Leopold Trout

May 28, 2022

Dear Mr. Pinkwater,

I’ve been a big fan of your work as long as I could read (Alan Mendelsohn is one of my favorites, and I am currently looking to purchase a brass moon potato of my own), and I felt it was right to send you a message of thanks for writing the books that influenced my sense of humor so much. I believe the first book of yours that I ever read was Blue Moose, originally introduced to me by my mother at the age of seven, with Fat Men from Space, the Magic Moscow trilogy, and the rest of her collection quickly following. Now, after aging another nine years, I’m as big a fan as ever, but I am still left with this question: where exactly was Borgel’s Old Country?

Greatest regards,

Leopold Trout

Andy Papier

May 28, 2022

Hello Mr. Pinkwater,

My name is Andy and I live in Chicago. Just recently I joined the Chicago Reads Book Buddy program that connects people like me with particular schools and their students. I was partnered with Smyth Elementary School and immediately thought of your books, which had a huge impact on my childhood. I was hoping to get your recommendations for Pre-K students? I most likely will buy a few 🙂

I am sure these kids will love them.

Best,

Andy

Douglas Dove

May 21, 2022

So as a soon to be 56 year old childless man with a penchant for juvenile fiction, I regret to say I found myself reading my first Daniel Pinkwater book last year after being diagnosed with Stage IV Colon Cancer. My wife knew that books are the best medicine in most instances, and stocked me up with a supply from used book stores and thrift shops. One of those was “Adventures of a Cat Whiskered Girl”. Me being a cat person I gravitated to it first (as far as dogs, nothing better than a Tri Color Rough Collie, it’s the snout, love Peach!) From my first reading and rereading, I was so taken with Big Audrey and Molly. And once I found Audrey’s story started in a previous book it led me to order “The Neddiad” and “The Yggyssey”. After that a whole new world opened up! So my question is, should I be so fixated with a cogent timeline? I figure “The Neddiad” is set circa 1949 and “The Yggyssey” and “Adventures of a Cat Whiskered Girl” in the early 50’s. I do so like you mixing real world places into your stories and having a ball looking them up. Well just the other week I finished “Adventures of a Dwergish Girl”, which seems to take place before she ever met Big Audrey and is set in a fairly contemporary Kingston and NYC (or am I mistaken?). And now I have on back order “Crazy in Poughkeepsie” and reading the blub online makes me think Molly is a character that might end up eventually in the “looney bin”. So in a series based in the assumption of a multitude of alternate universes, should I be surprised of books being written in a chronological disorder? I am finding it to be a hoot and challenging at the same time. I was just wondering if you, as the creator, think the same and I would appreciate any feedback. By the way, after two major surgeries and just finishing up lengthy chemotherapy last week, I hope to be reading “Crazy in Poughkeepsie” cancer free! Thanks for the wonderful diversion during it all. All the best, Doug.

Lynne Roberts

April 26, 2022

Please reprint Woogie Norple – the current prices put this wonderful book out of the reach of most people.

Bert VanDercar

April 23, 2022

Dear Mr. Pinkwater

10 to 12 years ago I read my then small son all of your young adult novels that we could either buy or procure from our local library. My son Mason turned 20 years old yesterday and we were reminiscing about some of our happiest times and adventures together and we immediately thought of the rapture we experienced reading your books. I have started rereading Borgel which is where we began. Overall I had the most fun reading Alan Mendelsohn to my son Mason many years ago. To say that it was “thrilling“ is to offer faint praise. We even sent you a framed certificate “lifetime achievement award“ for that book which you told us would never have a follow up due to the sad realities of the publishing industry and the human condition in general. As a kid myself I spent summers in Hyde Park, New York with my sister across the street from the Roosevelt estate and if I had a time machine I would go back to 1964 when I was 12 years old and buy a pastrami sandwich and hand-deliver it to you in 2022. Instead I just placed an order for Crazy in Poughkeepsie which I hope will at least allow you to buy a few slices of pastrami somewhere nearby. Best wishes and many thanks!

Sincerely,

Bert Joseph VanDercar

Andy Z

April 23, 2022

Dear Mr. Pinkwater,

I was so inspired by your Snarkout Boys novels that I decided to try it for myself. I woke at midnight and managed to exit the house without waking anyone. I set out looking for slam poetry or jazz but instead found only wind and snowdrifts (I live in rural Minnesota). After about 3 minutes of looking at the moon, I got too cold and came back inside. 

