Peeves

March 1, 2018
Negative feelings take on lives of their own and literally run rampant in this novelistic cousin to Gremlins.Prone to serious panic attacks and massive emotional storms--all exacerbated by his parents' recent ugly divorce--12-year-old Steve "Slim" Pickings is infected in a lab accident with genetically altered amoebae that transform, when he sneezes them out, into bulbous furry creatures that embody his every blast of annoyance or anxiety. Worse yet, not only do these proliferating peeves ("Personal Vexation Zoners") turn out to be contagious, but after a certain point they combine into big, gelatinous bugbears. These, in turn, soon meld into a gigantic, massively destructive spite. In no time the whole town has collapsed into chaos. Tucking in plenty of CGI-ready peeve action, the author pitches Slim and his allies through a series of narrow squeaks to the inevitable encounter with the mad scientist behind the PVZs. By the feel-good ending, Slim's parents have at least eased up on each other, and he himself has both a new girlfriend and enough of a handle on his emotions that he opts to keep a few peeves around as (wait for it) pets. Slim and his formerly nuclear family present as white, but the author studiously diversifies a supporting cast that prominently includes African-American schoolmate Suzie and her interracial dads.Not the most original or ambitious concoction but allegorically clever, relentlessly frantic in pace, and replete with marketable toys and sentiments. (Fantasy. 10-13)

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April 1, 2018

Gr 4-7-Twelve-year-old "Slim" Pickings, who is living with anxiety, is starting at a new middle school after the divorce of his constantly sniping parents. His first day exceeds his worst expectations when an accident exposes him to a supposed anxiety remedy that actually brings his worries to fuzzy life. The treatment, called Personal Vexation Zoners (PVZ), causes Slim to sneeze fluffy critters that only he can see-and the critters have plenty to say. Their outbursts are occasionally funny but also painful or embarrassing, as they clamor that "he has no friends," "he stepped in gum," or "he pees in the shower!" Slim dubs them his "peeves" and discovers they are contagious. Now with his entire family and town under siege by peeves, Slim realizes the annoying creatures of Phase One of PVZ may be preferable to what comes with Phases Two and Three. There is more substance to this book that the cover may suggest. Van Waes perfectly captures the impact of divorce and mental health issues on family members. Slim nails the descriptions of his panic attacks and anxiety and is a likable character with a wicked sense of humor. His peeves are not unique to him and his worries will resonate with readers. Slim speaks for many tweens, not just those with anxiety, when he asks his parents to "spend less time trying to fix me and more time trying to understand me." VERDICT This is a widely appealing title that may require a little hand-selling but readers will be rewarded with laugh-out-loud moments and cringe-worthy honesty as well as the hint of a possible sequel.-Lee De Groft, Jamestown High School, Williamsburg, VA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2018
Grades 4-7 Slim Pickings suffers from panic attacks, which have increased since his parents' divorce. When Slim is exposed to an experimental antianxiety cure, called Personal Vexation Zoners, or PVZ, he begins sneezing out his anxieties, which morph into furry creatures he nicknames Peeves. By the end of the school day, Slim realizes that with each sneeze, the PVZ goes airborne, infecting other people, and soon the whole town is overrun with Peeves, which only those infected can see. Unfortunately, when the experimental cure finally leaves Slim's body, it emerges in the form of a Bugbear, a large, angry creature, which only wants to eat Peeves and cause destruction. Then the Bugbear evolves into a Spite, a creature who wants to eat Peeves and people! Can Slim, with the help of schoolmate Suzie and their parents, set up a trap for the Spites and find a permanent cure? Screenwriter Van Waes introduces a new generation to a Gremlins-like creature in this laugh-out-loud adventure. Despite its length, the plot will draw in reluctant readers as well as older tweens.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)