The 26-Story Treehouse

Starred review from February 17, 2014
Twice the treehouse, twice the fun? You bet. Griffiths and Denton follow the uproarious The 13-Story Treehouse with another cartoon-laden carnival of slapstick and self-referential humor—this time, with pirates. It isn’t just best buddies Andy and Terry’s treehouse that’s grown: this book is about 100 pages longer than its predecessor, extra space that lets Griffiths and Denton devote six pages to the 78 flavors of ice cream at the treehouse’s ice-cream parlor, more than 20 pages to a pirate-themed nursery rhyme, and dozens more to the stories-within-the-story that Andy, Terry, their friend Jill, and the dread pirate Captain Woodenhead recount. Whether it’s Jill and her menagerie of animals stacked precariously on a tiny iceberg or a giant, smelly fish head orbiting the Earth (it’s an important plot point), Denton’s furiously scrawled line drawings milk the silly, gross-out gags for everything they’re worth. Kids should be flipping pages faster than a pair of inflatable underpants can skyrocket the young heroes to safety (it’s also an important plot point). Best of all, Terry and Andy leave readers with a blueprint for a 39-story sequel. Ages 8–12.

March 1, 2014

Gr 3-6-Andy and Terry, introduced in The 13-Story Treehouse (Feiwel & Friends, 2013), have expanded their incredible arboreal residence by adding several exciting features, including a robot-controlled ice-cream parlor, a mud-fighting arena, an ATM (Automatic Tattoo Machine), and the Maze of Doom. Their publisher, Mr. Bignose, is demanding their next book, so the friends attempt to tell stories about how they met and how they first built their treehouse. They also have to cope with a tank of sick, underwear-eating sharks and a pack of invading buccaneers. Similar in design to Jeff Kinney's "Diary Of A Wimpy Kid" series (Abrams), these 13 wacky, interconnected stories integrate print and graphic elements, with comic-book-style panels, word balloons, and text blocks, which blend together seamlessly. Different font styles help distinguish the storytelling sections from the main action. The conversational, matter-of-fact narration is a delightful contrast to the off-the-wall story line. Wildly humorous without being smart-alecky or sarcastic, this is a top choice for middle-grade readers.-Elaine E. Knight, formerly at Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL

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