Organized in seven chapters cleverly titled to ensure interest ("The Hunt for the Chocolate ['Stolen,' 'Buried,' 'Garbage,' etc.] Treasure"), the comical doings of two friends who spend a busy day devising treasure hunts for each other. Jackson draws an elaborate map that he imagines will take Goat some time to decipher, but Goat seizes on a telltale clue and goes straight to the Band-Aid box; Jackson misinterprets Goat's clue and eats Goat's sister's Popsicle, thus getting Goat in trouble; and so on until, at the end of a satisfying day (despite some anxious moments), the two decide to do "something else" tomorrow. (Sequel afoot?) Byars brings her dependable mixture of sympathy and amused intelligence to this easily read story, effortlessly weaving lessons in logic, family dynamics, and an inspiring model of creative play into a story that will be read "just for fun." Wryly comical drawings: eminently approachable format. (Fiction/Young readers. 7-10)
Pub Date: April 15, 1991
ISBN: 0-06-020885-6
Page Count: 74
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1991
Pilkey is still having entirely too much fun with this popular series, which continues to careen along with nary a whiff of...
Trying to salvage failing grades, George and Harold use their handy 3-D Hypno Ring on termagant teacher Ms. Ribble—and succeed only in creating a supervillain with a medusa-like ’do and a yen to conquer the world with wedgie power.
Using a pair of robot sidekicks and plenty of spray starch, she even overcomes Captain Underpants. Is it curtains (or rather, wedgies) for all of us? Can the redoubtable fourth graders rescue the Waistband Warrior (a.k.a. Principal Krupp) and find a way to save the day? Well, duh. Not, of course, without an epic battle waged in low-budget Flip-O-Rama, plus no fewer than three homemade comics, including an “Origin of Captain Underpants” in which we learn that his home planet of Underpantyworld was destroyed by the . . . wait for it . . . “Starch Ship Enterprize.” As in the previous four episodes, neither the pace nor the funky humor (“Diapers and toilets and poop . . . oh my!”) lets up for a moment. Pilkey is still having entirely too much fun with this popular series, which continues to careen along with nary a whiff of staleness. (Fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-439-04999-7
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Blue Sky/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2001
A wacky tale jam-packed with prehistoric hijinks and weird science.
Ari’s odorous T-shirt comes in handy on an unexpected trip to the Cretaceous Period.
New in town, Ari hasn’t made a single friend, though next-door neighbor Mr. Jakes’ frequent visits indicate his interest in Ari’s mom, an inventor who’s been deemed a “mad scientist” for her unusual experiments. Ari takes all this in stride, mostly. Mom’s latest project is a time portal that will allow her and Ari to retrieve piles of clean clothes from “the last time we washed, dried, and folded our laundry.” It’s a necessary creation; Ari’s been wearing a T-shirt that started to smell “four and one quarter days ago,” according to TED, Mom’s snarky, ice cube–size supercomputer. They decide to travel six weeks back in time, but when the portal overshoots their goal, Ari, Mom, TED, and Ari’s pet turtle, Fred, find themselves 60 million years in the past. Fred nearly becomes prey to a Tyrannosaurus, but fortunately the funk from Ari’s shirt is enough to scare off even a ferocious dinosaur. And, just maybe, there’s a better solution to the laundry problem—one that might bring Mom and Mr. Jakes a bit closer. The fast-moving story is filled with wild antics. Ari’s affection for Mom comes through clearly and humorously, and the book sets up the possibility of future mishaps. Goofy cartoons match the energy of the lighthearted adventures; characters have skin the white of the page.
A wacky tale jam-packed with prehistoric hijinks and weird science. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781665942973
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2025
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