Attack of the 50-Ft. Cupid

December 22, 2003
Attack of the 50-ft. Cupid picks up where Lunch Walks Among Us left off in the Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist, series by Jim Benton. In this installment, Franny gets a lab assistant courtesy of her mother. Franny also learns about giving valentines and what it means to feel love (for her new pet at least)-but not before an all-out battle royal with Cupid, brought to life and made grossly enormous by science-gone-wrong. The book also includes a twisted valentine generator and removable cardboard valentines.

May 1, 2004
Gr 2-6-The lovable, heroic mad scientist is back for her second adventure, and her brain is so filled with science that she doesn't know about Valentine's Day traditions. Even with the help of Igor, her new lab assistant (actually, he is part Lab, part beagle, part shepherd, etc.), her attempts to create valentines result in disaster. Then, a real valentine card comes to life, and is "biggerized" to huge, and it takes a superhero to save the school bus full of children from the giant Cupid. Franny biggerizes herself, rides the bus like a skateboard, and saves the day. Igor turns out to be more than a useless mutt, and he and Franny set things right. Benton's cartoon illustrations and writing style will draw fans of Dav Pilkey's "Ricky Ricotta" and "Captain Underpants" series (Scholastic). Fast paced and very funny, this book is likely to fly off the shelves faster than a giant Cupid shoots an arrow.-Sharon R. Pearce, Chippewa Elementary School, Bensenville, IL

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.