Through the Medicine Cabinet

February 1, 1997
Gr 3-5-Zack is a normal 10-year-old boy with a knack for getting into weird situations. In Wanda, he attempts to rid his apartment of a rude eight-year-old poltergeist who communicates by spelling out words with peanut M&Ms. In Litter Box, he plans to adopt a kitten but instead acquires a cantankerous talking cat that claims to be the reincarnation of his great-grandfather. He sees his reflection in the Medicine Cabinet mirror and falls through into a skewed world that its inhabitants consider much "cooler" than ours. An electrical accident occurs at school and Zap!-Zack can hear thoughts, including a bloodthirsty voice expressing an eagerness to kill. The stories have a whacked-out, off-the-wall humor that is reminiscent of the work of Daniel Pinkwater. At the same time, they neatly poke fun at the conventions of popular horror series. Kids will find some of the episodes tremendously funny. Great-Grandpa the cat threatens to "take a leak" on the sofa if Zack doesn't provide him with his preferred food (herring with sour cream!); Wanda and a fellow ghost yank down a bully's pants. The books are short without looking babyish and would appeal to reluctant readers as well as those with a taste for oddball humor.-Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL

January 1, 1997
%% This is a multi-book review: SEE also the title "Great-Grandpa's in the Litter Box." %% Ages 3^-5. Zack, of the Zack Files series, is a kid who just keeps running into unexpected events. In "Litter Box," Zack goes to adopt a kitty at the animal shelter and comes home with a talking cat who claims to be his great-grandfather reincarnated. In "Medicine Cabinet," Zack's mirror image, Zeke, leads him to an alternative universe. Short and mostly snappy, these should find an audience, especially among reluctant readers. However, Greenburg, who is best known for his adult writings, may go over his readers' heads at times. For instance, Great-Grandpa's Yiddishness comes through his cat persona in a way adults will chuckle at, but whether kids will find his longing for herring with sour cream funny remains to be seen. You have to love the cover art though--the cat smoking a big cigar in the litter box will draw readers right in. ((Reviewed January 1 & 15, 1997))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1997, American Library Association.)