A food fight for the ages, epic in both action and laughs.
The cafeteria foods must defend the school against the conquering office supplies and their bad ruler in this series opener.
At night, all of the food and objects of Belching Walrus Elementary come to life. With the premise stated, the main trio are introduced in profiles: upbeat Slice (pizza), artistic Scoop (ice cream cone), and shy spoken-word poet/rapper Totz (a tater tot). When Baron von Lineal, both a ruler and the ruler of the office supplies, demands nightly freezer access (on account of broken air conditioning in the office), what results is an invasion and hostile takeover. The heroic protagonists set out across the school in search of allies but find most of the school denizens either apathetic or openly hostile. Even a diplomatic summit fails to unite the downtrodden against the totalitarian ruler, leaving the cafeteria crew standing alone in a full-tilt battle that takes several chapters, twists, and some quick thinking to resolve. Throughout the story, characters make time for running jokes such as a discussion about whether a hot dog is a sandwich (which manages to pay off in the main storyline). The punny humor is absolutely delicious, pitched perfectly to the target audience. Black-and-white cartoon doodle illustrations decorate chapter heads and margins, as well as showing the characters in action. The simple yet effective facial expressions, expressive motion, and stick limbs enhance the zany humor and action.
A food fight for the ages, epic in both action and laughs. (Graphic fiction. 6-10)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-73035-7
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
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
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after.
Drake has been selected by the king to serve as a Dragon Master, quite a change for an 8-year-old farmer boy.
The dragons are a secret, and the reason King Roland has them is a mystery, but what is clear is that the Dragon Stone has identified Drake as one of the rare few children who have a special connection with dragons and the ability to serve as a trainer. Drake’s dragon is a long brown creature with, at first, no particular talents that Drake can identify. He calls the dragon Worm. It isn’t long before Drake begins to realize he has a very strong connection with Worm and can share what seem to be his dragon’s thoughts. After one of the other Dragon Masters decides to illicitly take the dragons outside, disaster strikes. The cave they are passing through collapses, blocking the passageway, and then Worm’s special talent becomes evident. The first of a new series of early chapter books, this entry is sure to attract fans. Brief chapters, large print, lots of action, attractive illustrations in every spread, including a maplike panorama, an enviable protagonist—who wouldn’t want to be a Dragon Master?—all combine to make an entertaining read.
With plenty left to be resolved, the next entry will be eagerly sought after. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-64624-6
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Branches/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 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.
