Unreal (short story collection) facts for kids

Unreal is a collection of exciting and funny short stories by the famous Australian author Paul Jennings. It was first released on June 6, 1985, and was the very first book in a popular series of collections by Jennings.

Dive into the Stories of Unreal

Without a Shirt: A Peculiar Problem

This story is about a boy named Brian. He has a strange habit: he says "Without a shirt" every time he finishes a sentence! Brian and his family have to move to a new house, right in the middle of a cemetery. This happens because his dog keeps digging up the yard. At their new home, Brian finds some old bones. He soon discovers these bones might be connected to his unusual speech habit. After he completes a special task involving the bones and a shirt, his strange habit finally disappears. This story was later made into an episode of the TV show Round The Twist, but the phrase was changed to "without my pants."

The Strap-Box Flyer: A Sticky Situation

Meet Giffen, a tricky salesman who sells a special glue. He claims it sticks to anything, but there's a secret: it only works for four hours! Giffen sells a lot of this glue to innocent people in town. Before they can realize they've been tricked, he quickly leaves in his truck. Then, he meets a man who has invented an amazing box that can make people fly! Giffen decides to try it himself, which turns out to be a huge mistake.

Skeleton on the Dunny: A Spooky Outhouse

This story follows a boy named Bob. He has to live with his aunt after his parents pass away. The only toilet at his aunt's house is an outhouse, which is a small building outside. Even stranger, this outhouse is haunted! It's home to the ghost of a man who died while looking after the house when Bob's aunt was away. This spooky tale was adapted as the very first episode of Round The Twist.

Lucky Lips: A Kissing Conundrum

Imagine a boy who has never been kissed. One day, he gets a special lipstick. This lipstick has a magical effect: it makes any nearby girl want to kiss him! But there's a funny twist – it works on any female, even animals! This hilarious story also became an episode of Round The Twist.

Cow Dung Custard: A Smelly Secret

Greg's father is a gardener who grows enormous vegetables. His secret? He uses a lot of cow dung to help them grow! Some batches of dung are very strange. One kind doesn't smell at all but attracts tons of flies. Another kind smells incredibly bad, causing trouble with the neighbors, but it also kills flies. In the end, Greg and his father find themselves in a bit of a mess because of their unique gardening methods.

Lighthouse Blues: A Musical Mystery

A boy travels to an island to help an old lighthouse keeper. Everything seems normal until every Friday night, music starts playing mysteriously. The boy begins to suspect that the music has something to do with the lighthouse keeper's ancestors, who lived long ago. This intriguing story was later turned into a series of episodes in the first season of Round The Twist.

Smart Ice-Cream: A Brainy Treat

There's an ice-cream seller who has very special ice-creams. Each one has a different effect! Some make people happier, others shorten noses, remove pimples, or even make people smarter. A very smart boy, who is always the best in his class, gets jealous. He never gets any of the special ice-cream, and one of his classmates starts becoming as smart as him. So, he decides to ruin the ice-cream business by destroying all the ice-cream except the one that makes people smarter. He then eats that one, only to discover it actually makes people less smart!

Wunderpants: Super Strength Underwear

A boy receives a pair of underpants that look quite silly. He worries the school bully will tease him. But these aren't just any underpants – they give him superhuman strength! During a cross-country race, he's far ahead of everyone. When he takes a short break, the underpants start to shrink! The bully catches up and steals the rest of his clothes. The boy ends up going home without clothes, which gets him grounded. Later, he enters a mouse race where the winner gets 50 dollars. He wins the race by giving the special pants to the mouse! This story was also adapted into an episode of Round The Twist.