MANOLITO FOUR-EYES

“I’m back. It’s me again, Manolito, the same guy from the first book called Manolito Four-Eyes [2008],” begins the Spanish ten-year-old with a penchant for trouble. Whether caught holding the school bully’s cigarette, losing Our Nosy Neighbor Luisa’s dog or revealing his lack of knowledge on the game of soccer (which results in an outcry in his Madrid neighborhood), the boy’s amusing, warped view of the world continues in episodic chapters. This Continental-style humor is once again illustrated with intermittent cartoon sketches from Urberuaga. While his Grandpa Nicolás remains an “unconditional ally,” his little brother, the Bozo, with a touch of his own mischievousness, plays a bigger role this time as the unwitting recipient of many of Manolito’s schemes. Although this sequel lacks some of the “whole lotta cool” lingo used in the original and includes dated pop-culture references (e.g., which show is better, the original Knight Rider or MacGyver?) and more mature humor (e.g., prostate problems and underarm hair), it contains enough fart jokes, chaos and gross moments to sustain fans of the first Manolito. (Fiction. 9-12)