Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People

December 1, 2006
Gr 2-5 -In their eighth epic adventure, George and Harold use the Purple Potty to travel to an alternate universe where teachers care, the library has books, and kids eat at a five-star gourmet cafeteria. Unfortunately they also encounter Evil George and Evil Harold, who transform good Mr. Krupp into Captain Blunderpants. The evil duo also steal the boys pets, Crackers and Sulu, and hitch a ride back to George and Harolds world. They might destroy that world with Evil Sulu, the worlds biggest baddest bionic hamster, but are thwarted by the arthritic avengers Boxer Boy and Great-Granny Girdle and their geezer power. Part novel, part comic book, and part Flip-o-rama™ (add your own sound effects), this newest adventure will not disappoint the legions of Captain Underpants fans. The cartoon pictures almost tell the story, making it a boon for struggling readers. Maybe kids, like Pilkey, will be inspired to write their own comics, invent their own superheroes, poke fun at the absurdities they see, and not worry about a few (in Pilkeys case, deliberately) misspelled words. Libraries with the previous books will want to add this one.Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.