The inimitable Daniel Pinkwater (The Hoboken Chicken Emergency) brings his zany wit and wisdom to a gentle middle-grade adventure following a kid’s off-the-beaten-path journey, featuring an unfocused spiritual guide, a not-quite-dwarf, a graffiti “artist,” a ghost whale, and mystical shenanigans galore.

“Crazy in Poughkeepsie is a ludicrous romp reminiscent of the Muppets! Weirdness is positive, wonderful, and everywhere in Pinkwater’s writing. This is a book that will make you laugh, grin, and maybe look for more whimsy in your own world.”

—Beth Cato, author of The Clockwork Dagger

Mick is a good kid, but maybe he can use just a little guidance. But it’s unclear who will be guiding whom, because Mick’s brother came home from Tibet with the self-proclaimed Guru Lumpo Smythe-Finkel and his dog Lhasa-and then promptly settled both of them in Mick’s bedroom.

(The thing about this kind of guru is that he doesn’t seem to know exactly what he’s trying to do. He sure does seem to be hungry, though.)

Anyway, Mick agrees to something like a quest, roaming the suburbs with the oddest group of misfits: Lumpo and Lhasa; graffiti-fanatic Verne; and Verne’s unusual friend Molly. Molly is a Dwergish girl-don’t worry if you don’t know what that is yet-and she seems to be going off the rails a bit.

Along the way, the gang will get invited to a rollicking ghost party, consult a very strange little king, and actually discover the truth about Heaven. Or a version of the truth anyway, because in a Daniel Pinkwater tale, the truth is never the slightest bit like what you’re expecting.

Mick’s older brother heads off for Tibet to find a guru while Mick goes to summer camp. When he returns from camp he finds his brother is home, there is a guru - with a dog - sleeping in his room and soon he will be on a sort of quest. Mick, the guru, Guru Lumpo Smythe-Finkel, and his dog, Lhasa, are joined on their quest by Verne (a friend Mitch made at camp) and Molly, a mysterious girl who sleeps in a tree ( return character from Adventures of a Dwergish Girl).  There are ghosts, including a ghostly whale, circus people, hidden villages and a bit of activism all rolled into a wonderfully silly and delightful adventure.

This was an incredibly quick and fun read with nice illustrations. Sure to entertain readers of all ages. I look forward to seeing more of these characters. ~~ Stephanie L Bannon

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