Stefan Hurzeler

August 31, 2006

Hi. When I was in 7th grade, I was growing up in Connecticut. I was also in a Catholic School. So in 7th grade, I did a book report on “The Snarkout Boys and the Avacado of Death”. It was an insanely conservative environment, as you might imagine, and I got ridiculed a lot by my peers because my parents weren’t Republican. I felt like a total fish out of water there. So, I went in front of the class, and described your book as accurately as possible. The class laughed frequently as I did so. The teacher told me that this was not a real book, obviously, and that I hadn’t done my assignment. She just didn’t believe that your book could be a real one at all, that’s how narrow-minded it was there (this was back in the late 80s, btw).The next day I brought in a copy from my town library of “The Snarkout Boys and the Avacado of Death” to class, to prove that I was, in fact, doing a report on a real book. The teacher looked at the book, and read the flaps on it, and regarded it with ridicule and disdain. When she noted on it that got the Steve Leonard award, or something to that effect, she said that Steve Leonard was probably a third grader. She had no appreciation for anything that wasn’t “normal” or what she didn’t understand at all, like many of my peers as well. I felt like some of the protagonists in your books who felt out of place in an environment of conformity. n-e ways, I recently got that more recent edition of 5 novels of yours in one volume, and I’m currently enjoying rereading “The Snarkout Boys and the Avacado of Death” immensely. On americanfeedmagazine.com I also wrote an article there about how Catholic School back then drove me out of my mind. So you may be sick of hearing this, but I think that, if done right, some of your books would be great films. But I can’t blame you if you don’t trust Hollywood. That’s all, and thanks for all the fun.

best,

Stefan Hurzeler

I wake up smiling every morning, thinking how I don't have to go to school, will never have to see moronic teachers, such as you describe, again. But ones like that hardly exist any more......do they?