Benjamin Franklin--You've Got Mail

March 1, 2017
Franklin Isaac Saturday mails himself in a box back to the 18th century to help out his pen pal and good buddy, "B-Freezy." Dude!It's the least Ike can do, seeing as how previous gifts from the future (as detailed in Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in My..., 2015) have turned Franklin into a homeless fugitive and threaten to derail the whole American Revolution thing. Thinking that a quick trip overseas could solve both problems, the white middle schooler and his irritable but indulgent ally take ship in Philadelphia--meeting onboard certain other Founding Fathers Ike dubs "T-Jeff" and "Johnny Adrock"--to appeal for aid from the king of France. Unfortunately, a rendezvous with a few too many iffy oysters along the way leaves Ike to make the actual appeal while B-Freezy and his diplomat buds ralph in the background. Related in a mix of first-person narrative, diary entries from Franklin, and long letters exchanged between Ike and his Asian-American 21st-century girlfriend, Claire Wanzandae, the tale may strain readers' ability to go with the flow (no kidding). Still, it should leave them respecting both the awesomeness of the U.S. Postal Service (Franklin's invention!) and the resourceful protagonist, who may be slow to realize that Marie Antoinette wasn't the discoverer of radium but shows an ability to rise eloquently to the occasion when needs must. Who says a middle schooler can't change history? It's all about being in the right place--and time. (Fantasy. 10-13)

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May 1, 2017

Gr 5-7-This sequel to Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in My... is a hilarious send-up of the time-travel genre. Through a peanut butter and jelly sandwich-fueled misunderstanding, seventh grader Franklin Isaac Saturday (Ike) and his girlfriend Claire Wanzandae have messed up the American Revolution and set a mob after Ike's historic pen pal, Benjamin Franklin. Ike ships himself back in time to Revolutionary Philadelphia to rectify the situation, only to discover that a furious Ben does not want his help. When they are forced to flee, Ben and Ike set off on a journey to right the revolution, hoodwinking poor villagers and inspiring French aristocrats along the way. Readers not bothered by historical inaccuracy will find Ike and his antics sidesplittingly funny. His irreverent tone and perpetual optimism, contrasted with Benjamin Franklin's surly belly-aching, result in an Odd Couple-esque feel that will keep readers invested in an otherwise thin story. The plot ignores historical realities and demands suspension of disbelief but refreshingly acknowledges the consequences of time travel. Secondary characters Claire, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson are flat props for comic relief. The authors' style lacks coherence-the book jumps from first-person narration to epistolary and back in an unstructured manner. Fans of screwball comedies by authors such as Jon Scieszka and Dave Barry will enjoy this series. VERDICT A solid addition for libraries where the first work is popular.-Bridgid Gallagher-Sauter, The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH

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