A City of Names

Be the first to write a review
Available through our Marketplace sellers.
See All Options
Other sellers (Hardcover)
  • All (8) from $1.99   
  • Used (8) from $1.99   
Close
Sort by
Page 1 of 1
Showing All
Note: Marketplace items are not eligible for any BN.com coupons and promotions
$1.99
thriftbooks-com
Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(8355)

Condition:

New — never opened or used in original packaging.

Like New — packaging may have been opened. A "Like New" item is suitable to give as a gift.

Very Good — may have minor signs of wear on packaging but item works perfectly and has no damage.

Good — item is in good condition but packaging may have signs of shelf wear/aging or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Acceptable — item is in working order but may show signs of wear such as scratches or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Used — An item that has been opened and may show signs of wear. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Refurbished — A used item that has been renewed or updated and verified to be in proper working condition. Not necessarily completed by the original manufacturer.

Good
Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More.

Ships from: Auburn, WA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
Silver Arch Books
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(2833)

Condition: Very Good
Book shows a small amount of wear - very good condition! Selection as wide as the Mississippi.

Ships from: St Louis, MO

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
Better World Books
Seller since 2006

Feedback rating:

(55305)

Condition: Good
Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase ... benefits world literacy! Read more Show Less

Ships from: Mishawaka, IN

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$3.94
Extremely_Reliable
Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(7866)

Condition: Good
Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.

Ships from: Richmond, TX

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
$7.95
AmericanClassroomLibraries
Seller since 2012

Feedback rating:

(19)

Condition: Very Good
2002 Hardcover Very good

Ships from: Simi Valley, CA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$11.00
Bungalow Books CO
Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(14)

Condition: Very Good
New York 2002 Hardcover First Edition; First Printing Near Fine in Fine dust jacket 0670035653. Very slight rubbing to the bottom edge of the rear board. After receiving a ... strange book at school, ten-year-old Howie Quackenbush discovers that he can transport himself to various places around his town and also learns something vitally important about his soon-to-be born baby sister. Read more Show Less

Ships from: Pueblo, CO

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$15.00
BrowsersBookstore OR
Seller since 2005

Feedback rating:

(446)

Condition: Like New
2002 Hardcover Fine jacket Signed. First Edition. Fine copy, appears unread. Signed by Brockmeier on title page. First printing with full numberline. Dust Jacket protected by ... mylar cover. Though not marked, from the collection of Mel Waggoner, host of the public radio program "Profiles" which interviewed authors. Read more Show Less

Ships from: Corvallis, OR

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$20.00
Vintage Books Arkansas
Seller since 2013

Feedback rating:

(0)

Condition: Very Good
0670035653 Young Reader. 12mo-over 6?"-7?" tall. Signed by Author Clean, tight, unmarked. Brockmeir signed on title page. Near Fine.

Ships from: Russellville, AR

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
Page 1 of 1
Showing All
Close
Sort by
Note: Kids' Club Eligible. See More Details.
Sending request ...

More About This Book

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
An order-fulfillment snafu affords the offbeat premise for this children's book debut. When fifth-grader Howie Quackenbush orders 101 Pickle Jokes from his school book club, he instead receives Secret Guide to North Mellwood. The book opens up into a map identifying the "true names" of various buildings and sites in Howie's hometown, and identifies five "portals" through which the initiated can travel to other Mellwood locations. Conveniently, one of the portals a bronze statue of Larry Boone, allegedly a Revolutionary War hero is located in front of the boy's school. Howie's second attempt at ordering the joke book brings an addendum to the secret guide, providing access to some hidden underground spots. In the conclusion, Howie enters the underground Hall of Babies, where he meets his unborn sister and learns her true name; when his mother gives birth the following day, Howie ends months of debate by naming the baby. Unfortunately, digressions and dull dialogue may discourage readers, and while the contrivances are clever, the author fails to use them to exciting or meaningful effect. Ages 8-12. (May) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature
Ten-year-old Howie Quackenbush understood the importance of name¾he was kidded about his constantly. His friend, Kevin Bugg, was in the same boat. With his mom expecting a baby within the month, names were a constant topic at his house. That was normal. What was not normal was "The Secret Guide to North Mellwood" that he received when he clearly put "101 Pickle Jokes" on his school book-order form. According to this guide, he could go to several portals in town and be transported to any location on the map, as long as he uttered its true name, which was provided. It really worked and was a lot of fun. Things got really weird when he met the book's author, heard his thoughts on true verses and false names, and learned that he received the book because there was a very special place he needed to visit soon, the Hall of Babies. Engaging fantasy at its best. 2002, Viking,
— Barbara Kennedy
School Library Journal
Gr 3-6 Fifth-grader Howie is in for a surprise when he opens his classroom book order. Instead of 101 Pickle Jokes, he gets a mysterious book, Secret Guide to North Mellwood, which is actually a foldout map of his hometown showing all the buildings labeled with strange names. A note explains that the guide can be used as a transportation device. It is possible to travel directly to any place on the map merely by reciting its "true name." While the premise has potential, the author doesn't carry it off successfully. Story elements are introduced but not resolved and plot threads are left dangling everywhere. The "true names" on the map are intriguing, but the unusual words don't always relate to the locations they represent. The final third of the story is positively surreal. Howie and his two best friends make brief visits to a series of weird spots beneath the city including a Kafkaesque place full of hungry monkeys and an eerie, fog-filled holding room for ghostly lost pets. They encounter the strange, unsettling inventor of the map system in his underground hideaway. Finally, Howie meets and talks to his own unborn sister in an odd, womblike room where naked babies sit around in soft chairs with their umbilical cords stretching up to disappear through the walls. Steer science-fiction fans to Gene DeWeese and Bruce Coville instead. -Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
A fifth-grader discovers that there's far more to his small town than meets the eye in this offbeat children's debut. When Howie's school book club order arrives, instead of 101 Pickle Jokes, he gets The Secret Guide To North Mellwood-a fold-out map with recognizable buildings bearing strange labels: his home, for instance, is "Guddle," the local video parlor, "Hurdy-Gurdy." According to the instructions, all he has to do is rap on the eponymous statue outside Larry Boone Elementary School, and speak this "true name" to be instantly teleported there. To his delight, it works, though each trip produces a rotten-egg smell as a side effect; in no time, he and friends Kevin and Casey are zipping off to the arcade at night to rack up humongous scores, and the like. Then the next book order brings an Addendum, a plastic overlay with far more intriguing destinations, including an underwater chamber full of babies where Howie has a conversation with his about-to-be-born little sister, and the subterranean digs of Larry Boone himself, a half-legendary figure in town history who not only admits inventing the transportation system, but demonstrates that he knows-well, everything about everybody. Brockmeier never troubles to explain any of this, but to keep it all from getting entirely too strange, he folds in a bully, a budding romance, and other conventions. The result is a giddy but enjoyable ride with a whiff of mystery (as well as sulfur) that may leave readers regarding their own supposedly ordinary neighborhoods with new eyes. (Fiction. 10-12)
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780670035656
  • Publisher: Viking
  • Publication date: 6/1/2002
  • Pages: 128
  • Age range: 9 - 12 Years
  • Product dimensions: 5.74 (w) x 8.60 (h) x 0.78 (d)

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
    If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
    Why is this product inappropriate?
    Comments (optional)