Overall I’d say it was a moderate success but I am hoping you could give me some advice to make next time even better.

Best wishes,

Andy

Ali Kramen

April 8, 2022

Private message, please. Visiting NYC from Montana, and would like to visit Hoboken  (because of “Chicago Days Hoboken Nights”). Pressed for time, would you please tell me what tourist-type thing you’d do with only one hour in Hoboken? If it’s get bagels with you, I’ll buy. Party would include my 17-year-old twins, me,  and our Uber driver.  Thursday, April 7th, 2022 after 4 pm, Friday the 8th after 3 pm, or Saturday the 9th at the crack of dawn. PS There’s  no Captcha to prove I’m not a Spambot. Never mind, there is, and I ain’t.

Daniel Amberg

April 8, 2022

Hello Mr. Pinkwater,

In brief, I am creating small wood effigies of my favorite authors. I would like them to be appropriately sized relative to one another. Toward this end, how tall are you? (Thus far it will just be you and David Sedaris.)

Now to the gushing, fawning part: I am 52 years old and grew up reading your novels. I raised three children on them as well. (Only one of the children wound up being a miscreant like his dad.) My absolute favorite might be Young Adult Novel. I’ve read and re-read Alan Mendelson, Yobgorgle and Lizard Music more times than I can possibly remember. You are a treasure, and I am deeply grateful for the absurdity, humor and subversion you wove into the fabric of my being! Thank you.

–Dan Scott Amberg, Chandler Arizona

Diane Keedy Pisko

March 22, 2022

I love Wuggie.  My adult son loves Wuggie.  I think the next generation and all the generations moving forward need to know Wuggie.  Please please bring Wuggie back!!!!  The world needs him!! Very Sincerely,

Wuggie Lover

Sjoekje Sasbone

February 24, 2022

Please pass this on to Mr. Pinkwater:

     In 1980, I read your book when I was 8 yrs old at the Artesia Library in CA. I enjoyed it so much, I checked it out from the library a few times. But as I got older, I forgot the title & “Lizard People” always wrongly came to mind.   

     Technology got better & I still couldn’t find it. “Lizard Music” would come up, your name as the author sounded highly familiar, but the cover that popped up (a kid on rocks w/ lizards) didn’t look familiar. Nevertheless, your story lived rent free in my mind for decades.      

     Yesterday, I messaged the Artesia Library & although they don’t keep a copy of our old library cards, they said they could search for it if I gave them descriptives. This is what I recalled & messaged them: “It was about this boy who found his way to a pond or lake, & a lizard somehow convinced him to swim under & come out the other side into an alternate dimension w/ a plastic bag of clothes. I want to say the lizard in our world was able to speak. I’m not sure. Everyone was a lizard in this world, shopping, working, etc., like humans. He would go back a few times where the story would unfold. Maybe it was a red cover?” They led me back to “Lizard Music,” except they provided me with a YouTube narrating Ch. 1 & replied, “I just listened to the YouTube you sent me. That’s was great because I was able to hear that chapter. It was missing when he swam underwater to get to the other city. Perhaps that’s the floating island? I was trying to see if the wording in the story was familiar. It is an unsupervised boy. I’m sure the hippie references were over my head….. What was very familiar was the Salisbury steak reference, which is interesting.” But I listened to each chapter, found the red cover w/ the lizards, & this was it! Truth be told, I became emotional when it all came together. 

     When I looked you up, I noticed that your birthday is Nov. 15th, the same birthday as my father, who passed in 2016, 1 month shy of 92 yrs old. Long story longer, thanks for writing a fun, weird book that spawned my lifelong love for hidden worlds & left an impression for nearly 42 years. I’ll be 50 on July 15th.

     Finally, I want to acknowledge the librarian who not only helped me, but checked out the book for herself to read. I hope you enjoy knowing all of this & the your literary impact. 

Philip Fairbanks

January 28, 2022

Dear Mr. Pinkwater,

From the time I was in elementary school you became one of my favorite authors. Especially Lizard Music. There was something about that book that just opened the possibilities of other worlds hidden below the surface that people don’t see only because they aren’t looking. I used to regularly check that book out of my rural hometown library as a kid. In my 20s I checked it out a few times again. Found it interesting that (despite the shoddy marker job scratching out names) it was easy to tell that apparently I always chose August to read your book. Lol perhaps the proximity to Sirius amplifies the Lizard Music haha.

