a Jon Stewart author writes a book, and gets compared to Pinkwater.
That attempt to reach an older demographic with the book makes it a bit of a hard one to pin down, since its hyper-surrealism (which is reminiscent of the young adult fiction of Daniel Pinkwater) and hyperbole is probably best suited towards undiscriminating young boys.
The author might also have read the old Herbie comics?

Hoboken fourth grader wins spelling bee.
His favorite books are Pinkwater books which take place in Hoboken.