Leonard Neeble has been unhappy since his parents moved from the big city to suburban Kangaroo Park, New Jersey. His new school, Bat Masterson Jr. High, is terrible, and he has no friends since his classmates are snobbish louts who won't be friends with him because he's portly.
Things change once a new student shows up from The Bronx: Alan Mendelsohn, a trollish student who shuts the school down by telling everyone he's from Mars. After they both get suspended for acting out, the two boys journey to Downtown Hogboro, where they start a Mind Control course that teaches them telekinesis and, eventually, how to travel between dimensions.
This 1979 novel by Daniel Pinkwater is one of his best-loved books. It is now out of print, but was published in the 1997 omnibus 5 Novels.
Tropes
- 90% of Your Brain: The Klugarsh Mind Control course claims that only 10% of the human brain is in use at a time, and that telekinesis and telepathic skills can be attained by learning to access the rest.
- All Psychology Is Freudian: Leonard is sent to a psychologist who insists that all of his problems in school stem from a deep-seated, secret hatred of his parents, and refuses to listen to Leonard unless he confesses all of his "problems". He also asks Leonard about repressed memories from when he was an infant. Of course, Leonard sees this as nonsense, but makes a bunch of stuff up to satisfy him.
- All Therapists Are Muggles: Leonard gets sent to a child psychiatrist, who is obviously incompetent and insists Leonard has mental conditions he doesn't have. Leonard decides to exploit this to get out of school, and tells him the complete truth about his supernatural adventures learning mind-control. The shrink doesn't belive him, but later on is introduced to a Venusian who confirms everything Leonard said. Being faced with the reality of Leonard's "delusions", the shrink proceeds to lose his mind and go crazy.
- Badass Normal: Even before he becomes psychic, Alan can do the Missile Whistle, a whistle capable of stunning/distracting people from long range.
- Bigger Is Better: The larger the focusing device, the more powerful psychic abilities become. Leonard tries wearing an elaborate TV antenna, and nearly smashes a brick through a concrete wall.
- Cassandra Truth: Alan tells everyone in school he's from Mars. Half the students believe him, and half the students don't. Then the two halves start fighting and Alan gets suspended.
- Chekhov's Skill: the Nafsulian gesture of irrevocable surrender is removing your hat and rubbing your belly at the same time, which just happens to be one of the easiest things to mind-control someone into doing.
- Cool, but Inefficient: Being able to move things with your mind is pretty neat, but there's no real advantage to doing so instead of just walking up to it and moving it with your muscles the way you normally would.
- The Dragon: The Wozzle, in an invisible predator that harasses the people of Waka-Waka on behalf of the Nafsulians. Is actually Manny, Moe, and Jack after plane shifting.
- Getting Suspended Is Awesome: Alan gets a long suspension for causing a riot at school by telling everyone he's from Mars. He's first excited, then bored by the suspension, but then Leonard gets an excuse to skip school as well. They use the time to have exciting adventures in the City of Adventure Hogboro, where they meet aliens and learn to travel through dimensions.
- Human Aliens: Turns out Alan Mendelsohn, who looks like a normal boy, really is from Mars. Also the Nafsulians Manny, Moe, and Jack, who just look like short men.
- Joisey: Type 3 variety. Most of the book takes place near Hogborogh, New Jersey, which just happens to be place where dimensions intersect, only one of several in the world.
- Jungle Opera: Downplayed, as Waka-Waka is a lot more boring than it first appeared, but the Waka-Waka portion certainly fits as a tropical jungle full of aliens, mysterious monsters, and a lost civilization.
- Lost World: The boys become interested in the history and fate of lost civilizations such as Waka-Waka, Mu, Lemuria, Atlantis. Instead of being fallen civilizations destroyed by cataclysm, these special worlds are still accessible, just located in Another Dimension, making them difficult to access. Waka-Waka in particular is a once great ancient civilization that is not found on any maps but is accessible to a small number of explorers who can travel through dimensions.
- Misapplied Phlebotinum: Using psychic powers to influence people's actions or move objects is described as being akin to discovering a car and believing that all it's good for is sitting in the front seat and listening to the radio.
- Narrating the Present: The book Alan and Leonard buy on Hypersteller Archeology, which mentions them by name buying and reading the book. They don't know about this until they're well into reading it.
- Paper Tiger: The Wozzle keeps the residents of Waka-waka in line through fear alone. When Leonard and Alan investigate they find that the worst thing it has ever done is kick someone in the bottom.
- "Scooby-Doo" Hoax: A variant. The Wozzle, a fearsome monster that terrifies the Waka-waka residents into submission, turns out to be Manny, Moe, and Jack partially phased out of the plane so as to be nearly invisible.
- Solar System Neighbors: Both Martians and Venusians are featured, and and residents of other solar system planets are mentioned in passing.
- Sucky School: Bat Masterson Junior High is a dull and terrible place to be. All the kids are snobby and look down on anyone who isn't neat and well-dressed, but they're all stupid and sub-literate. The teachers all teach from the textbook and move so slowly that Leonard completely stops participating, causing the teachers to think he's feeble-minded even though he is quite intelligent. The gym teacher is an abusive Drill Sergeant Nasty type who is somehow popular with all the kids except for Leonard.
- Taking Up the Mantle: At the end of the book, after Alan Mendohlson leaves to return to "The Bronx", Leonard takes over his role at school, challenging the teachers with facts they don't want the students to know and behaving confrontationally to the other jerkish students. Eventually he is able to make the school a better place.
- Uncoffee: Fleegix is Waka-Waka's coffee analogue. It's drunk from what look like coffee cups and is made from the zitskisberry, a fantastic coffee bean. Leonard considers it massively overrated, describing it as worse than watery hot chocolate
- You Were Trying Too Hard: The first time the protagonists activate the omega-wave meter, they concentrate too much and can't do it. Once they give up and start laughing at themselves, they activate State Twenty-Six and get it to work.
