For gross-out fans only, but they’ll find it funny and full of action.
Once again, the brave mayor of Fartville defends his citizens from would-be invaders in Shah’s (Adult Coloring Book Horror Land: Entrapment, 2017, etc.) middle-grade series installment.
Mayor Fart and his allies Rumbly Fart, Loud Fart, and Quiet Fart join forces to conquer the evil wizard Severe Cold and his Booger army. The Boogers, who “are good people deep down,” accept their defeat and make amends by cleaning up various snot-covered areas. Severe Cold reveals, under threat, that he’s been working with Mayor Burp, who’s still power-hungry despite the treaty that’s allowed Fartville and Burpville to share Gas Mountain peacefully. Mayor Burps is supposed to be in jail, but Mayor Fart learns, upon returning to Fartville, that he’s mysteriously escaped. An inspection reveals a strange hole in the cell floor that swells and turns into a Pimple. More follow, which leads to messy, smelly clashes between Pimples, Farts, and Boogers. Then Mayor Burp arrives, riding a huge Pimple, and announces his takeover plans. But when he calls the Pimples disgusting, they take offense and decide that maybe they should just take over Fartville themselves. Mayor Fart devises a bold plan to save the day by raiding the old Fart Armory, which is now a museum. Shah again engages in the nonstop, deliberately disgusting humor that’s a hallmark of this series, which won’t be to every reader’s taste. A slightly more mature style of humor is seen in occasional pop-culture references, though, such as a nod to the 1983 movie Scarface: “I guess I’ll just have to conjure another brainwashing spell. Say hello to my little friend,” snarls Severe Cold. Some may also find it a little unfair to put disfiguring acne in the same category as farts, burps, and boogers, giving this book a slightly mean undertone, considering that the book’s older middle-school audience may be afflicted: “Yo, Pimple Cyst. Quick! Go in like you’re hiding under the skin of a gross Fart teen,” encourages one fighter.
For gross-out fans only, but they’ll find it funny and full of action.Pub Date: May 6, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943684-56-4
Page Count: 60
Publisher: 99 Pages or Less Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
With comically realistic black-and-white illustrations by Selznick (The Robot King, 1995, etc.), this is a captivating...
Nicholas is a bright boy who likes to make trouble at school, creatively.
When he decides to torment his fifth-grade English teacher, Mrs. Granger (who is just as smart as he is), by getting everyone in the class to replace the word "pen'' with "frindle,'' he unleashes a series of events that rapidly spins out of control. If there's any justice in the world, Clements (Temple Cat, 1995, etc.) may have something of a classic on his hands. By turns amusing and adroit, this first novel is also utterly satisfying. The chess-like sparring between the gifted Nicholas and his crafty teacher is enthralling, while Mrs. Granger is that rarest of the breed: a teacher the children fear and complain about for the school year, and love and respect forever after.
With comically realistic black-and-white illustrations by Selznick (The Robot King, 1995, etc.), this is a captivating tale—one to press upon children, and one they'll be passing among themselves. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-689-80669-8
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1996
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay.
Renowned Latin American writer Alvarez has created another story about cultural identity, but this time the primary character is 11-year-old Miguel Guzmán.
When Tía Lola arrives to help the family, Miguel and his hermana, Juanita, have just moved from New York City to Vermont with their recently divorced mother. The last thing Miguel wants, as he's trying to fit into a predominantly white community, is a flamboyant aunt who doesn't speak a word of English. Tía Lola, however, knows a language that defies words; she quickly charms and befriends all the neighbors. She can also cook exotic food, dance (anywhere, anytime), plan fun parties, and tell enchanting stories. Eventually, Tía Lola and the children swap English and Spanish ejercicios, but the true lesson is "mutual understanding." Peppered with Spanish words and phrases, Alvarez makes the reader as much a part of the "language" lessons as the characters. This story seamlessly weaves two culturaswhile letting each remain intact, just as Miguel is learning to do with his own life. Like all good stories, this one incorporates a lesson just subtle enough that readers will forget they're being taught, but in the end will understand themselves, and others, a little better, regardless of la lengua nativa—the mother tongue.
Simple, bella, un regalo permenente: simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-375-80215-0
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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