The Grateful Fred

December 1, 2006
Gr 2-4-In this third series installment, child superhero Melvin and his assistant Candace are trying to figure out who has it in for the hot new band, The Grateful Fred. When someone sets off a bomb at a concert, its up to the two kids to find the culprit, a task somewhat hampered by Melvins difficulty with flying and Candaces refusal to save the world before her math homework is done. Readers learn early on what the bad guy is up to, and the story line follows the heros and villains parallel stories until they finally meet. Rather than relying on mystery or action, the book attempts to capture its readers with witsometimes more successfully than others. It is funny that Melvin cant turn off his X-ray vision and has to look at everyones underwear, but overuse of stock phrases such as faster than a speeding bullet and nick of time wear thin. Sketchy black-and-white cartoons appear frequently throughout. Early chapter-book readers would do better to stick with Bruce Hales Chet Gecko (Harcourt) or Dav Pilkeys Captain Underpants (Scholastic) series."Adrienne Furness, Webster Public Library, NY"

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