Bigfoot Backpacking Bonanza

August 1, 2007
Gr 2-4-To console Wiley and Jubal after their fifth failure at passing the Spudscouts initiation test, their grandparents take the boys on a wilderness expedition to Devil's Rump, legendary home of Bigfoot. Grampa hopes to track the monster, but, instead, the smelly beast surprises their camp, sending the four right into the clutches of Spudmaster Maximus and his weird army of robot scouts. The evil Spuds plan to use Gramma as bait to capture Bigfoot. Only the family cat can save her, but Bigfoot has plans of his own for the feline. The book is clearly aimed at Dav Pilkey's "Captain Underpants" (Scholastic) crowd, with smart-aleck dialogue, frenetic plot action, and mild but pervasive body jokes. The exaggerated illustrations are designed in comic-book style, incorporating sound words, unrelated but amusing background activity, and a variety of visual puns. Character development is almost entirely through the art, which shows a particularly stereotyped vision of older people. The inclusion of an igloo (complete with a fur-coated cartoon Inuit) and a Native American tipi among the background tents in the Spudscouts camp is inappropriate as well. While the short text and off-the-wall humor may appeal to transitional readers, especially boys, this book lacks the focus and genuine entertainment value of Dav Pilkey's more coherent titles."Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.