Einstein's Underpants - And How They Saved the World
By (Author) Anthony McGowan
Penguin Random House Children's UK
Yearling (imprint of Random House Children's Books)
1st June 2010
United States
Children
Fiction
823.92
Short-listed for Roald Dahl Funny Prize: The Funniest Book for Children Aged Seven to Fourteen 2010
Paperback
320
Width 129mm, Height 198mm, Spine 20mm
224g
Alexander saves the world from alien invasion, armed only with the faded underpants of a scientific genius! Hilarious, exciting and original writing from a highly acclaimed author. A stinking alien commander. Eight freaky kids. And a pair of faded Y-fronts. When crazy Uncle Otto warns of imminent invasion from outer space, his maths geek nephew Alexander takes on the task of saving the world. He recruits a ragged crew of school superheroes to help him, including Tortoise Boy, armed with Cedric the tortoise, the Human Hurricane, who possesses untold power in his bottom, and Really Annoying Girl. But with only a pack of cards, some toy ray-guns and a pair of old pants for help, can they do it Find out in this nail-bitingly scary but hilarious story by a prize-winning author.
It's dirty, inventive and made me laugh aloud . . . Any kid into Andy Griffiths or the Astrosaurs series will be in ecstasy -- Amanda Craig * The Times *
I loved Einstein's Underpants. It strikes the perfect balance between wacky wahey pants-based fun, and a top quality, energetic sci-fi romp . . . The writing style is dramatic, punchy, and is perfectly pitched at its audience. Anthony McGowan is always excellent, and this is no exception. Highly
recommended.
Anthony McGowan was born in Manchester in 1965. Educated at a Leeds comprehensive, he won't say that his characters' schooldays are exactly based on his own but he certainly writes from experience. Before turning to writing full-time, Anthony gained a PhD in Philosophy, worked as a nightclub bouncer, an Open University tutor, a journalist and a civil servant. He won the 2006 Booktrust Teenage Prize and Catalyst Award for his teenage novel Henry Tumour. He is married to Rebecca Campbell, a fashion designer and novelist. They have two young children and live in north London.