A vigorous celebration of outdoor, imaginative play.
In this lighthearted sequel to Recess Warriors: Hero Is a Four-Letter Word (2017), recess drama continues.
After fighting an outbreak of zombie-inducing cooties on the playground of Armstrong School, fifth-grade superheroes Scrap (aka Bryce) and reformed villain Swan (the alter ego of Juliet) learn that insidious forces are seeking to take over their beloved playground. A group of renegade vampires led by vegan, pretend-smartphone–wielding Cora is threatening to infect the play yards. After this adventure, Scrap and Swan discover a bevy of backpack-pilfering ninjas led by Simon, who has the power to compel people to do what he wants (à la “Simon Says”). Soon after, the antics once again transform, and the superhero duo must finally deal with their most nefarious foe: a scheming fourth-grader determined to rule the entire playground. Emulating the amorphous flow of unstructured play, the narrative moves fluidly among storylines as the children’s play scenarios and characters change with their whims. Mentions of technology are nearly entirely absent, as are aspects of anything academic: pretend play and the simple joys of being outside are given prominence. Emerson’s art is dynamic and appealing, with a keen balance between facial expression and movement. The children are a diverse bunch, a variety of skin tones and racial characteristics on display in the full-color pictures.
A vigorous celebration of outdoor, imaginative play. (Graphic fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62672-709-0
Page Count: 162
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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