I held off reading Daniel Pinkwater for a long time. I thought the books would be gimmicky and too goofy. At least when it came to this one, I was wrong. When I finally read Lizard Music (as a bedtime story to my stepson) I was blown away by how funny the writing was AND how much the book made me think.

The story is told in first person ("I went down the street..." not "Joey went down the street...") and is about Victor, a boy who starts to believe that the earth is being invaded by aliens. The way the story progresses is not at all the usual "space-ships descended fromthe night sky" way. Victor starts to notice strange coincidences, and the way they start to creep into the story is eerie and disturbing. But the book stays funny and not (too) creepy, both because Victor is telling the story (so obviously he survives), and because he is a confident character (he is staying at home while his parents are on vacation). Along the way Victor meets some other engaging characters including the Chicken Man, a number of (you guessed) Lizards, and a turtle who saves his life. To tell more would give too much away. Suffice to say, this book is worth reading as a kid AND re-reading as an adult. ( )

I loved this as a kid too. Not quite science fiction, just odd. The only thing that might make it difficult for subsequent generations to relate to is the protagonist's love of Walter Cronkite. When I was a kid, that was a quirky contemporary detail, but for anyone under thirty it probably provokes the response, "Walter Who?" ( )

This was one of my favorite books as a kid. I loved the wacky humor and the somewhat sci-fi plot. When the main character is left home alone while his parents are on vacation, he stays up late watching old movies. One night he discovers that after the station goes off the air, a new broadcast comes on -- a band of lizards playing musical instruments. This leads him on a hilarious adventure to discover the meaning of the lizard music. ( )

First his parents go on vacation, then his sister, who is supposed to be in charge, goes camping. Now Victor's home alone--and loving every minute of his holiday. Pizza every meal, cookie dough, stay up all night long watching tv--but who are these lizards that have suddenly appeared on the television? They aren't in the TV Guide, and they seem to be planning something nefarious. Can Victor and his new-found ally, the Chicken Man, save the World? ( )

Seemingly bizarre, but filled with meaning... reject the pod people. Be a lizard, now more that ever. ( )