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Original Essays | April 30, 2013

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The Other Normals

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The Other Normals Cover

ISBN13: 9780062079909
ISBN10: 0062079905
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Given the chance, fifteen-year-old Peregrine "Perry" Eckert would dedicate every waking moment to Creatures & Caverns, an epic role-playing game rich with magical creatures, spell casting, and deadly weapons. The world of C&C is where he feels most comfortable in his own skin. But that isn't happening — not if his parents have anything to do with it. Concerned their son lacks social skills, they ship him off to summer camp to become a man. They want him to be outdoors playing with kids his own age and meeting girls — rather than indoors alone, with only his gaming alter ego for company. Perry knows he's in for the worst summer of his life.

Everything changes, however, when Perry gets to camp and stumbles into the World of the Other Normals. There he meets Mortin Enaw, one of the creators of C&C, and other mythical creatures from the game, including the alluring Ada Ember, whom Perry finds more beautiful than any human girl he's ever met. Perry's new otherworldly friends need his help to save their princess and prevent mass violence. As they embark on their quest, Perry realizes that his nerdy childhood has uniquely prepared him to be a great warrior in this world, and maybe even a hero. But to save the princess, Perry will have to learn how to make real connections in the human world as well.

Bestselling author Ned Vizzini delivers a compulsively readable and wildly original story about the winding and often hilarious path to manhood.

Review:

"In a departure from the realism of 2006's It's Kind of a Funny Story, Vizzini turns to fantasy with a twisted sendup of the alternate fantasy world genre. Fifteen-year-old Perry Eckert is obsessed with the D&D-style role-playing game Creatures & Caverns, to the point that his parents send him to summer camp to take a break from his obsession. There, Perry finds his way to the World of the Other Normals, a parallel world filled with fantasy creatures and danger. Flipping between worlds, Perry joins a band of stalwart rebels, embarks on a quest to save a lost princess, and tries to master his destiny. Sometimes funny, sometimes painfully awkward (Perry is so socially incompetent, he takes the stereotype of the nerdy, conversationally inept gamer to the extreme), this coming-of-age adventure captures the confusion and drama of adolescence. It lacks either the bite of satire or the earnestness of a more straightforward fantasy, leaving it somewhere in the middle, as out-of-place as Perry himself. Nevertheless, fans of surreal adventures like Libba Bray's Going Bovine will appreciate the story's odd appeal. Ages 13 – up. Agent: Jay Mandel, William Morris Endeavor. (Oct.)" Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Review:

"The Other Normals is wildly imaginative, incredibly funny, and weirdly wise. I don't know where Vizzini gets this stuff — it's like he's tapped into the collective unconscious of alienated adolescents everywhere." Lev Grossman, New York Times bestselling author of The Magician and The Magician King

Review:

"With a deft sense of humor and a keen ear for funny and realistic teen dialogue, Vizzini explores one teen everyman's quest to become a hero, one roll of the six-sided die at a time....Great geeky fun." Kirkus Reviews

Review:

"A fast-paced coming-of-age story with a fascinating premise which, to the great credit of the author, is seamless and strangely believable." R.A. Salvatore, New York Times Bestselling author of Charon's Claw and The Dark Elf Trilogy

Review:

"[A] lighthearted yet bitingly funny fantasy....Through the protagonist's incisive observations, rampant insecurities, and unapologetic embrace of nerd-culture, Vizzini depicts the teen male experience with authenticity and honesty." The Horn Book
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About the Author

Ned Vizzini began writing for the New York Press at the age of 15. At 17, he was asked to write a piece for the New York Times Magazine, and at 19, he published Teen Angst? Naaah…, his autobiography of his years of Stuyvesant High School.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Beverly B, April 30, 2013 (view all comments by Beverly B)
The Other Normals is a fun and funny quick read for all of those YA boys and girls who fear they are doomed to be geeky twirps forever and for those who enjoy witty dialog and slapstick adventure. Perry is about as geeky as possible. He is so addicted to a role playing game (similar to Dungeons & Dragons) that his parents send him off to a special camp to learn proper social behavior (like talking to people and making friends). Much to Perry's shock and awe, it turns out that the fantasy world of his role playing game is actually an alternate universe called The Other Normals, and Perry is chosen to go on a quest between the two worlds. He is overjoyed at the chance to be a hero and adventurer - especially when he learns that part of his quest requires him to kiss a beautiful girl in the camp. Earnest and committed to success, Perry fails miserably more than once. Most of his attempts are laugh out loud funny, and kind of sad, as Perry continues to fall victim to his social ineptness. But he does not give up. As his quest becomes more dangerous, Perry becomes more valient and more resourceful.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780062079909
Author:
Vizzini, Ned
Publisher:
Balzer & Bray/Harperteen
Subject:
Action & Adventure
Subject:
Children s-Adventure Stories
Edition Description:
Hardcover
Publication Date:
20120931
Binding:
HARDCOVER
Grade Level:
from 8
Language:
English
Pages:
400
Dimensions:
8.25 x 5.5 in 22.8 oz
Age Level:
from 13
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Related Subjects


Children's » Action and Adventure » Adventure Stories
Children's » General
Children's » New Arrivals
Children's » Science Fiction and Fantasy » General
Young Adult » Fiction » Social Issues » Friendship
Young Adult » General

The Other Normals New Hardcover
0 stars - 0 reviews
$17.99 In Stock
Product details 400 pages Balzer & Bray/Harperteen - English 9780062079909 Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "In a departure from the realism of 2006's It's Kind of a Funny Story, Vizzini turns to fantasy with a twisted sendup of the alternate fantasy world genre. Fifteen-year-old Perry Eckert is obsessed with the D&D-style role-playing game Creatures & Caverns, to the point that his parents send him to summer camp to take a break from his obsession. There, Perry finds his way to the World of the Other Normals, a parallel world filled with fantasy creatures and danger. Flipping between worlds, Perry joins a band of stalwart rebels, embarks on a quest to save a lost princess, and tries to master his destiny. Sometimes funny, sometimes painfully awkward (Perry is so socially incompetent, he takes the stereotype of the nerdy, conversationally inept gamer to the extreme), this coming-of-age adventure captures the confusion and drama of adolescence. It lacks either the bite of satire or the earnestness of a more straightforward fantasy, leaving it somewhere in the middle, as out-of-place as Perry himself. Nevertheless, fans of surreal adventures like Libba Bray's Going Bovine will appreciate the story's odd appeal. Ages 13 – up. Agent: Jay Mandel, William Morris Endeavor. (Oct.)" Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
"Review" by , "The Other Normals is wildly imaginative, incredibly funny, and weirdly wise. I don't know where Vizzini gets this stuff — it's like he's tapped into the collective unconscious of alienated adolescents everywhere."
"Review" by , "With a deft sense of humor and a keen ear for funny and realistic teen dialogue, Vizzini explores one teen everyman's quest to become a hero, one roll of the six-sided die at a time....Great geeky fun."
"Review" by , "A fast-paced coming-of-age story with a fascinating premise which, to the great credit of the author, is seamless and strangely believable."
"Review" by , "[A] lighthearted yet bitingly funny fantasy....Through the protagonist's incisive observations, rampant insecurities, and unapologetic embrace of nerd-culture, Vizzini depicts the teen male experience with authenticity and honesty."
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