Anyway, just wanted to say that you were an incredible influence on me. I am a writer myself now, maybe not much of one, but passable to date. Mostly entertainment reporting, music reviews, news (esp. related to nat.sec corruption and the like) but I really feel some media I ingested as a child, definitely Lizard Music but also Pete and Pete helped germinate the seed of wonder and doubt about the world around me that led me to where I am today.

As I said, most of my work is non-fiction but I still love children’s and YA lit as much as ever and occasionally reread them hear as I’m nearing 40 this November. (Oh, always thought it was cool, our birthdays are a couple days apart). Anyway, for years I’ve wanted to drop a line but finally decided to try to track down your contact information.

Hope you’re doing well, that the covid/pandemic is bearable. I’m actually planning on releasing my first kid’s book (a sort of scifi story about a girl with very guarded, protective scientist parents who live on a rocket ship with their adventurous to a fault daughter). Anyway, I don’t want to waste too much of your time but had to send a word of thanks. I’ve literally spent hours reading your works off and on for phew 3 decades now lol?

Anyway, as I said, hope you’re doing well and thanks for the memories. I’m sure I’m just one of thousands, maybe millions of kids who, like me felt the same way but (also like me) were shy or didn’t know how to contact you. Hope you receive this letter in good health and spirits. Best of 2022!

Your dear fan since about the late 80s/early 90s. If you’re ever interested in doing an interview, would be honored, but if you don’t have the time or inclination completely understand as well.

Best of 2022!

Philip Fairbanks

Dylan

December 29, 2021

2003. Third grade. Nine years old. My class is instructed by our teacher to find a book to read for a book report. Problem is, I don’t like reading.

Enough time passes and everyone has a book except for me. My teacher is frustrated with my indecisiveness and pulls a random book from the shelf. I don’t like reading but whatever, there are lizards playing the saxophone on the front so that’s pretty cool.

What unfolds over the next week molded my taste in books. I was glued to it. I still remember little bits of the story, and I don’t have many memories of anything around that age. I don’t know what you call it, and I didn’t know how to describe it then, but I remember asking my teacher for more “weird books.” I say weird with the upmost respect, I was tired of hearing stories that stayed too close to reality.

At this point I think its safe to say you laid the ground work for my love for science fiction. You took nine year old me to another world. Something that I only thought was possible with video games at that time. One day when I have my own kids I will be picking up a copy to read them. Thank you for giving me a happy memory and stimulating my childhood imagination by sharing a piece of your own. Best wishes!

Jackie Hertel

November 23, 2021

Mr. Pinkwater,

I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful book Tooth-Gnasher Superflash. It was one of my favorite books growing up. My father read it to my siblings and me. My father has always been a larger man and his voice would go so high-pitched every time the five little Popsnorkles shouted, and we would all laugh. I was able to find a copy this week of the Tooth-Gnasher Superflash and watch my father read it to my two year old daughter. What joy you have brought to my family over the last 30 years. Thank you.

Jackie Hertel

Tony Homer

November 16, 2021

I’ve been trying to lose weight and I remembered listening to the ratatouille diet segment on NPR, but I couldn’t remember what show it was on or how long ago it was.  I had imagined it was a few years ago.  I searched on NPR and was shocked to discover it was actually 25 years ago!  Funny how recall works.

www.npr.org/1996/05/02/1043293/never-fail-diet

www.npr.org/1997/03/04/1040787/pinkwater-diet

I sent a support request to npr.org because the audio files are missing and I’d like to listen to them again.

My question for you is, do you think the ratatouille diet would work for someone trying to lose weight today?  My plan is to use Soylent powder (soylent.com/collections/all-powder) for most of my calories.  Unfortunately, Soylent alone, leaves me with satiety problems.  I was thinking about what to do about the satiety problems and the ratatouille diet popped into my head!  I think ratatouille could solve the satiety problems for me.  What do you think?

Kathleen Black

November 16, 2021

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  I hope that you are having a wonderful day and that you’re receiving some of the same enjoyment that you give to others through your books.  –KB