MATTIE FRITTS AND THE CUCKOO CAPER

by Michael Jennings ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 13, 1976

An eccentric old lady, a giant mushroom, and a flying octopus are the unlikely leaders of an expedition that takes Nick and Cheryl to Toytown where they rescue Gretel, a clock cuckoo, from their own rebellious, tough-talking dolls. To Jennings' credit, he never misses a chance for a silly one-liner (""Are you going to tell me how much you know about my operation?"" says the villain. . . ""We didn't even know you had been sick.""). But the cross between Mary Poppins' dottiness and TV cartoon slickness is awfully contrived, and as in the original Mattie Fritts and the Flying Mushroom (1973) one is most conscious of the arm-waving effort needed to get this whole unwieldy show off the ground.

Pub Date: Sept. 13, 1976

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Bobbs-Merrill

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1976

Categories: FICTION