Product Description

While looking after an eccentric scientist's greenhouse, Mozie discovers ""McMummy,"" a huge plant pod with a human shape and strangely human habits. By the author of Summer of the Swans. Jr Lib Guild.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1852114 in Books
• Published on: 1993-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Having agreed to tend Professor Orloff's greenhouse in his absence, Mozie finds more than he'd bargained for: a human-size, mummy-shaped pod that hums with energy and seems to call to him with a silent but compelling force. His dread of the creature--if that is indeed what it is--gradually tilts toward a profound sympathy, which in turn helps to put Mozie in touch with his sorrow about his father's death and to embrace the possibility of new life. Byars, who received the Newbery Medal for The Summer of the Swans , leavens her shivery tale with ample measures of comedy, evident especially in the antics of Mozie and irrepressible best friend, Batty, and in Mozie's and Batty's sparkling dialogue. Her touch for the memorably incongruous detail is in full flourish as well. The cast of supporting characters ranges from a dizzy but surprisingly intuitive beauty queen named Valvoline to a guardedly affectionate cat named Pine Cone who has literally fallen into Mozie's life--from a passing airplane--and deigned to stay. And beneath the heady brew of mystery and humor lie poignant insights about attachment and loss. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 4-6. Mozie has a problem--he looks too innocent to be believed, so no one takes him seriously. His part-time job watering plants in a brilliant, eccentric professor's greenhouse takes a somewhat sinister turn when he is mysteriously attracted to a giant, humming pea pod. Although he jokingly christens the pod McMummy, Mozie quickly stops laughing when he can't get anyone to believe that he may be in real danger. With the help of a beauty queen named Valvoline and the support of his best friend, Batty, Mozie follows his instincts and his heart through a wild chase, a sad end, and finally a hopeful beginning. If you booktalk this as the "Invasion of the Human Bean," you won't be able to keep it on the shelves. Janice Del Negro

From Kirkus Reviews
Professor Orloff has left Mozie to care for a greenhouse of experimental plants, with specific instructions for administering ``Vitagrow.'' As one particular ``pod'' grows to mammoth size, Mozie becomes apprehensive: Does it lure him against his will? Will it hatch? What is that humming? Accompanied variously by friend Batty and ``Valvoline,'' an aspiring beauty contestant for whom Mozie's mom is making a sequined gown, Mozie tends the pod until an epic storm crushes both the greenhouse and the pod, which--cautiously inspected with Mozie's deceased father's Swiss army knife--seems empty. But what's the leafy apparition that later disrupts the beauty pageant? This isn't quite fantasy- -rational explanations are available for virtually everything- -but, unfortunately, waiting to see whether it is, or what Byars will come up with instead, doesn't create enough interest to carry the story. Byars introduces several motifs without much development-- Batty's family is featured in the first chapter, then fades out, scientist Orloff never comes back, and Mozie's yearning for his father is unresolved. Even the comically tangential interior monologues begin to wear thin; Mozie just isn't as interesting as Bingo Brown, and his high jinks are tame compared to the Blossoms'. A minor effort. (Fiction. 8-12) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

"McMummy" is a Charming Read
I discovered this book while browsing around our local library one day. I had never read any books by Betsy Byars (I haven't yet read her award-winning book, "Summer of the Swans," but I plan on it), so I figured I'd give it a whirl. Not expecting much, I plunged head-first into the thing. The only problem with that was that once I got started, I couldn't pull myself away.

"McMummy" is a delightfully charming read. All the characters in the book -- from the zany Battie Batson, to the deadpan funny Mozie Mozer, and the has-her-head-in-the-clouds-but-is-still-a-sweet-gal Valvoline (yes, that's REALLY her name) -- are a joy to interact with. Even Professor Orloff, who only makes a couple of minor appearances in the book, is interesting: "Vat is vrong vit da wegetables?"

Mozie Mozer is in charge of looking over Professor Orloff's super-large vegetables greenhouse while the professor is away. Only Mozie is afraid to go there alone. One day he comes across a human-sized pod, which he swears turns toward him as if to acknowledge him! And now the pod is beginning to open up; what could be inside?

The storyline is off the wall, but the character interaction and quick pace of the plot keep the reader well-engaged. I just can't say enough about the characters in this book; maybe the reason I like them so much is because they are all goofy like me. I can relate, you know?

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to spend a couple of hours reading a plain fun book. It doesn't take itself seriously at all, and that's part of the appeal.

I look forward to reading "Summer of the Swans" from Betsy Byars, as well as other books she has written.

The book Was Magnificent,gracful&sad all at the same time.
The Book McMummy is one you and your family will love. So take it from me either get it at your local libary or buy it right off here. There are a lot descriptive words in the book. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. See,Yah

mcmummy
it is about a boy who is on a trip to the green house. And meets up with a big plant. that is all i can tell you but it is a funny book. you would like to read.get it