Flawed Dogs

Flawed Dogs: The Novel: The Shocking Raid on Westminster
by Berkeley Breathed
Philomel
ISBN 0399252185


What is it?

A wild and crazy journey with a pup named Sam, who just happens to sport the ever elusive Duuglitz Tuft on top of his noggin.

What do we love about it?

How it made us laugh and cry at the exact same time, which isn't easy and requires lots of Kleenex.

What does it remind us of?

Other "journey" type books, like The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, The Incredible Journey, and A Dog's Life: Autobiography of a Stray but with a heavy dose of Hannah Barbara tossed in for laughs.

What is it perfect for?

Read it before The Westminster Dog Show in February.

What do we think?

We give it four snausages! Sure to be a favorite with underdog lovers and just plain anyone who loves a gassy dog.

The Dunderheads

A Three Silly Chicks' Pick

The Dunderheads

by Paul Fleischman

Illustrated by David Roberts

Candlewick Press

Ages 6-8

ISBN 978-0-7636-2498-9

What is it?

A short illustrated novel in which a rag-tag but multi-talented squad of kids set out to retrieve their treasures from their horrible teacher, Miss Breakbone. And yes, her name says it all! Oh yeah. And did we mention she has an alligator purse? With legs and a snout???? She is BAAAAAAD.

What do we love about it?

The comedy, of course! This is the perfect pairing of Paul Fleischman's humor and David Roberts' funky, smart retro style. This book has it all: gizmos, maps, and a truly wicked villainess! Oh how we love to hate her. Move over Miss Trunchbull! There's a new mighty muscular meanie in town.

What does it remind us of?

This reminds us of all our favorite heist flicks rolled into one with a good dose of Roald Dahlishness tossed in for good measure.

What is it perfect for?

This one is perfect for any kid who ever got into trouble at school and didn't deserve it. (And dreamed of getting even!)

What do we think?

The Dunderheads is smart, sassy, classy and wicked good fun!

Tumtum and Nutmeg

Tumtum & Nutmeg: Adventures Beyond Nutmouse Hall
Written by Emily Bearn, illustrated by Nick Price
Little, Brown and Company

While we hold chickens near and dear to our hearts, we also have a special fondness for mice. Okay, not real mice that scamper around our feet and make nests in our basements and leave droppings in our silverware drawers. No, not those mice. Storybook mice, like Stuart Little and Despereaux. We like our mice dressed up in little suits and drinking tea, and we just wish that the ones leaving droppings in our silverware drawer would at least leave us cute handwritten notes or perhaps a pair of tiny hand stitched gloves, or something.

We suspect that many children have the same fondness for storybook mice that we do, or else why would mice books be so darned popular? And this particular book, with its British tone, old-fashioned pen and ink drawings, and high adventure is bound to be one of the more popular ones. Poor Tumtum and Nutmeg are quiet mice, and yet they never get a moment of peace in this funny middle-grade novel. They are either battling spinster aunts, fighting pirate rats or freeing wild gerbils. And while the two main characters are endearing, the real star of the show is General Marchmouse, a foolish, impetuous chap who spends most of his time in his underwear. We love, especially, the scene in which his army of mice, dressed in fluorescent orange, battle against the evil, mouse-fearing Aunt Ivy. It was one of the funniest scenes we've read in quite a while.

This is a book to be shared with a classroom of children one chapter at a time. Fans of The Poppy series by Avi and The Redwall series by Brian Jacques will gobble up this series, too. Fast-paced and funny, this book has it all!

My Fair Godmother

My Fair Godmother
by Janette Rallison
Walker Books
ISBN: 978-0802797803

We three chicks freely admit to being picture book junkies. We dearly love a fun, simple story that goes straight to the punch in 32 fast-paced glorious pages. A great picture book is like the perfect dessert: a delectable pink-frosted cupcake providing immediate gratification. But when our busy schedules permit and we are not running around like…um…chickens, we often like to indulge in a nice long novel. As opposed to dessert, a novel is a full seven-course meal, a feast to be savored for as long as it takes to get to that cupcake ending.

