Stinkbomb and Ketchup-Face and the Quest for the Magic Porcupine

January 15, 2018
Stinkbomb and little sister Ketchup-Face return in another storm of absurdity in Dougherty's second installment (Stinkbomb and Ketchup-Face and the Badness of Badgers, 2017).Picking up where the first adventure on the island of Great Kerfuffle left off, this sequel finds the bad badgers back on the loose after their cunning use of a Monopoly "Get Out of Jail Free" card, and King Toothbrush Weasel again asks white siblings Stinkbomb and Ketchup-Face to capture the villains. The siblings seek the story expertise of a Ninja Librarian, who explains that to stop the badgers from doing evil things they must find the Magic Porcupine of Stupidity. After enduring a bus ride, a song about libraries, raccoons that are probably badgers, a banana-loving shark, an impressive diversity of typefaces, excessively long traffic lights, and a porcupine that is possibly magical but definitely a rabbit, Stinkbomb and Ketchup-Face use their mastery of story nonsense and a handy "Go Directly to Jail" card to save the day. If it's possible, this book is even more self-aware than its predecessor, and the characters actually get a bit mired in the metanarrative. But despite such dubious elements as a masked Ninja Librarian whose cat's-eye glasses might be read as an analog for stereotypical slanted eyes or narrative absurdity that goes a little too far into tedium, Dougherty's rollicking sendup and Ricks' accompanying spot art continue to amuse.A second round of hilarity. (Fiction. 7-11)

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February 1, 2018

Gr 2-4-The badgers are bored after being sent to jail in Stinkbomb and Ketchup-Face and the Badness of Badgers. There is nothing to do but argue and play Monopoly. Then they find it-the Monopoly card that changes everything. Set free to once again terrorize the kingdom of Kerfuffle with pranks, high jinks, and just all-around badness, the badgers come up with the ultimate evil plan: rid the kingdom of King Toothbrush Weasel. Enter the heroes: Stinkbomb and his younger sister, Ketchup-Face. Armed with advice from the local ninja-librarian, the two set off on a quest to find the legendary Magic Porcupine that will help them save the kingdom. Slapstick humor abounds. The main characters know they are in a story and even help readers count down pages to the next step of the mission. Numerous illustrations supplement the text. Combined with the frequent font changes and spacious page layout, the story has the feel of a comic-hybrid book and should appeal to reluctant readers. VERDICT Wacky fun for those who enjoy the absurd.-Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA

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