The Legend of Spud Murphy

När de två bröderna Lukas och Martin tvingas till biblioteket för att spendera eftermiddagar där under lovet kommer de öga mot öga med den skräckinjagande bibliotekarien, som kallas potatishäxan av alla barn. Hennes namn har hon fått eftersom ryktet går att hon disciplinerar riktiga bråkstakar med en potatiskanon. Lukas och Martin provar utan större framgång att lura henne, allt för att undkomma faktiskt läsande. Men så småningom förändras deras inställning till både potatishäxan och böcker...

En rolig och rätt lättläst bok som man kan sätta i händerna på de som läsningen går lite trögt för. De svartvita illustrationerna bidrar både med humor och med att göra boken lättare att läsa. Redigt med show more utrymme mellan raderna. Berättelsen spelar mycket på stereotyper, så som de busiga (läsovilliga) pojkarna, den stränga bibliotekarien eller de jobbiga småsyskonen. Eftersom boken är just humoristisk och lättläst gör det inte så mycket, utan man får ta den för vad den är. show less

Fed up with their behavior, Will and Marty Woodman's Mom decides that spending the summer at the library under the watchful eye of the librarian, Mrs. Murphy, is just what the boys need to keep them occupied. What Mrs. Woodman doesn't know is that kindly Mrs. Murphy is also known as "Spud" Murphy, a terrifying and vengeful wrecker of mischievious boy's plans.

Summary:

This book is about two brothers, Will and Marty, Their parents decide they should do something better with their time than destroy the house during the summer. So their mom drops them off at the library 3 times a week so they can spend sometime reading.
The boys are terrified of the library because they think it is boring and also because they believe a rumor that says the librarian will shoot them with potato guns if the they misbehave. They do misbehave at first, not staying at their designated section, specially Will's older brother Marty. They go to the library for weeks and pretend to read until on day they start reading for real. They eventually read all the books in the children's section. Will then risks being shoot at show more with a potato for leaving his designated area, but when he explains to the librarian that all he wanted was more books to read. The librarian then rewards him with a library card for adults and becomes his friend.

Review:

I think this is really fun book that will encourage reluctant readers to read. The book itself tells a story about a blossoming love for reading . The book is easy to read. The characters are relatable. The two little boys are mischievous and want exactly what every other little book wants, to have fun. They think reading is boring but soon discover that they love it. It is a lesson learned within the context of fun jokes and the stories concocted by the wild imagination.
The illustrations also part of what makes this book so inviting. There are many of them and they are all funny and depict many of the boys wild imaginings.
The book is a great transition book from picture books to chapter books. show less

This is a fun and amusing read. Two older children are banished to the library during the summer holidays as they're being disruptive. The Librarian (Spud Murphy) has an evil reputation in the village for being intolerant of children. It's fun and amusing and there were times I really did understand the librarian's motives!

Will and Marty are brothers whose own parents are fed up with their antics. Their mother decides they need to do something educational and drops them off at the library, monitored by the much feared Mrs. Murphy. Does she truly use a potato gun to shoot children who are making too much noise? How does she appear on the scene so quickly, so quietly, with skills of a ninja? Can Will and Marty make it through the summer? Don't miss the sequels Legend of Captain Crow's Teeth and Legend of the Worst Boy in the World. Appropriate for Grades 2-4.

I loved this book. It was so funny and entertaining that my nephew and I took turns reading it. We loved all of the trouble that Will and Marty got into while they were stuck at the library. We could not stop laughing.

Ali Qutab
Summer Reading Book Review
Mr. Bronson
September 13th 2012

Eoin Colfer’s Adventures of: Spud Murphy

Young readers will hoot over Will's cynical narration. The legend of Spud Murphy is a great book to motivate kids to read and represents humor. No matter how old, this book is perfect for someone looking for a light atonement and the story's comic moments, brevity and message are well targeted to reluctant readers. The legend of Spud Murphy is not intimidating, but it tells a good story. The bestselling author of the Artemis Fowl series introduces a brilliant new chapter book series, and acclaimed cartoonist McCoy lends his wickedly funny illustrations to take readers on an unforgettable trip through the world of a "kindly" show more librarian with a secret. According to me, all these characteristic of this book are exactly why I chose and loved reading it.

“Suddenly a shadow fell across my brother…….. It was Spud. She had appeared without a sound, like a ninja librarian.”

Spud Murphy is a story of a story of a young boy who meets many obstacles along the path of his life. Will (the main character) is one of five brothers, which would be a nightmare for any mother. Especially HP, the smartest of them all. However, the brother who uses being gleeful as a trump card deliberately. The problem is, Will is too young to be in charge but too young to escape blame through strategic use of cuteness. In this particular book by Eoin Colfer, Will meets the “most terrifying librarian ever”, who is his old nemesis as well, Spud Murphy. They call her the only librarian to have ever had a “Spud” gun. Will, along with Marty (the oldest brother) were abased to here that they would have to spend two hours every week at the library (day dreaming).

Surprisingly, after weeks of day dreaming, Marty finally found a book. Seeing this, Will went looking for a book of his satisfaction. So, they kept reading and reading books, the two brothers. Oh, they were enraptured by the books. From reading Horror to reading comedy, Will and Marty read them all. They had read each book a multiple amount of times However, one day; the two brothers were all out of books to read!

Therefore, one day, Will went to divulge his adrenaline by going to the restricted section for a new book. Will didn’t even think twice, not even once, but a hundred times. All Will wanted was to get a new book and get his action figure back (which Marty had taken). It would be like killing two birds with one stone. The results were perceptible yet execrable. But no, this incident had led to the end of disparity between Mrs. Murphy and Will. I would give this book five stars.

“Colfer aims at a younger audience and hilariously hits the mark.”

- Kirkus Reviews

“Readers will laugh out loud at this clever book….. A good choice for fans of Dav Pilkey, Jon Sciezka, and Ian Whybrow.”

-School Library Journal

"An imposing story of the average boy's emprise in a gratifying perspective"

- Ali Qutab show less