The Next Adventure

July 15, 2011

It's surprising that a book with zombies and talking celery isn't quite goofy enough to work.

Santa Claus hates you and wants you to die. 364 days a year, he's a tyrant who forces children to fight to the death in an enormous coliseum. Once a year, on Christmas Eve, he travels across the dimensions to Earth, where his entire personality transforms, and he becomes a jolly gift giver with a bag stuffed with candy canes. Pilot and Huxley have the bad luck to meet him on December 23rd. To get home on his world-hopping sleigh, they'll need to defeat Bruto the giant elf and Rudolph, who's armed with a rocket launcher. Luckily, Huxley has a bowl of noodles. All of this is very silly. It's the Simpsons' fault it doesn't work. Kids who've grown up on Captain Underpants and Shrek and Family Guy will recognize the formula: Sarcastic comment, self-referential joke, ridiculous occurrence that our heroes take perfectly in stride. In spite of the familiar pacing, some of the jokes are right on target. PILOT: "But isn't Limbo supposed to be like an empty, blank place where lost souls roam forever?" TALKING STRAWBERRY: "...It seemed like a waste of good real estate, so we all moved in." 

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

November 1, 2011

Gr 3-5-By turns funny, sarcastic, and downright bizarre, this book will pull in as many readers as it turns off. After vanquishing the bad guys the last time out, Pilot and Huxley find themselves transported to Limbo. They try to get home, but it is more difficult than it appears. They visit an alternate universe dedicated to different holidays, only to find themselves thrown into a gladiator battle in a Christmas-themed coliseum. Although the boys escape, they end up transported to the middle of a war in the year 3047, ensuring that the adventure will continue. The plot is largely secondary, as jokes and insults flow freely. It should be noted, however, that this humor is exactly what will hook reluctant readers. The cartoon style of the full-color artwork is purposefully simplistic, yet always functional. The panel layout is clear and easy to follow. Not an essential addition, but likely a popular one.-Travis Jonker, Dorr Elementary School, MI

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2011
Grades 1-3 Stranded after their last adventure, the pint-sized pals make their way back to Earth. Navigating Halloween Land and Christmas Land, they learn that beings in the holiday dimensions are exactly the opposite of what they're like on Earth. Santa Claus throws them up arena-style against a brutish elf and a weaponized reindeer before the pals can escape into another cliffhanger. Capturing the tempo and subversive glee of modern cartoons with irreverent, South Parkinspired art, this is just the thing for parents to frown at while their kids delight in its semi-naughty fun.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)