Borgel
 First edition | |
| Author | Daniel Pinkwater |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction, Young adult novel |
| Publisher | Macmillan Publishers |
Publication date | April 1990 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 170 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | 0-02-774671-2 (first edition, hardback) |
| OCLC | 20489636 |
| LC Class | PZ7.P6335 Bo 1990 |
Borgel is a children's novel by Daniel Pinkwater published in 1990.
Plot summary[edit]
The story is narrated by the young Melvin Spellbound who joins his eccentric Uncle Borgel and pet dog Fafner on an intergalactic adventure involving time travel and multiple alternate realities.[1]
Travelling along the Interstate Highway connecting the various realities, Borgel is separated from the others by a mischievous teleportation (called a 'bilbok'), and Melvin and Fafner stranded at a roadside root beer stand. Having waited for him, Melvin and Fafner take control of his car, and recover Borgel en route. Thereafter the three rest at a public campsite, where they acquire a new companion in 'Pak Nfbnm*', alias 'Freddie': a self-professed expert on popsicles, in search of an immortal 'Great Popsicle' whose existence maintains the integrity of the Universe. Pursuing that search, they receive directions from a computer made in the image of the Popsicle, to the anthropomorphic gorilla 'Glugo', who conveys them to an island on the River Styx. There, and elsewhere, Freddie is identified as a Grivnizoid, a shape-changing, cephalopod-like predator, desirous of achieving insurmountable power. Can they stop Freddie in time and save the world?[2]
Controversy[edit]
An excerpt from Borgel was used as a question in a New York state test for 8th grade students in 2012. The question caused controversy over its nonsensical nature, stumping both students and teachers as to the correct answers.[3] The confusion led to articles in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and other publications.[4] In the original novel, Uncle Borgel tells another absurd fable about an eggplant and a rabbit having a race. The New York state exam changed the characters to a pineapple and a rabbit and then asked students a series of ambiguous multiple-choice questions based on the story.[5]
Availability[edit]
This book is out of print in its original form. However it is still in print as a part of 4 Fantastic Novels (ISBN 978-0689834882), a compilation of four popular Daniel Pinkwater books: Borgel; Yobgorgle: Mystery Monster of Lake Ontario; The Worms of Kukumlima; and The Snarkout Boys and the Baconburg Horror. It was reprinted in 1993 in the United Kingdom, under the title The Time Tourists.[citation needed]
References[edit]
- ^ Pinkwater, Daniel (1992). Borgel. p. 36. ISBN 9780689716201. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
- ^ Schnelbach, Leah (2017-05-10). "The Quest for Truth and Popsicles: Daniel Pinkwater's Borgel". Tor.com. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
- ^ Chapman, Ben; Monahan, Rachel. "Talking pineapple question on state exam stumps ... everyone!". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
- ^ "When Pineapple Races Hare, Students Lose, Critics of Standardized Tests Say". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-10-04.
- ^ Fleisher, Lisa (2012-04-20). "Daniel Pinkwater on Pineapple Exam: 'Nonsense on Top of Nonsense'". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-08-15.