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Thank you, blurb. Because who doesn't want to know the ending before they've even read the book?!I hate you.
This was an interesting story told in an odd way. I can see how the appeal of the short stories and liking the like the tales, lies and fabrications from each suspect. It was funny at most spots and I liked the personality and originality from the authors. But it was a bit....long. I think I would have liked it cut in half. Cute idea either way.
I think you have to go into this book expecting a lot of repetition, and that's why a lot of people reacted so poorly to it. It's not really the sort of book that it's necessary to read cover-to-cover, and that's okay. The point of the book is to benefit 826nyc, and kudos to all these authors for chipping in for a good cause. You can pick out your favourite authors and only read their alibis. You can read most or some or a few or all of the alibis and then skip to the end and it would not make a...
Wow wow wow, I am so mad that I didn't hear about this book at ALL prior to its release, despite following a bunch of the authors inside online. This has to be one of my new favorite reads. So many great inside jokes and broken fourth walls and satirical self-referential humor. I am thankful that I found this at my library and saw all of the great authors' names on the cover. Others have pointed out that it is repetitive, but I think it's really interesting to see what each author did with the l...
To be clear, because I certainly didn't realize this going in: this is NOT an actual mystery. It's just a writing exercise for 80+ well-known YA and kid's lit authors. (Much in the spirit of what 826NYC students might produce, I imagine-- I think that's the point.)At 80+ entries, no attempt at plot development from story to story, and (I suspect) no actual direction given to the authors/artists (beyond the same introduction the reader gets), this is NOT a book to read cover-to-cover. There's no
I was so excited by the premise of the book, and it promised to be funny. With no plot line and just authors writing alibis, it didn't draw me back, so I was forcing myself to read on my lunch breaks while allowing myself other books before bedtime. Luckily, the chapters were all short, so there were many easy stopping points. I did not get as much enjoyment out of it as I had anticipated, but it wasn't bad. There were definitely funny parts. Much of it was clever. Some of it silly. And, yes, so...
Cute story but went on too long.
In a lot of ways this reminded me of movies like "CLUE" and "MURDER BY DEATH" in that many of the writers paid homage to recognizable tropes of the mystery world, but in over the top ways. I found that part to be amusing and endearing.What I found less endearing, and which ultimately had me frowning more often then being entertained, was that while some authors obviously took the idea of clues and a mystery seriously (even if they didn't write it seriously) a larger majority couldn't use subtly
The world's worst editor, Herman Q. Mildew, has been killed in some unspecified manner. All 80 of the writers he invited to gather at an abandoned pickle factory are called upon to write up their alibis for the police. All are children's or young adult writers, some well known (Mo Willems, John Green, David Levithan), many not so well known, even to a school librarian. All had motive, and every short-short entry seems to point to the author as the guilty party. So who really did it?I thought I w...
What's the What: Super horrible, nasty book editor Herman Q. Mildew has been found murdered. Over eighty famous children's and YA authors and illustrators gather in an abandoned pickle factory, ostensibly invited by their tormentor, ol' Hermie himself. Instead, they write for their lives, offering up alibis that will prove they couldn't possibly have committed the dastardly deed.Opening Sentence (of Introductory Interrogation by Jon Scieszka): LADIES AND GENTLEMEN...AND I USE THOSE TERMS LOOSELY...
Clever idea, but too repetitive to make a good anthology. I expected there to be collaboration between the writers and for a story to emerge, but it's really 80 versions of the writing prompt "tell us your alibi, convince us that you did not kill Herman K. Mildew." I can see the value of this in a classroom setting, though I would pick and choose a few entries to showcase writing style and voice. Besides straight-up fiction, there were poems, one-liners, screenplays, and graphic-novel-type entri...
*A copy was provided by Soho Press for review purposes*What a crazy book. What an outrageous, hysterical, cheesy, fantastic, ingenious book! This is the first anthology I’ve ever read, and wow was it awesome! The idea was so funny, and I loved the ending of the book when the verdict was given. The idea of a cheese-loving, gas-producing, book-bashing, author-hating editor named Herman Q. Mildew being knocked off because everyone hated him was absolutely awesome. The authors who participated in th...
Who Done It is a collection of alibis from over 80 authors. They each add there reason why they couldn't have been the one to kill the worse editor in the world Herman Mildew . You get to hear some of the mean and awful things he did or said to them. They all have a reason for doing it and you just have to figure out which one actual did it. I liked most of the alibis the author came up with in this book. Each one has a unique and different reason for wanting to kill this man and a way they woul...
Who Done It? is an anthology by Jon Scieszka. All sales of this book benefit 826NYC.This anthology is comprised of all contributing authors' alibis and other reasons for not killing editor Herman Q. Mildew.Contributions are made by Jon Scieszka, David Levithan, Jacquelyn Mitchard, Lev Grossman, Gayle Forman, Libba Bray, Dave Eggers, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle, Rebecca Stead, Sara Shepard, Lemony Snicket, Ned Vizzini, John Green, J.R. & Kate Angelella, Mac Barnett, Jennifer Belle, Judy Blund...
Who killed the despicable, despised book editor Herman Mildew? An invitation to a party is sent out to over 80 teen/children's authors, an invitation to a party held at an abandoned pickle factory. At the party, the attendees are informed that they are suspects in Herman Mildews death. What follows is a collection of alibis. Some are downright, laugh out loud hilarious, others are just a bit creepy, and many are extremely creative, as you would expect from an anthology of authors of the caliber
I really enjoyed this book. Perhaps 5 stars is a lot but it's a teen book without a plot, just 2-3 page alibis so maybe I'm being more lenient. It was just fun to read, most of the authors were creative and funny. Some were lacking but there are so many if them that a few bad eggs doesn't matter. As others have said, it was simply a writing exercise for a whole bunch of authors, supplying alibis for the murder of a fictional, though probably not far from the truth, editor. Jon scieszka gave them...
WHO DONE IT? is a hilarious anthology of murder most foul. Odious, pickle-loving editor Herman Mildew has been murdered and the suspects most offer their alibis. And the suspects are a veritable who's who of young adult and children's literature - these people know how to write an alibi. Some will throw others under the bus, some will protest that they liked Mildew, but one of them is guilty.My personal favorite were the entries wherein authors outlined their plans for murdering Mildew and expre...
Loved. This. Book! I was excited to win an advance uncorrected edition of Who Done It through the Goodreads Giveaways program. Who Done It is an anthology of some of the hottest names in young adult and children's fiction. The book opens with an invitation to a party at an abandoned pickle factory which is being hosted by the notorious editor, Herman Mildew. When the guests arrive they learn that the party host has been murdered. Everyone is considered a suspect and must provide an alibi. This b...
Who Done It? That is the question the reader must ask after the death of the malodorous, malevolent, malignant, and whatever other adjective that start with "mal" editor Herman Mildew. The suspects include some of the most beloved YA and children authors. Each must provide their alibi to prove their innocence, but when it among people who lie and manufacture stories, who can you trust? When I got this book, I was really excited. I have always had a soft spot for short stories (they're like mini-...
The concept is great--get a whole bunch of authors together to explain why they didn't kill a particularly nasty editor. However, with eighty different authors on the roster, each writing between 1-5 pages on why they didn't do it...well, by about 2/3s of the way through, I just wanted to be done with it. That's not to say the authors or their alibis were bad; far from it. Most of the alibis were pretty funny, and all the voices were unique. There was some repetition, of course, but why wouldn't...