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The X-E Triple Book Review Club.

It's time for X-E's Triple Book Review, an article featuring a look back at...you guessed it, three books. On tap for today is Michelle's Full House Activity Book, Grover's The Monster at the end of this Book, and one of those cheapo dinosaur books all the boys used to get from elementary school book fairs. Hit the blog later for a few updates -- got some reader mail to sort through and some more Shrek crap (sorry, it must be done) to post up. Not sure which'll come first. I will flip an oversized novelty quarter soon enough.

Posted by Matt on 06/07/2004. E-mail me!



Discussion Thread: 162 comments

Hey dude, you made a typo… Let’s all try to find it! ;D
And I remember that Grover book, I think I still have it somewhere, and I used to love it to bits.

Chestnuts roasted by Dynamite Boy @ 06/07/2004 9:48 PM

HA! Seeing that Grover book brought back friggin’ memories, man.

Elmo could never hold a candle to Grover, not in a million years. I don’t care if his own segment takes up half the show now and mostly features him obsessing over birthday cakes.

Chestnuts roasted by Teirusu @ 06/07/2004 9:59 PM

Near. . . .Far!

Grover is great man!

~ I farted!

Chestnuts roasted by Mugzy. . . @ 06/07/2004 10:05 PM

I had that dinosaur, as well as a startling number of other dinosaur sticker/activity books, including a series which have 3D dino-pics. I think it was actually a magazine series, where each edition came with a piece of a T-Rex skeleton. A must have for any dino-enthusiast.

Chestnuts roasted by James F.W. @ 06/07/2004 10:12 PM

I too had the Grover Book, and read it every friggin’ night before bed as a kid. Thanks for the memories, Matt.

I also just read that Transformers Coloring Book review. Jesus Matt, Stephanie, Thundercracker, AND Gear? You must be a superstar at Boggle.

Dead links alert!
http://www.x-entertainment.com/messages/271.html

C’mon Matt, I demand to see just how heinous these endings were. Either that, or a review of Mac and Me.

Chestnuts roasted by A-wel Cruiz @ 06/07/2004 10:23 PM

And Calgary blows it!

Review "Mac and Me"

Chestnuts roasted by A-wel Cruiz @ 06/07/2004 10:53 PM

I love the monster at the end of this book. I read it over and over again to my host mum’s grandkids when I was on an exchange. I loved the bookfairs when I was a kid, and was amazed that they are still run by the same companies when my brother was in elementary school. He is 11 years younger than me.

Chestnuts roasted by happygirl @ 06/07/2004 11:36 PM

Aww, I remember two out of three of those books! Don’t remember the Full House one. Can you believe the Olsen Twins are going to be 18 this coming Saturday?

Hmm, speaking of Dinosaurs, does anyone here remember the obscure 80′s cartoon Dinosaucers? Maybe someone could dig up some old clips for a future article. *hint* *hint* ;)

Chestnuts roasted by The Dragon @ 06/08/2004 12:02 PM

I remember Dinosaucers. It was an interesting idea.

Chestnuts roasted by Former A1C Pete @ 06/08/2004 12:17 PM

The dinosaur book reminded me of a show (or movie?) I used to love. It was called Denver the Dinosaur. Anyone remember it?

Chestnuts roasted by Mandie J. @ 06/08/2004 12:35 PM

Denver, the lost dinosaur? Hells yeah I remember him. He was my friend, and a whole lot more, or so the song goes. I used to love that show.

Chestnuts roasted by Rob @ 06/08/2004 12:40 PM

Correction, that’s Denver the LAST dinosaur. I guess he really isn’t as good of a friend as I thought. We have been estranged for a long time.

Chestnuts roasted by Rob @ 06/08/2004 12:51 PM

Both denver and dinosaucers were great shows.

Chestnuts roasted by Bright Noah @ 06/08/2004 12:51 PM

Oh. My. God.

That is my favorite book ever! There was also another Grover book that I liked but I can’t remember the name of that one. I also had a puppet of grover and some other grover things. I always hated the pretentious Big Bird and annoying Elmo. It was even worse when I babysitted this little kid who couldn’t pronounce my name and called me Elmo. I wanted to scream at him until he cried.

And the book fair, R.I.F., and the book order magazines were always my favorite parts of school.

Thanks for taking me back to the good old days.

Chestnuts roasted by Emmaaaaa @ 06/08/2004 1:00 AM

I remember having the grover book as a kid. It’s great to see such a fond memory on your site, Matt. We also had several other Sesme Street books from that same publisher.

Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 06/08/2004 1:15 AM

Man-O-Man! so much happening at once on this page! First off, all sesame books did rock in the 70s and 80s.
G4L, I could swear on a grover book that I remember reading a book similar to montser at the end with a mirror on the last page.
Secondly, Please Matt! Punky Brewster was my hero as a kid. I too would love a review good or bad from you!

"Wow! it’s the olsen twins! Hey, back when you were in full house, I thought you guys looked like, troll dolls…but I never lost faith in you…hey there’s an incription on this medallion…’cut, it, OUT!’ HA HA HA HA!" -Clone High Ghandi

Chestnuts roasted by Bitsy&Roary @ 06/08/2004 1:21 AM

I had that Grover book and loved it. There was another Grover book where he played Hide-and-Seek with the reader, and terribly. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN I’M RIGHT THERE??" He tried anything to get you to not notice him, including tearing the page up and hiding under the sheet. Finally he just makes a pathetic pleading with you, and cowers in the corner and whimpers, "Do you see Grover? PLEASE SAY NO PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE…" Turn the page and he’s happy as a clam, as he shouts in big poster words, "YOU SAID NO!!!" Actually, I said yes…every time.

Chestnuts roasted by Mars @ 06/08/2004 1:23 AM

I had that Grover book as well. Personally, I found it rather creepy. It had this ominous tone, even after I knew about the copout ending. It’s like I was expecting the ending to suddenly change one day and find Grover in the mouth of some unholy orc. It still might happen. That orc has waited for so long…he can wait a little longer.

Chestnuts roasted by Phil @ 06/08/2004 1:24 AM

God.. the pure horror on Grovers face on some of those pages as he wails: "WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU LITTLE $#!T, WHYD YOU TURN THE PAGE" made me crack up with delight as a kid. Im so very happy you reviewed this book.. probably my favorite along with "A Dark Dark Tale"..

Chestnuts roasted by AJ @ 06/08/2004 2:06 AM

I must add.. I found that they still sell the Grover book at a local supermarket, along with a NEW version something along the lines of "Grover and Elmo and the monster at the end of this book".. it was pretty much the same thing, but with elmo too. I couldnt not buy it.. its somewhere in my room, I think.

Chestnuts roasted by AJ @ 06/08/2004 2:08 AM

Allie- I agree. Ernie was my favourite too.

Dynamite-Matt actually made a couple of typos.

Matt-Were those typos intentional?

Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 06/08/2004 2:11 AM

Y’know, I recall a grover book with nudity in it. That’s right. It was a a book where a naked grover got dressed all by himself. I remember my mom helping a foreign friend of mine with her english once by using this book.

I notice that Grover doesn’t wear any underwear. But then again, I guess he doesn’t really need them as he obviously doesn’t have anything that for which underwear would be needed to hold in place if you get my drift.

Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 06/08/2004 2:15 AM

step, hanie. heh.

i loved that grover book, too and it did feel like i was watching tv- except less fun.

Chestnuts roasted by Rachel Cakes @ 06/08/2004 2:25 AM

Okay, last post here. I promise.

I shouldn’t say that I "noticed" Grover’s lack of underwear, as I currently do not have the book. But I DO recall it.

I also have a wonderful story about the book fair, and it involves theft.

No, I didn’t do it. It was actually a friend of my brother’s who did it. Basically, my friend stole a few books from the book fair. He actually gave my brother one, which happened to be a Goosebumps/Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-like book. I forget the exact name of it, but it had something to do with time travel.

My brother felt so guilty over it, that he actually gave it to me. I read it, not even knowing that it was stolen. And after having gone through every possible ending in that damn CYOA wannabe, I tried to return it to my brother. It was then that I found out the awful truth, and couldn’t even bare to look at the book myself.

Now to be honest with all of you, I hated Goosebumps, but I loved Choose Your Own Adventure, as well as other books of the same format. However, I remember really hating this one. And so, finding out that it was stolen was the icing of the cake.

I don’t know if that book is still in our own possession today, but it still haunts me in my dreams. And if I ever find it, I shall either return it to its rightful owners (which is unlikely to happen as it has been a long long time and Troll books probably doesn’t care anymore), or burn it (which is the more likely of the two options). Jeez, I guess this proves that Goosebumps really can be scary.

Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 06/08/2004 2:32 AM

I too loved the Grover book. And A-wel thanks for rubbing salt in the wound ;)

Chestnuts roasted by Gabbylicious @ 06/08/2004 2:48 AM

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