Readers will become inquisitive sleuths as they navigate this whimsical, playful mystery.
A middle schooler races to uncover the mystery of a missing third grade teacher at Sacred Kidney, her Catholic school, in this series opener that’s linked to the Murdle Jr. series of puzzle activity books.
Jake, a junior detective appointed by “the grand master of logic,” Deductive Logico, is defending her nerdy sidekick, Sterling, against school bully Brick when a scream interrupts them. Peering into the library, the trio witness Miss Saffron scuffling with an unknown individual. When she’s absent the next day, Jake, Sterling, and Brick become an unlikely team in pursuit of answers and suspects. Sterling and Brick evolve beyond their archetypes, and Jake remains steadfast in her commitment to truth and justice. As is common in middle-grade mysteries, the adults are easily fooled by the junior sleuths. The team’s investigation, far from amateur, utilizes a secret command center equipped with pricey gadgets that titillate the imagination. Jake’s narration evokes the golden age of whodunit detective stories (“Let’s keep friendship outta this, okay, pal?”). Grids and instructions allow readers to join in solving the mystery. Alongside the investigation, a storm—both literal and symbolic—brews, only clearing once order and justice are restored. Black-and-white full-page and spot-art illustrations add a humorous touch. Characters largely present white.
Readers will become inquisitive sleuths as they navigate this whimsical, playful mystery. (reading guidelines, Detective Club message, answer key) (Mystery. 7-11)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9780316582254
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025
We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face.
Four misunderstood villains endeavor to turn over a new leaf…or a new rap sheet in Blabey's frenzied romp.
As readers open the first page of this early chapter book, Mr. Wolf is right there to greet them, bemoaning his reputation. "Just because I've got BIG POINTY TEETH and RAZOR-SHARP CLAWS and I occasionally like to dress up like an OLD LADY, that doesn't mean… / … I'm a BAD GUY." To prove this very fact, Mr. Wolf enlists three equally slandered friends into the Good Guys Club: Mr. Snake (aka the Chicken Swallower), Mr. Piranha (aka the Butt Biter), and Mr. Shark (aka Jaws). After some convincing from Mr. Wolf, the foursome sets off determined to un-smirch their names (and reluctantly curbing their appetites). Although these predators find that not everyone is ready to be at the receiving end of their helpful efforts, they use all their Bad Guy know-how to manage a few hilarious good deeds. Blabey has hit the proverbial nail on the head, kissed it full on the mouth, and handed it a stick of Acme dynamite. With illustrations that startle in their manic comedy and deadpan direct address and with a narrative that follows four endearingly sardonic characters trying to push past (sometimes successfully) their fear-causing natures, this book instantly joins the classic ranks of Captain Underpants and The Stinky Cheese Man.
We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face. (Fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-91240-2
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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