Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Almost True Stories of Growing up Scieszka

I grew up with 3 brothers and 2 sisters. We definitely have some stories from our childhood that we still love laughing about as adults. Jon Scieszka was also one of 6 children, but he grew up in a household of boys. He and his 5 brothers got into some mischief growing up in the 50s and 60s, and this is the basis of this hilarious autobiography. The word "knucklehead" in the title first caught my attention because it is a word I heard my own father use many times in reference to my brothers and the idiotic antics they pursued. Scieszka grew up around the same time as my parents and many of the unbelievably, yet believable stories that he tells remind me so much of stories that my own parents have told me of their childhoods.
The chapter show more titles alone are hilarious and intriguing enough to entice readers to find out the story behind it. From "Who Did It?" to "That Was Weird" to "Stop Breathing My Air," which is the chapter that had my sides aching, each of the 38 brief, story-telling chapters depicts an event or a memory from Scieszka's time growing up with his brothers that keep the reader wanting to turn the pages to see what's next.
As far as access features and format is concerned, this book utilizes them well. We get a concise table of contents, that clearly coincides with each designated chapter, making it easy for the reader to refer back to reread certain stories that you couldn't just read once (obviously speaking from experience here). The book also contains what Scieszka aptly names "Not Your Usual Index," which contains things like "fart. We do not say that. see gas, pass" and "My Air, Stop Breathing It" (I don't want to spoil any potential readers, but I cannot stress enough the hilarity of this chapter). This may be the first index that I've actually read in its entirety because, not only did it provide page numbers for what I was looking for, it also became a continuation of the book. The chapters themselves are short and sweet, and they each contain accompanied photographs of the stories told. As I read, I discovered that the pictures became funnier if I read the entire chapter before looking at them. This simple layout of quick anecdote with a picture for reference fit perfectly with the tone of this book.
I happened to go to my parent's house the night I came home with this book and placed it on the kitchen counter. My mother picked it up (intrigued by the word "knucklehead" just as I was), read through the first two chapters, grabbed her ipad, and ordered the book to send to my dad who was out of town. Any book that makes you want to pick it up, read the first few pages, and immediately purchase a copy for someone you know would love it is definitely a sign of a good book. Jon Scieszka's autobiographical laugh fest is worth the read! show less

If you know a reluctant reader with a biography book report assigned, and you don't point him toward Knuckleheads, you're missing a great opportunity to turn that child into a great reader. Scieszka knows his audience and his biography is right on target. His biography humorously details the events in his childhood that led him to his current success as an author. Raised in a family of six boys and hard-working parents, he has a wealth of material to work with.

He mentions his many of his favorite childhood stories, Mad Magazine, My Side of the Mountain, Go, Dog. Go!, and more. He was not a fan of Dick and Jane.

"When I read the Dick and Jane stories, I thought they were afraid they might forget each other's names. Because they always show more said each other's names. A lot.

So if Jane didn't see the dog, Dick would say, 'Look Jane. Look. There is the dog next to Sally, Jane. The dog is also next to Mother, Jane. The dog is next to Father, Jane. Ha, ha, ha. That is funny, Jane.'

Did I mention that Dick and Jane also had a terrible sense of humor?

At home, my mom read me real stories. These were stories that sounded like my life. These were stories that made sense. She read me a story about a guy named Sam-I-am. He was a fan of green eggs and ham."

Knuckleheads, his father's name for the collective Scieszka boys, is full of life's great lessons - read, if it sounds to good to be true - it is, listen, learn to cook (because stirring oatmeal is more fun than picking up dog poop!), have a sense of humor.

Chapter 36, "What's so funny, Mr. Scieszka?" will have the reader in stitches.

Black and white graphics and period photos and advertisements add humor and interest - Gregg's broken collarbone x-ray and the dreaded Halloween bunny suit come to mind.
This is a heartwarming and hilarious biography that will entice even the most reluctant of readers. And for budding humorists, Knuckleheads is a "must read." show less

Hey, Knucklehead! A children's librarian put this book into my hands recently. Well, not actually MY hands, but the hands of an 11-year-old boy I was helping with a Boy Scout reading merit badge. The librarian explained this skinny book was the true story of silliness and terror and sometimes oddness of a boy in Flint, Michigan growing up with five brothers in the '50's. Then she said: Just read it! So I did and was taken on a thoroughly enjoyable adventure. If you want some insight into where an award-winning author gets his ideas, here's the book for you. Or maybe you just need a good laugh. Just read it!

Jon Scieszka’s semi-graphic novel memoir about growing up with five brothers reminded me of reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer when I was a kid. There’s lots of action and adventure to grab a young boy’s attention- wrestling, peeing on electric heaters, breaking stuff and then blaming it on someone else, telling jokes, making mortars out of M80 firecrackers, etc. It’s just good boisterous fun. I grew up around farms, and so we always dared each other to pee on electric fences, which is its own special kind of fun.

It’s not fully a graphic novel/memoir. He includes pictures of the family and various pieces of old-comic-style art to correspond with the text, but the memoir is largely text-based. The chapters are very short and show more each one focuses on a specific situation or memory. As the title states, these are “mostly true events.” I question the group puking incident in the station wagon, but I imagine this is the story the way the boys told it to their friends. The book is good fun and a quick nostalgic read, for me anyway. Good times, good times. show less

Hilarious book! Jon Scieszka's fiction books are always funny, (think of The Stinky Cheese Man and try not to laugh!) but this memoir of his years growing up with his crazy brothers is knee-slappingly funny. From pranks they played on each other to the horrors of hand-me-down clothing to everything in between, and illustrated with photos from the Scieszka family album, you'll find yourself wishing your family was half as much fun. A good companion book to Chris Crutcher's King of the Mild Frontier, his stories of growing up with his older brother who always dared him to "see something neat!" Knucklehead is more for younger, elementary-age kids, whereas Crutcher's book is for older readers. But they both take place during the 1950's and show more 60's and have that same sense of knock-em-down brotherhood spirit about them. show less

This book is a quick and hilarious read, a childhood memoir of Jon Scieszka's childhood in Flint, MI, growing up with five brothers. If you don't find yourself laughing uproariously at least once, you must not have a Funny Bone in your body. I'm not a particular fan of slapstick or SGS (Stupid Guy Stuff, a phrase I coined when my son was in eighth grade); it's also rather rare that you hear me chuckling out loud while reading a book, never mind belly-laughing. The book also begs to be read aloud. Choosing just which segment to share will be the hard part. If you enjoyed Bill Bryson's Thunderbolt Kid, you ought to get a kick out of this. But what would you expect from the author of The Stinky Cheese Man and the Time Warp Trio series?

Jon Scieszka relates the very comical and wild childhood memories of growing up with 5 brothers back in the 50s in the suburbs of Michigan. Tales of naivete and innocence incur such laugh-out-loud moments in this book. After likening a new space heater to a campfire, why does it smell so bad when we pee on it? Many other stories include epic battles among his brothers, and grand imaginative play in tanks and foxholes, and one botched car trip that starts with the cat puking up the candy bar in the station wagon, which starts one brother to also puke, then another, and ends with a complete and utter vomit fest. Disgusting. Gross. And, to a young boy, excellent!

Grade 2-8, mostly boys. Wide appeal. Independent Read.
Strengths - Very show more funny, great relatable characters, short vivid anecdotes
weaknesses - None show less