Borgel is a children's novel by Daniel Pinkwater published in 1990.

Borgel
First edition
AuthorDaniel Pinkwater
LanguageEnglish
GenreScience fiction, Young adult novel
PublisherMacmillan Publishers
Publication date
April 1990
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages170 pp (first edition, hardback)
ISBN0-02-774671-2 (first edition, hardback)
OCLC20489636
LC ClassPZ7.P6335 Bo 1990

Plot summary

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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

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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

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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

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  1. ^ Pinkwater, Daniel (1992). Borgel. Aladdin Books. p. 36. ISBN 9780689716201. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  2. ^ Schnelbach, Leah (2017-05-10). "The Quest for Truth and Popsicles: Daniel Pinkwater's Borgel". Tor.com. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  3. ^ Chapman, Ben; Monahan, Rachel (19 April 2012). "Talking pineapple question on state exam stumps ... everyone!". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  4. ^ Hartocollis, Anemona (21 April 2012). "When Pineapple Races Hare, Students Lose, Critics of Standardized Tests Say". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-10-04.
  5. ^ 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.