Pranklopedia: The Funniest, Grossest, Craziest, Not-Mean Pranks on the Planet!

by Julie Winterbottom

Overview

Pranklopedia is the young practical joker’s secret weapon, a boisterous collection of over 70 guaranteed-to-amuse (or annoy) pranks to be pulled on friends, siblings, and parents. Discover the Homework Hoax, the Squirting Blister, the Movie Popcorn That Grabs You Back. Pull classic pranks on your siblings, like short-sheeting the bed. Freak out your friends with food pranks: a self-peeling banana, “misfortune” cookies, or ice cream that will make them scream (here’s a hint—it involves instant mashed potatoes). And there are perfect pranks to pull on your parents, including a scheme to “freeze” the family computer.

The book includes recipes for fake bird poop, fake dog poop, fake vomit, and fake snot (regular, nosebleed, and wormy varieties). Plus you’ll find 40 pages of cutout pranks: fake labels (mmm…Cream of Sparrow Soup!), a “winning” lottery ticket, bogus bathroom signs, and letters from school that will make your parents cringe.

A complete prankster’s guide, Pranklopedia also provides a four-part lesson on how to pull the perfect prank and tells you what to do when pranks go bad: 1. Disappear for a while . . .

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761189961
Publisher:	Workman Publishing Company
Publication date:	08/23/2016
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	985,346
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	7 - 12 Years

About the Author

Julie Winterbottom is the author of Frightlopedia and the former editor in chief of Nickelodeon Magazine. She lives in Brooklyn, NY. When she is not dreaming up ways to scare kids or make them laugh (or both), she plays Cajun accordion.

Editorial Reviews

Winterbottom, a former editor-in-chief at Nickelodeon magazine, gathers 72 good-natured pranks that shouldn’t cause any long-term rifts, but will still have the desired effect. Organized alphabetically, the pranks each open with a comic from Allen, followed by clear written instructions; profiles of famous pranksters like Benjamin Franklin and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, as well as great moments in prankdom, are interspersed. There’s a wealth of clever mischief within, from a surefire way to win arm-wrestling contests (hide some mushy banana in your palm) to more advanced tricks, like screen-saver sabotage or creating fake squirting blisters. Ages 8–12. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Practical jokers longing for a go-to source of ideas for low-effort pranks need look no further. Advising readers to choose a victim "who has a sense of humor and can't flunk you," and also to "be funny, not mean," Winterbottom offers over 72 smirk-worthy projects. These range from classics like poking a hole beneath the rim of a can of soda and short-sheeting a bed to slicing a banana without peeling it or creating a fake computer desktop. The entries are neatly alphabetized and interspersed with anecdotes about notable pranks and pranksters through the ages. All offer setup instructions and suggestions for enhancing the effects both verbally and, in Allen's accompanying cartoon panels, visually. Pranks that will make an unusual mess or require adult cooperation are so flagged. Handy recipes include fake bird poop, edible (theoretically) dog poop, vomit, spilled milk, bloody teeth and two kinds of snot. The author also appends an array of faux can labels ("Cream of Sparrow"), fortune-cookie fortunes, signs, letters from school and other ready-to-use "goods" to cut out or reproduce. Fun for some. (Faux reference. 10-13)

Kirkus Reviews