A lively inaugural adventure.
A spaceship captain successfully navigates his first real mission.
Rex is a curiously stretchy, blue-skinned dachshund who was ejected from S.T.A.R.R. Command ranger school, then stole his hot-dog-in-a-bun–shaped spaceship, the SS Sagan, from the Oppenheimlich Space Museum. This backstory is related by General Dill, Captain Rex’s pickle-shaped superior. Dill recruits Dr. B, a purple rabbit, to help him prove that Rex is “incompetent. A goofball! A nincompoop!” But Rex, who’s beloved by his crew, is amusingly oblivious. Dill sends Rex and the rest of his motley team (robot Spud, shark head Trog, terrier Argyle, and sentient banana Peele, plus a mysterious entity—a voice that speaks to them from an air vent) to Gratuvius 4, a planet in the Snarzon galaxy. Their mission: to protect the royal castle from “a scary, hairy giant monster.” But Rex and the gang discover that King Krog, an interloper from another planet contracted to supply Gratuvius 4’s essential Element X to S.T.A.R.R. Command, is using a hypno zapper to keep the inhabitants overworked and overmining the planet’s resources. Twenty short, humorous, action-packed chapters (that include a couple of flashbacks and concurrent storylines) introduce the characters and set the stage for subsequent entries in the series. Gallagher’s illustrations and framing match the story’s cheerful cartoon energy. The inclusion of a Random Astro Fact after each chapter nicely paces the action.
A lively inaugural adventure. (drawing instructions) (Graphic adventure. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2026
ISBN: 9780593712306
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Random House Graphic
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
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
Lively fun with animal friends.
Has Plum’s pep deserted him?
Several animals from the Athensville Zoo are on their way to visit an elementary school. Overconfident Itch the ningbing (an Australian marsupial), unaware that zookeeper Lizzie will be doing all the talking, looks forward to “lecturing eager young minds.” Plum, the usually chipper peacock, on the other hand, is anxious—maybe the schoolchildren won’t like him or he’ll get lost. So when they arrive at the school to find the students have been sent home due to a blizzard, Plum is relieved. The animals are left in a school gym for the night until three self-important class mice free them. Itch heads for the library to meet the learned turtle, but Plum reluctantly explores with his friends. When his anxiety peaks, they reassure him, and when the mice reject Meg, another peacock, as “borrrring” and uncool, they buoy her as well before everyone comes together to save Itch, who finds himself outside and stranded in a snowdrift. Unlike Leave It to Plum (2022), this is not a mystery, and the relationship focus shifts from Lizzie to the rodents, but the pace is brisk, and sequel seekers will be pleased to revisit familiar characters (if dismayed that Itch’s longing for knowledge leads to his downfall). In Phelan’s engaging grayscale pen-and-wash illustrations, Lizzie has short curly hair; text and art cue her as Latine.
Lively fun with animal friends. (how to draw Plum) (Chapter book. 7-10)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-307920-5
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
© Copyright 2026 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.
