Suzu Renaud

January 1, 1997

Dear Daniel Pinkwater:

Thank you for the many hours of fun I’ve had with your imaginative and delightful stories. One of my most prized books is a torn and tattered paperback of “Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars” which I bought at age 16 (was it really 14 years ago?) for a quarter from the school library. Best quarter I ever spent.

But I’m not writing to tell you about that. No…I want to tell you about Hassan’s joke. Or rather the story in which you retell it: “Direct from a Triumphant Engagement in Karchi” (from “Fish Whistle”).

You know, there’s something about that story that just cracks everyone up. I read it to my husband and he guffawed. I read it to my in-laws and they hooted. Last night I read it to my best friend and he laughed non-stop for five minutes. And even after all this time, I still can’t keep from laughing when I read it.

Just thought you’d like to know that you and Hassan are still knocking ’em dead in Toronto.

Yer pal,

Suzu Renaud

See yourself lionized at www.interlog.com/~suzu/s_books.htm

You must know how to tell it.