found his way to "Nosewarts," becoming one of the school's most beloved students, while also becoming embroiled in a battle after the killing of his mentor Dumb-as-a-door by the "traitorous barista" Frappe.

The title of Papercutz's parody would seem to imply that the entirety of the story will be based on Rowling's final tome, but that's actually incorrect. Harry Potty and the Deathly Boring provides a look back at each of Rowling's books, but of course all of them have been cleverly renamed (Omelette of Fire and The Border of Phoenix, among others). The retelling is cleverly done by Petrucha. Rather than break the book into sections for each of Rowling's books, it's presented as a flashback by Whiny Stranger, who uses the spell "rememberallthisstufficis" to recap all seven books in rapid succession.

My favorite feature of The Deathly Boring was the fact that all of Harry's rivals' names were based on big business, such as the incredibly creepy villain Value-Mart (Wal-Mart) (also known as He Whose Prices Can't Be Beat), Horbucks (Starbucks), and Odor Eaters, all of whom he defeats with his motley crew of crazy friends in this bizarre take on the much beloved series. Admittedly, many of the jokes are hit or miss and geared toward the younger set, but there's no denying that it's a take on Harry Potter that you won't read anywhere else. Plus, only in a Papercutz parody would Potty avenge the death of his parents and mentors with (prepare yourself) a toilet plunger.

-- Tina Vasquez

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The creative team behind the hit Tales from the Crypt #8 "Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid" team up again to launch this new parody series from Papercutz! Following the killing of their mentor Dumb-as-a-door by the seemingly traitorous barista Frappe, Harry Potty, Don Measley and Whiny Stranger must find a way to defeat the nose-less dark lord Value-Mart (He-Whose-Prices-Can't-Be-Beat) and his followers, the Odor Eaters in order to avenge the death of Harry Potty's parents and bring balance to the world of magic.

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Hogfather (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)After much hunting I found this DVD in the US... I wasn't sure what to expect from a live action Discworld movie, I just couldn't imagine that the humor could translate properly. In the end, it did and it didn't.
A short Summary:
In the fantasy world of Discworld, their winter festival is called Hogswatch, which is ruled over by the Hogfather... a fat jolly man with tusks who doles out gifts to nice little children. An Assassin is hired to "take care of" the Hogfather, and he goes about it by invading the lair of the Toothfairy. To try to keep the world in order, Death puts on the Hogfather Costume and tries to sub in for the evening... meanwhile, Death's grandaughter, Susan is off to figure out what happened to the Hogfather.
If you have read the book, then you know that you probably laughed so hard you cried. Though the movie is funny, it is not nearly so as the book. They remain fairly faithful to the book, cutting only where necessary. But if you have not read the book... then you will watch this film in puzzlement. There is a great deal of assumption by the filmmakers that the viewer is already aware of Discworld and how it works. The opening shot of Great A'tuin with the four elephants is shown but never explained. The Unseen university is baffling if you don't already know about the wizards, and the Death of Rats makes no sense at all.
But if you HAVE read the book, you will be able to follow quite happily seeing the characters from your head pop into life.
The acting, though theatrical, is wonderful. The costuming is brilliant and the sets are strange and beautiful. Susan is a powerful yet likeable character. Death, though his mouth never moves, is one of the most human creatures in the film. Albert is a scream... you can't help but love him.
Final summary: If you have read and enjoyed the book, this film is a must-see. If you have not read the book, then you might enjoy the movie... but you won't "get" most of it because of the level of discworld knowledge you are assumed to already have.
Kiddie Rating - I will probably let my kids watch this (ages 6 and 10) there are a few murders but very little blood, and they are not overly graphic. I didn't catch any profanity on my first watch through, there is of course no nudity. I would be more concerned of their lack of interest because I'm not sure if they are old enough to comprehend the humor of Death delivering presents dressed as a jolly fat man.

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Hogfather is the magical, menacing, wicked, and witty family story unlike anything else you could ever imagine.From the imagination of best-selling author Terry Pratchett comes Hogfather.It's the holiday of Hogswatch, the night when kids anticipate presents from the beloved Hogfather.But someone wants the Hogfather out of the way.Now it's up to the most unlikely of heroes to get the holiday back on track.Just in time for the Easter season, Hogfather is a cross between Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter that's sure to be a family favorite you'll be watching for years and years to come.

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