Harry Potty and the Deathly Boring

December 6, 2010
After the death of overly caffeinated Headmaster Dumb-As-A-Door by the traitorous barista frappe, Harry Potty, Don Measley, and Whiny Stranger must find a way to defeat the noseless dark lord, Value-Mart (He Whose Prices Can't Be Beat) and his followers, the Odor Eaters. Since Harry and Don didn't read their textbooks (the seven Harry Potter books), Whiny must recap events in the books (which of course are full of comical twists on the original plot) to bring the boys up to speed with Value-Mart's current antic, taking over Nosewarts and hiding all the Horbucks at Gringott's outdoor storage facility. Special appearances are made by Larry King, Elmo, Elmer Fudd, and Papercutz's Stinky Dead Kid, among others. If one joke doesn't work, don't worry because 20 more will follow it. Parker's detailed art keeps up with the densely plotted parody, which will appeal to fans of fractured fairy tales, parodies, and other twisted jokes. Ages 8–14.

May 1, 2011

Gr 7 Up-While creative, this graphic novel is convoluted and chaotic and will most likely offend avid fans of the popular series while leaving readers unfamiliar with it wondering why it is supposed to be funny. Whatever story line supposedly exists is completely lost in the plethora of twisted references to the Rowling novels. Harry Potty, Whiny Stranger, and Don Measley charge through the pages with no clue as to where they are going. While the dialogue occasionally elicits a laugh (or at least a smirk), the text is just too nonsensical to be amusing. The art is reminiscent of Mad Magazine and is fun in its own right. Numerous details exist to draw readers in even if they have given up on the plot.-Carol Hirsche, Provo City Library, UT

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2011
Grades 7-10 If the goal of satire is to cut to the underlying cultural significance of its target with a keen edge of subversive humor, then Harry Potty has rather accomplished its mission. By renaming the main antagonist Valuemart (He-Whose-Prices-Cant-Be-Beat) and zeroing in on the rampant commercialization of the product in question, the underbelly of the Harry Potter empire is surgically revealed. This is not to say that plenty of young readers wont enjoy it simply for the same joke-crammed panels of irreverent silliness and goofy caricatures the same creative team delivered for Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid (2009). Indeed, the legacy of MAD magazine is much on display as Potty and stalwarts Don Measley and Whiny Stranger recap six previous adventures and race through the final installment. But when Harry keeps mistaking the story hes involved in for countless other fictionalized epics of capitalist culture, from Star Wars to Lord of the Rings totalk about subversivethe Iraq War, theres little doubt what this slim but gleefully inflammatory volume is trying to get at.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)