For seekers of super-silly series sagas.
MI-TEE! It’s superhero adventures in sleepy Sunnyview.
Seven Captain Awesome adventures are slated for release in 2012. In this, number three in the series, the Sunnyview Superhero Squad encounters several nemeses, rescues a lost cat and meets a potential super-buddy. Second-grader Eugene McGillicudy and his best friend Charlie Thomas Jones have secret identities: Inspired by their idol Super Dude, they are Captain Awesome and Nacho Cheese Man. Together with their hamster sidekick, Turbo, they patrol the streets of Sunnyview in costume to keep unsuspecting citizens safe from crime (but mostly just to have fun). They rescue their fantastic Frisbee from Mr. Drools, "the most slobberingest monster from the Howling Paw Nebula." They investigate the moving van down the street for alien spies. At school they defend a new girl from the cootie insults of Little Miss Stinky Pinky, aka Meredith Mooney, and avoid the evil peas of Dr. Yuck Spinach in the lunch room. Kirby and O'Connor’s ultra-illustrated early chapter book will be of interest to superhero fans graduating from easy readers, but they will need a high tolerance for super-lingo. Several chapters set up interesting events that are not played out in the text or comics-inspired, black-and-white illustrations, which is a disappointment.
For seekers of super-silly series sagas. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: May 8, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-4200-9
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 14, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
Dizzyingly silly.
The famous superhero returns to fight another villain with all the trademark wit and humor the series is known for.
Despite the title, Captain Underpants is bizarrely absent from most of this adventure. His school-age companions, George and Harold, maintain most of the spotlight. The creative chums fool around with time travel and several wacky inventions before coming upon the evil Turbo Toilet 2000, making its return for vengeance after sitting out a few of the previous books. When the good Captain shows up to save the day, he brings with him dynamic action and wordplay that meet the series’ standards. The Captain Underpants saga maintains its charm even into this, the 11th volume. The epic is filled to the brim with sight gags, toilet humor, flip-o-ramas and anarchic glee. Holding all this nonsense together is the author’s good-natured sense of harmless fun. The humor is never gross or over-the-top, just loud and innocuous. Adults may roll their eyes here and there, but youngsters will eat this up just as quickly as they devoured every other Underpants episode.
Dizzyingly silly. (Humor. 8-10)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-50490-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after.
Drake has been selected by the king to serve as a Dragon Master, quite a change for an 8-year-old farmer boy.
The dragons are a secret, and the reason King Roland has them is a mystery, but what is clear is that the Dragon Stone has identified Drake as one of the rare few children who have a special connection with dragons and the ability to serve as a trainer. Drake’s dragon is a long brown creature with, at first, no particular talents that Drake can identify. He calls the dragon Worm. It isn’t long before Drake begins to realize he has a very strong connection with Worm and can share what seem to be his dragon’s thoughts. After one of the other Dragon Masters decides to illicitly take the dragons outside, disaster strikes. The cave they are passing through collapses, blocking the passageway, and then Worm’s special talent becomes evident. The first of a new series of early chapter books, this entry is sure to attract fans. Brief chapters, large print, lots of action, attractive illustrations in every spread, including a maplike panorama, an enviable protagonist—who wouldn’t want to be a Dragon Master?—all combine to make an entertaining read.
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-64624-6
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Branches/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
