In their second appearance, the likable ``Investigators of the Unknown'' (introduced in The Gold Dust Letters, p. 399) now include withdrawn classmate Walter Kew, while former protagonist Angela is offstage in Mexico, leaving her cat Juliette in animal- lover Poco's care. When Juliette vanishes after a nearly fatal brush with a speeding car, the three friends (with Georgina trying to overcome her normal incredulity) seek clues to her whereabouts with Walter's Ouija board. Concluding that a cryptic message (``deadly enemy'') refers to a retired teacher now living, as caretaker, over Angela's garage, the three shadow her- -only to discover that (like Angela's dad in the first book) she's a kindly soul. The witchy manifestations that have excited their curiosity and fear all have ordinary explanations. In the end, as cats do, Juliette turns up on her own, while the mystery of Walter's parentage is left hanging as a teaser for a sequel. Newbery Honorwinner Lisle adds spark to the predictable goings- on with lively, idiosyncratic characterizations and spooky trimmings. Easy, good-quality fare. (Fiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-531-06870-6
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1994
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
The author of Babe, the Gallant Pig (1985) offers another winner with this tale of a bright pig and her canny young keeper “training” a spoiled princess. When Princess Penelope demands a pig for her eighth birthday, her over-indulgent father requires every pig keeper in the country to assemble with a likely porcine candidate. The princess settles on Lollipop, who turns out to be the sole possession of penniless orphan Johnny Skinner. As only Johnny can get Lollipop to sit, roll over, or poop outdoors, soon lad and pig are comfortably ensconced together in a royal stall—at least until the pig can be persuaded to respond to the Princess’s commands. It’s only the beginning of a meteoric rise for Johnny, and for Lollipop too, as the two conspire to teach the princess civilized manners, and end up great favorites of the entire royal family. Barton (Rattletrap Car, p. 504, etc.) captures Penelope’s fuming, bratty character perfectly in a generous array of line drawings, and gives Lollipop an expression of affectionate amusement that will win over readers as effortlessly as it wins over the princess and her parents. Move over, Wilbur. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: June 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-7636-1269-3
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2001
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