I really enjoyed this book as a kid, but its been more than a decade since I read it last. It was probably among the first non-fiction books I read, so I was curious to see what it was like and perhaps bring back some of the memories of my childhood. My impressions were of a very unique story featuring aspects of daily life intruded on by a wacky storyline involving a civilization of chicken-revering, wise and peaceful lizards inhabiting a secret island. When Victor, a young boy stumbles upon mysterious lizard broadcasts on late night TV, he decides to get to the bottom of the story like his idol, Walter Cronkite which leads him to a large city, where he is taken under the wing of the Chicken Man, an odd character who knows more than he is telling and seems to turn up everywhere. Just describing the plot fills me with a nostalgic feeling as I’m returned to my childhood as a curious kid interested in the paranormal, lizards, and travel, three of the themes explored in Pinkwater’s book.

Returning to Pinkwater’s story as an adult, I can still see the exuberant creativity that definitely drew me in as a child, and while many of the crazy plot developments and cast of zany characters were a little too far-fetched for an older audience, it still maintains that feeling of being a “true story” that I enjoyed then and continue to seek out. I think that Pinkwater did a very good job in making the story simultaneously mundane (descriptions of local TV news programs and TV dinners, for instance) and so exuberantly creative, it appeals to the childrens’ sense of wonder, that anything is possible yet the main character’s problems and feelings are easily identifiable as well.

A few things that I picked up on now that I probably missed in my childhood were Pinkwater’s intriguing commentary on the nature of American culture via the medium of TV, particularly the evening news and late night monsters movies, both of which Victor, our protagonist, is a fan of. While very dated to 1976, many of the conclusions that Victor makes about American culture are still relevant today. My only complaint would be that “Lizard Music” is, in essence, a very “masculine” book in that there are very few female characters, mostly housewives and mothers. Those that aren’t are described as “crazy” like Victor’s hippie sister or the vacuous “pod” bimbos on TV. None have important roles. This may make it less appealing to young girls who may otherwise find Victor’s exploration of the lizard society, and its implications for human culture, as engrossing as boys would.

In the end, I would still recommend “Lizard Music” for a quick read for adults interested in middle school literature or for the children themselves. It has a creative spark that many kids, I think would find engrossing and even has some interesting philosophical insights that they may only truly discover later in life.