Quibils and Quirks©
Dan Lukiv, M.Ed.
English and Creative Writing
McNaughton Centre, Quesnel, BC, Canada
E-mail: lukivdan@shaw.ca
Dedication
for Julie, Kimberly, Christine, Melissa, and Heather
*
Many thanks to Paul Bagdon
for his belief in me
and in Quibils and Quirks
*****
Forward
by Paul Bagdon
(author of 24 published novels, 14 for children)
Dan Lukiv must be a kid. Dusty and cranky old adults like the rest of us who worry about bills and the new noise in the car and what the boss will think of the latest project simply don’t have the sensibilities—the spark—to realize that creatures who smell strange are funny to young people, and that time travel, teachers named Miss Snapdragon, and idiosyncratic species called Quirks and Quibils are the very stuff of laughter, adventure, drama—and fun.
Quibils and Quirks is a precisely orchestrated chaos of sight gags, weird and wholly engaging characters and creatures, puns and word play, pratfalls and slapstick—and there’s a genuine story melded into the pages, as well. The dialogue sings—and gurgles, snuffs, yelps, belches, uluates, and snivels, too. The laughs are frequent, as they must be in a work such as Quibils and Quirks, and in my mind, it’s here that Dan Lukiv excels. Because he’s a kid himself (I refuse to believe otherwise), his humor is fresh and innocent; the convoluted logic expressed by the critters and characters is hilarious without the taint of guile or innuendo that seems to be so pervasive in current YA efforts. The scenes and situations sparkle because of their incongruity, their lack of adult parameters—and, in many cases because they reflect the stolid silliness of the adult world in a Lukiv-created, wonderfully irregular mirror.
Who is Dan Lukiv? Beats me, but I’d have to describe him as Milne with a case of the giggles, Beatrix Potter on hallucinogens, or Proust with a lobotomy. But, whoever the guy is, he knows what he’s doing, and Quibils and Quirks establishes that.
This is a must-read, not only for the intended audience, but for the few of us oldies who haven’t forgotten how to laugh. We need to hear more from Dan Lukiv—soon.
*****
Praise for Quibils and Quirks
Comments from 8- to 12-year-olds who have read the novel:
“I like all the characters in the story because they are funny and I like funny people. That’s why I like [Mr. Lukiv’s] story sooo much. I like the boy [Hooper] with the cauliflower ears. He’s funny. I also like the lady with the red swirly hair [Hooper’s mum]. I like the part when Mr. Hamburger almost faints because of the awful smell that comes from the quibils. I think the quibils and [people] should try to become friends, not enemies...There isn’t anything I don’t like in the story because I like it all. I love [this] story.”
“Awesome!”
“I like the Quibils and Quirks because they are funny and so is [this] story.”
“I love it!”
“I like orange Hooper because of his cauliflower ears.”
“Funny.”
“I like all the detail in it and the description put in each chapter....This must have taken [Mr. Lukiv] a long time to think this story up.”
“I like the story because it is very funny.”
“What I like about the story is that it has a lot of funny parts like the mayor saying “Goo, goo” and Hooper’s dad [saying] ‘History’ and ‘Herstory.’”
“It’s good.”
“I thought it was funny when the mayor was wearing a diaper.”
“It’s really good.”
“I really like the [time travel]. I think it’s terrific.”
“Very well-written.”
“It’s funny and I think it’s easy to understand....The time machine is awesome (I like writing stories about time machines). I think it is funny that the mayor [becomes] a baby.”
“I enjoyed [it] a lot.”
“I liked [the] quibils and especially [the] mayor, because they were funny.”
“Cool.”
“I like it because the mayor is a baby in a diaper, [I like] the name of the teacher [Miss Snapdragon] and [I like] the quibils and Quirks...It is funny.”
“Great book.”
“I like it when the king used lots of expression...He yelled, “Cut off their heads!”
“The coolest book I’ve ever read!”
“I like [the] cauliflower ears and Professor Hamburger and the quibils and the Quirks.”
“The best book I’ve ever read!”
“I’ve read lots of children’s books, but I’ve never read anything like this before. This should be published as a book.”
Other comments:
“What a wonderful stew of slapstick, innuendo, puns, visual stunts, convoluted conversation, and fun...[I’ve found] more than a touch of Alice [here]...and [I’ve found] lots of other bizarre components...It’s a solid, logically planned piece of work...There’s life here, and laughs, and [lots] of sardonic humour...[It’s] enchanting...
“Rapid...bursts of action [is] part of its charm... [Lukiv has] a flair for keeping this...rolling with vivid critters and scenes...[And he] pull[s] off the time machine situation commendably...[I’ve] enjoy[ed] this a ton”: Paul Bagdon, author of 14 children’s novels
“A commendable endeavour”: Katherine Aldred, The West-Quebec Post
“[It’s a] good [idea at a] reasonable price”: Ray Hester, The Claymont Crier , USA
“This is great!...I’ve been in the newspaper business for 20 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this come across my desk just for kids....We’re breaking new ground here”: Jerry MacDonald, The Quesnel Cariboo Observer
*****
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