copyright 1972
Scott Corbett. Illustrated by
Mircea Vasiliu.
E.P. Dutton & Co. 111 pgs. fiction for the younger end of middle school... about 10-12.
This kid gets magically transported to a crazyass world where he has to play a giant board game to get back home. Good fun for a kid who loves games, but of course it soon goes sour, blahdeeblah, but ends well, yada yada, just like every other kids' book out there.
Get hung up on the plot, and you'll miss the whole fun of it.
The board game Ozzie must play is all about words. Limericks, palindromes, puns of all degrees of rottenness - every page plays a trick on the reader. This book is why I knew what a spoonerism was at age 10. It's a fun read, and an excellent way to show kids how much fun language can be. A good one to add to your "books to prove books aren't boring" shelf.
It's out of print, but so was whatsit, that Daniel Pinkwater one, and that one came back. Think hopeful thoughts for this book; it's a gem.