FRANKIE PICKLE AND THE PINE RUN 3000

Gentlemen, start your engines. Frankie Pickle, fresh off his incarnation as Indiana Jones, returns in another imaginative, over-the-top fantasy. This time, Frankie, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Speed Racer, attempts to overcome his merit-point deficit to move on to the next level in his Possum Scout troop. Long on good intention but short on careful execution, Frankie attempts to catch up with his peers by entering the Pine Run 3000—3,000 inches of curved racetrack. Competing against über–Possum Scout Carter, Frankie independently prepares for the big day, turning his back on any written direction or advice from his father—with distressing results. After gulping down a bit of humble pie, our hero regains his stride and rolls across the finish line the best way he can. High-energy graphic illustrations keep this race on course and provide the perfect dose of humor for new readers, especially boys, who will identify with Frankie and admire his patient father. (Fiction. 7-10)