Doc Wilde and the Frogs of Doom

August 1, 2009
Gr 4-6-This genial parody owes much to Kenneth Robeson's iconic "Doc Savage" novels (Bantam) and the eldritch tales of H. P. Lovecraft. Like the original Man of Bronze, Doc Spartacus Wilde is an international adventurerhe's a master of martial arts, chemistry, disguise, and pretty much every other skill a true champion needs. Moreover, he has trained his children, Wren and Brian, to follow in his outsized footsteps. Every pulp hero needs a colorful sidekick or two, and the Wilde family has brawny Irishman Declan and dapper English attorney Bartlettfast friends who bicker and spar constantly. When Grandpa Wilde is kidnapped by froglike beings, Wren and Brian accompany their dad's team deep into the Amazon rainforest to the hidden country of Hidalgo. The local militia commander seems friendly enough, but the Wildes aren't sure they can trust him. Sure enough, they discover that Don Gongoro is high priest of a cult devoted to the evil god Frogon, and he and his mutant-frog minions plan to use Declan in a ritual to open a passage to Frogon's dark universe. If the Wilde team can't stop the ceremony in time, civilization is doomed. The action bounces breathlessly from crisis to crisis, with the Wilde family's scientific gadgetry and arcane skills in constant demand. The mock heroic dialogue is sometimes a bit exaggerated, but for the most part, everything is played with a straight face. Kids won't be familiar with the adult-oriented sources, but the book's small format, breakneck pacing, and broad humor will appeal to middle-grade adventure fans."Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2009
Grades 4-6 Daring adventure! Dastardly villains! Climactic cliff-hangers! Readers seeking these attributes in a book, look no further. Byrd updates the old movie-serials genre, populates his story with an adventure-seeking family that brings to mind superhero versions of Steve Irwin and his children, and dusts the whole thing with Indiana Jonesstyle searches for magical artifacts. Oh, and he adds frogs, lots and lots of frogs. Brian and Wren Wilde are being raised by their widower father, who is not only an adventurer extraordinaire but also designs high-tech gadgets, speaks many languages, understands the nuances of other cultures, and performs martial arts with equal skill. Brian and Wren are pretty good in those areas, too. So when their grandfather is captured in the South American jungle by those who worship a frog king intent on swallowing the universe, thus turning it into a black hole, well, something must be done. The premise can get awfully silly even for a book thats more like a cartoon. But the action never stops, and the quick pace will appeal to reluctant readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)