IMPETUOUS R., SECRET AGENT

In this convoluted tale, a colony of highly intelligent cockroaches living in a once-famous jazz club called Pop’s Corner learns the club is about to be taken by the bank. This could bring the dreaded pesticide! Out of both fondness for Pops and desperation to survive, everyone swings into action to save the club, especially three tenacious young roaches: Demo, Impy and Shiney. In their many adventures, Shiney is almost vacuumed from a dollhouse, Demo stops a robbery and Impy’s bravery brings in loads of donations through an intricate underground roach network. Meanwhile, human friends, neighbors and bands plan a surprise party to benefit Pop’s Corner. Once past the roach-infested heebie-jeebies, the reader may find humor in the insects’ plentiful claims to most human achievements, such as the artwork of Michelangelo (imitated from Michelroachio) and the equations of Einstein. There are too many characters and disparate plotlines for the story to cohere, but the sense of optimism gladdens the heart as the creatures great and small band together behind (and under) the scenes. (Fantasy. 8-11)