Not So Normal Norbert

by James Patterson, Joey Green Narrated by Michael Crouch

Overview

A kooky kid is banished to another planet in this hilarious adventure about a futuristic world where different is dangerous, imagination is insanity, and creativity is crazy!

Norbert Riddle lives in the United State of Earth, where normal means following the rules, never standing out, and being exactly the same as everyone else, down to the plain gray jumpsuits he wears every day. He's been normal his whole life -- until a moment of temporary hilarity when he does a funny impression of their dictator, Loving Leader . . . and gets caught!

Now, Norbert's been arrested and banished to planet Zorquat 3 in the Orion Nebula, where kids who defy the rules roam free in the Astronuts camp. Norbert has been taught his whole life that different is wrong, but everyone at Astronuts is crazy, creative, and insane!

Norbert wants nothing more than to go back to earth where things are awful but at least they're familiar. But he soon realizes that being different could be better -- and maybe the crazy farm is exactly where he belongs after all.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for Not So Normal Norbert:


A Barnes & Noble Best Book for Young Readers!
A Parents' Choice Awards (R) Winner!

"Readers will chortle at the relentless wordplay, a supporting cast made up almost entirely of caricatured grown-ups and young pranksters, and Norbert's winning mix of glibness and gullibility. Aly's scribbly ink-and-wash line drawings add punchlines as well as comical portraits of the major characters."—Booklist

"Buoyed by Aly's boisterous drawings, Norbert's droll wordplay, wisecracking banter, and oddball characters, the comedy reaches farcical heights before careening to an unforeseen conclusion. The authors balance the inanity with real-life, affecting emotion, convincingly depicting Norbert's fright as well as his yearning for his parents."—Publishers Weekly

"The humor, adventure, and lively illustrations will make this book enjoyable for reluctant readers."—Common Sense Media

Kirkus Reviews

2018-05-28
In the United State of Earth, where difference is a disease and creativity is a crime, Norbert cracks a joke—big mistake.Seventh-grader Norbert Riddle lives a dreary life in Loving Leader's authoritarian regime, unsuccessfully searching for his parents since they disappeared seven years ago. When he impetuously performs an impression of Loving Leader for his classmates, the Truth Police descend, and Norbert is exiled to "the Astro-Nuts prison on planet Zorquat Three." Clocking in at 300-plus pages with little real action or humor, this attempt at a humorous twist on the dystopian genre falls short across the board. With just a glimpse of the dictatorship compared to the vast majority of the book describing the prison, some readers will have a difficult time inhabiting Norbert's perspective—is an ice cream sundae unusual because it's breakfast or because it's something he's never had before? Stilted phrasing, particularly to create tension at the end of chapters, backfires and makes the text drag. Constant use of language casually dismissive of mental diversity assumes an outmoded sensibility. Primary characters are described by hair color and have (paper-) white skin in the illustrations.Not nearly as nonconformist—or funny—as the title promises. (Dystopian adventure. 8-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170120840
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	07/02/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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