Gorilla Tactics

February 23, 2015
Twelve-year-old Runt Higgins feels cursed. Between being cast out from his werewolf pack, failing in his bid to become a junior-henchman-in-training, and being trailed by Pismo (an annoying newbie who keeps getting Runt in trouble), nothing about the new school year at Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions is going his way. Worse still, it seems like someone is trying to sabotage the school. In this series opener, first-time novelist Grau turns familiar tropes upside-down in a realm where working for an evil overlord is the highest of honors. Goofy characters like Frankie, a minion whose head pops off every time he's overcome with emotion, come to ghoulish life in Sutphin's dynamic b&w illustrations. Runt's hapless attempts to do the right thing make him easily relatable amid themes of conquering self-doubt, wrestling with perfectionism (as one character puts it, "You can't get upset about what you're not"), and searching for a place to belong, whether it's with a family bound by blood or one created in a lab. Ages 8â12. Author's agent: Molly Ker Hawn, Bent Agency.

December 15, 2015
Little does Runt Higgins suspect that keeping his hard-won place in the Junior Henchman Training Program will not only require battling bullies and giant gorillas, but rescuing undercover librarians and putting on a fashion show. Runt is both mysterious of past and, due to a certain death curse, short of future. He is therefore astonished when an attacking Oti--a ravening "land piranha" disguised (to nonmagical eyes) as a Girl Explorer--doesn't eat his face because he's "fameely." This clue to his origins leads him eventually to the Great Library, a fabled repository of all knowledge, though not before Grau pitches him into a barrel full of pickles that tests every ounce of what turn out to be considerable funds of courage and ingenuity. He draws on these to handle tasks that range from rescuing a panicky fire-breathing dragon to pulling from disaster a student fashion show hastily concocted by his school's erratic headmaster to appease the arrogant moms of the powerful Siren Syndicate. As he does this, Runt continues to develop admirable chops at rising to challenges and also at resolving both personal and larger-scale conflicts. He plainly has a bright future...brief though it promises to be. Sutphin himself displays a dab hand at depicting googly-eyed monsters, hostile or otherwise, in the scattered illustrations. Another smart, funny romp featuring a notably diverse cast headed by a minion who's looking more and more like a hero. (map) (Fantasy. 11-13)

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February 1, 2016

Gr 4-6-In this second installment in the series, readers return to the quirky school for evil henchmen with favorite characters Runt, Syke, and the titular Dr. Critchlore. The adventure begins when a girl explorer-turned-monster recognizes Runt as family. Not knowing what this means, Runt sets out to discover from where the creature came and what this means about his long-lost relations. His quest is constantly waylaid by an ancient feud between sirens and mermaids, a fashion show, and a hostile takeover of his school. After a promising debut, this title pales a bit in comparison; a fashion show doesn't stir quite the same drama as zombies and dragons. The pacing is a bit slow and drags in the middle, but Grau's characters are likable and entertaining. Sutphin is back and delivers soundly with fantastic illustrations of EOs (that's Evil Overlords for the uninitiated) and enamored gorillas. While the book's conflicts resolve far too easily, Gorilla Tactics does end on a strong note and with a promise for a follow-up. Give to fans of the first book, lovers of fantastical humor, and advanced elementary school readers. VERDICT Purchase where the first volume was popular and where there is a need for advanced middle grade text with relatively clean and entertaining content.-Taylor Worley, Springfield Public Library, OR

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