Putman & Grosset, 1996. - 135 p. Illustrated.
★ This novel is so full of pleasures that readers, along with the characters, receive a swell payoff — start to finish, it’s one Big Bazoohley of a book.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Sam and his family are stuck in the middle of a blizzard in an expensive hotel room, but they’re down to their last dollars. Sam’s father believes the Big Bazoohley — the Big Win, the Jackpot — will come along just in time to solve all of their problems. But Sam’s not so sure.
The situation is getting desperate, so he strikes out to take a gamble of his own. He never counted on being kidnapped, entering the Perfecto Kiddo competition, or dancing with a girl, but if that’s what it takes to win the Big Bazoohley, Sam is ready!
Peter Carey uses the broadest of literary strokes, much in the absurd and outrageous manner of Roald Dahl.
—The New York Times Book Review