Tuesday 29 January 2013

TEASER TUESDAY - THE WORLD OF NORM - The funny side of self-absorbed



Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and the author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Image from
Hatchett Children's Books
The World of Norm: May Contain Nuts, opens with Norm, in his new house, about to pee in his Dad's wardrobe.
(Some people might think that’s too unlikely: to walk, on autopilot, the route to where the toilet was in the old house. Well, I survived a similar experience when I took Cub Scouts on camp. I found a sleepy boy in the space where his home-toilet would have been and you don’t want to know what he peed on!)

Life, according to Norm, is `just so unfair'. He has two annoying younger brothers. And he’s broke. This book is about Norm's quest to “pimp” his ride: which, sadly, is the two-wheeled kind-of ride. He is a boy with a bike, and a mission.

“Are you going to help, Norman, or am I going to have to unload the car all by myself?” said Norman’s Dad, standing in the doorway, holding a carrier bag dripping something sticky all over the floor.
“Well, if you wouldn’t mind,” said Norman immediately starting to text back.

The World of Norm is a blend of selfishness, stupidity and hopeful desperation. The author, Jonathan Meres, makes this world very funny – silly – but believable too.

THESE SENTENCES STRUCK ME AS VERY FAMILIAR. DO YOU FIND THE PING OF THE TEXT MESSAGE INTERRUPTS TOO MUCH OF YOUR DAY?

16 comments:

  1. Norms world seems very curious :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ambrosia
      I agree, the world of the twelve-year-old boy is curious - and fascinating too ;)

      Delete
  2. Sounds good! And the people-glued-to-phones situation is a very familiar one in our household! Great teaser.

    Sarah @ TotalTeenFiction

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Norm's world is funny. I've found that it doesn't matter what age the person is either, is a phone pings most people find themselves reaching "to see what it was."

      Delete
  3. The constant immersion of people in their gadgets is enough for me to pine for a good solar storm to fry the satellites... ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Solar storm? Now you're talking! It would fry too many kinds of useful satellites but I like the premise; have you thought about writing the book? ;)

      Delete
  4. Thank heavens I don't text much if at all. I still have to master it. Nice teaser. Here's mine: Dearest Rose

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have twitchy fingers - my phone us too well connected - I love messaging. I know talking is a superior form of communication but, when it comes to messaging, I think the writer comes out to play ;)

      Delete
  5. Ah yes, the constant texting, almost can't actually talk to people anymore.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Nyx
      No one means to tune out of conversation but the knowledge that the phone is flashing is so irritating - not the flash itself, just the need to KNOW!

      Delete
  6. IT's not something I'd usually go for, but it sounds good!

    I'm a new follower:)
    Here's my TT!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Natasha
      Thanks for the follow. It's great to hear from you.
      As for Norm - it doesn't have to be boy-voice - I'm addicted to MG: it's an incurable condition. ;)

      Delete
  7. That's funny. Just yesterday I asked my 10 year to get something for me and she says, "can't right now, mom", she was playing a Kinnect Game. So, maybe not texting, but definitely preoccupied with technology.

    Sounds like a fun read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Patti
      We are all so obsessed with techno-phobia we forget that long before phones THERE WERE BOOKS!! I grew up mostly hidden behind a book.

      Delete
  8. I've not completely glommed onto my phone yet---forget to charge it most of the time, actually---and that's because I know I'll become a text zombie (like my kids) whenever I go in all the way.

    The books sound adorable!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Nicki
      I used to let my phone charge run down but then I began to use it as an alarm and now I have NO EXCUSE (:D)

      Delete