A Flying Birthday Cake? (6 page)

Marvin felt sad, but he was glad that Joe stopped to say good-bye. And at least he knew he wasn’t saying good-bye forever. It would be fun to go to Joe’s house in two years. Maybe he would get to go to Lake Wizzle.

He had been worried, at first, that his mother was going to say he couldn’t go. He’d never been away from home for more than a night before, and that was just to Stuart’s or Nick’s house. Chicago was a long way away, five hundred miles, at least.

Marvin suddenly figures out why he has red hair and blue eyes, while the rest of his family has brown hair and brown eyes. He’s not really Marvin Redpost at all. He’s Robert, the Lost Prince of Shampoon!

“Wonderfully logical and absurd, with wit and attention to detail rare in an easy reader.”

—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“My name’s not Marvin.”

—Marvin Redpost

The rumor is going around that Marvin is the biggest nose-picker in the school. Now everyone is acting as if the rumor is true! Even Marvin’s best friends don’t want to be seen with him. What can Marvin do?

“Vintage Sachar—ingenious, funny, gross—and with a believable resolution.”

—
Kirkus Reviews

“Marvin’s the biggest nose-picker in the whole school.”

—Melanie, Marvin’s classmate

Marvin kisses his elbow by accident. Now he wishes he had pigtails and wants to play hopscotch! Everyone at school says that if a boy kisses his elbow, he’ll turn into a girl. Could Marvin be turning into a girl?

“Sachar writes for beginning readers with a comic simplicity that is never banal.”

—
Booklist

“There’s nothing Marvin Redpost can’t do.”

—Stuart Albright, Marvin’s best friend

Marvin’s friends think he’s the luckiest boy in the world when Mrs. North asks him to dog-sit for a week. He gets $3 a day plus a $4 bonus if nothing goes wrong. And he gets to be alone in Mrs. North’s house!

“Sachar’s finely tuned sense of how children think and feel makes his fourth book about Marvin and his comic misadventures entertaining.”

—
The Horn Book Magazine

“Marvin’s going to use the bathroom in Mrs. North’s house!”

—Melanie, Marvin’s classmate

It’s “hole day” at school, and even Mrs. North and the principal are wearing their worst clothes. But now they’re expecting company—the president of the United States is on his way! And there’s no time to change!

“The story hums along with its own cheerful energy, much like Marvin himself.”

—
Kirkus Reviews

“Good job, Marvin.”

—The president

Everyone at school thinks that Marvin Redpost is going to ride his new bike down Suicide Hill. But not only is Marvin terrified of the steep hill, he’s afraid of his new bike! How can Marvin survive this one?

“If Marvin says he’ll ride down Suicide Hill, then he’ll ride down Suicide Hill.”

—Stuart Albright, Marvin’s best friend

Marvin Redpost’s friend Casey Happleton lives in an old firehouse. But that’s not the only cool thing about her. She’s also got a super-secret
magic
crystal that she’s going to share with Marvin!

“Lively dialogue and Marvin’s endless imagination command steady attention.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“You’re weird, Marvin!”

—Casey Happleton, Marvin’s friend?

Louis Sachar
lives in Austin, Texas. He has written many books, including the very strange Wayside School series. He is the winner of both the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award for his novel
Holes
. People often want to know where he gets his ideas. He takes frequent trips to Chicago.