Sven Carter & the Trashmouth Effect

August 1, 2017

Gr 3-6-Sven Carter, also known as "Trashmouth" after an unfortunate incident involving munching on a moldy muffin, is shocked when his arm suddenly falls off after a failed bike jump. Even more surprising is what happens next: his arm drags itself back to him and reattaches itself to his shoulder joint. Sven soon learns that he's not a typical kid-he's a high-tech humanoid robot created to destroy humankind. Sven is horrified at the discovery and enlists his best friend Will and classmate Alicia to help stop his lethal programming. Along the way, the trio encounters strange and gross creatures, from evil roast chickens to murderous clown-snakes. This book will keep middle grade readers entertained and shaking their heads at the ridiculousness of it all. The story relies on impossibly dangerous action scenes and slapstick humor-a fairly winning combination for the target audience. Sven and his friends are the perfect motley crew of outcasts determined to save the world. VERDICT Over the top and full of laughs, this title is recommended for medium and large middle grade collections.-Elizabeth Speer, Weatherford College, TX

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 15, 2017
Sven Carter has always known he was weirdly different...he just didn't know he was extremely different (in a possibly apocalyptic way).Seventh-grader Sven is called Trashmouth by his classmates because in times of stress (or any time really) he eats or licks gross things, such as pre-chewed gum stuck to the bottoms of seats and tables or the handrails on buses. He and his best friend, Will, who has OCD, decide that making a daredevil YouTube video will get them some popular attention. When the stunt goes horribly wrong, Sven's severed arm moves on its own to reattach itself to his shoulder. A visit to the creepy family physician is no help. However, Alicia, the new girl at school, knows just what Sven is--and she's sworn to destroy his kind. Sven is a Tick, a human-seeming robot and apparently a doomsday weapon. Can he and his new frenemy save humankind from giant clown snakes and killer roasted chickens? Vlock's debut is a totally out-there adventure that switches things up at every turn. First-person narration by Sven ends each short chapter with a cliffhanger or a joke. Fourth-wall-breaking acknowledgements at the close are not as funny as probably intended, and Will's OCD feels more like a bunch of tics than a genuine disability, there for laughs rather than exploration. Characters are default white. Lovers of gross-out humor and slightly science-y mysteries might enjoy spending time with Sven. (Science fiction/adventure. 9-12)

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