Snarf Attack, Underfoodle, and the Secret of Life

April 26, 2004
Long's cartoon jacket art—revealing one boy with a green bean hanging out of his nostril and another boy wearing a pair of underpants on his head—offers a cautionary clue as to the level of humor that awaits readers of Amato's (The Word Eater
) flimsy and derivative tale about siblings Wilbur and Orville Riot. Alas, this fragmented narrative never takes flight. Older brother Wilbur recounts three missions that he and Orville tackle: to capture a bank robber, discover hidden treasure in their house and "overthrow a king." Though ambitious-sounding, each undertaking produces a less than satisfying and not altogether comical result. The title refers to two of the games the brothers delight in playing: in a Snarf Attack, one tries to make the other laugh hard enough at the dinner table so that he snorts milk from his nose; in Underfoodle, the two compete to determine who can pull more pairs of underpants onto his head. Also sprinkled throughout are "Riot Brother Rules" ("Run, do not walk, whenever possible") and "Riot Brother Sayings" ("If you say something and nobody gets it, say something else"). Only kids amused by references to snot, burping and the effects of flaring one's nostrils will find occasional chuckles in these pages. Ages 6-10.

July 1, 2004
Gr 2-5-Move over, Captain Underpants, a couple of new pranksters are in town. Narrated by fifth-grader Wilbur and featuring his third-grade brother, Orville, this hilarious story follows the antics of two boys with overactive imaginations and a comfortable sibling relationship. The action is divided into three "books," with six chapters each. In the first, the brothers are determined to catch a crook. They make a windfall by giving lessons in being annoying to their classmates, are reprimanded by the principal (who is also their mother), and still manage to foil a bank robber on the way home from school. Next, while searching for treasure, they find a mysterious box in the closet. After they finally open it, they discover that the contents, although not worth money, are still valuable. The final installment has the duo building a catapult designed to overthrow a king and using it instead to defeat a bully. A "Bonus" section sums up their philosophy of life ("Make something exciting happen every day") and includes the rules to their favorite games (in "Snarf Attack," one player attempts to get the other to laugh so hard during dinner that milk comes out of his nose). The large print is inviting and the black-and-white cartoons add to the light tone. Amato appeals to the funny bone without being quite as gross as the "Captain Underpants" series (Scholastic). Libraries will have a hard time keeping Snarf Attack on the shelf and readers will beg for a sequel.-Jean Lowery, Bishop Woods Elementary School, New Haven, CT

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2004
Gr. 2-4. Fans of silly but entertaining gross-out stories, such as the Captain Underpants books, will appreciate this collection of three tales featuring the Riot brothers, Orville and Wilbur, who manage to make even their daily chores a fun adventure. The games they create have names like Snarf Attack, Underfoodle, the Naked Mole-Rat Game, and the Frying Pan Game. The objective of Snarf Attack is to make an opponent laugh so hard at dinner that milk comes out of his or her nose. The objective of Underfoodle is to get as many pairs of underwear as possible on your head in thirty seconds. The Riot brothers also impart their homegrown juvenile wisdom to readers with sayings like "All you need is a butt to put underpants on your butt, but it takes a brain to put underpants on your head." Young readers will appreciate the Riot brothers' attempts to make something exciting happen every day. Long's playful cartoon illustrations extend the fun.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)