Recently, we had the pleasure of a deliciously decadent read from start to finish. My Fair Godmother, by Janette Rallison, tells the story of Savannah, a high-school sophomore whose boyfriend dumps her for her older sister. Enter Chrissy, Savannah’s fair godmother (fair as in not all that good), to save the day. Only each time Savannah makes a wish, Chrissy manages to mangle it beyond all measure and go totally Medieval with the wish-granting. Who knew that getting a date to the prom could be so dangerous?

My Fair Godmother is one part fantasy, one part romantic comedy, and one part absolutely charming. Give this book to your favorite tween or teen, your BFF, the chick next door…anyone who likes a good, funny, clean read about wishes and proms and prince charmings. Oh, and did we mention ogres? Yes, ogres. And dragons too. (Trust us, you’re going to love it!)

You're a Bad Man, Mr. Gum!

You're a Bad Man, Mr. Gum!
by Andy Stanton
HarperCollins
ISBN: 978-0061152405

Mr. Gum really is a bad man. He's slimy and gross and mean to children. But there's this little fairy who whacks him on the head with a frying pan whenever he neglects his garden. As a result, Mr. Gum's garden is the "prettiest, greeniest, floweriest, gardeniest garden in the whole of Lamonic Bibber." Lamonic Bibber is a town. (This book takes place in England, you see, where pan-whacking fairies and strange town names are the norm.) Anyhoo, enter Jake, "a massive whopper of a dog," who wreaks havoc on Mr. Gum's garden with a conga line of moles in party hats. Needless to say, Mr. Gum is not pleased. In fact, he is mightily bruised from the enormous pan-whacking that ensues. So our scowling villain decides to do away with Jake in a most heinous, hideous way. Fortunately, along comes Polly, a "girl worth liking," who's determined to foil Mr. Gum's plan even if she has to team up with a questionable old hero named Friday O'Leary.

And you know what? We think we'll just stop here and let you read it for yourself. You really should. It's a whopper and a half. And then pass it on to any kid you know who enjoys books by Bruce Hale, Jim Benton, or Jon Scieszka. Or any a kid you know who needs a laugh. Or any adult, for that matter. Wafflemongers especially.

Lulu Atlantis and the Quest for True Blue Love

Lulu Atlantis and the Quest for True Blue Love
By Patricia Martin
Schwartz & Wade Books
ISBN 13: 978-0-375-84016-6

There are many things in this world that make our fluffy yellow hearts sing. Bean dip and salsa. Dancing the Cha-Cha. Malted milk eggs with that speckled candy coating. And characters. True blue characters.

We love characters who are complete from the moment we meet them. Characters who make us feel as if we have been dropped down into their life in progress and who make us glad to be there.

Such a character is Miss Lulu Atlantis. We meet Lulu on the day her mother comes home from the hospital with her baby brother. It’s the same day Lulu decides to run away. Wouldn’t you? All that racket from her mom singing lullabies to the baby. And those horrible loud snuffly noises the baby makes when he’s sleeping. It’s more than a girl can take!

What Lulu needs is true blue love. But where to find it?

Luckily, Lulu has a true blue friend to help on her quest. Harry, the top-hat-clad spider accompanies her on her adventures, dispensing advice (which is usually ignored) and worrying about the dietary habits of some of Lulu’s other friends like Yogurt Skunk. Skunks eat spiders, don’t they?

Lulu Atlantis and the Quest for True Blue Love is a gentle, satisfying, funny read which leaves us feeling as if we have a new true blue friend of our own.

Zack Proton and the Wrong Planet

The Adventures of Commander Zack Proton and the Wrong Planet
Written by Brian Anderson
Illustrated by Doug Holgate
Simon & Schuster
ISBN 978-1-4169-1366-5
www.ZackProton.com

Leapin' Leptons! Commander Zack Proton is back in a third installment of this illustrated chapter book series featuring a bumbling Inspector Clouseau-type space hero and his brainy primate sidekick, Omega Chimp. Interspersed with comic strips, top-ten lists, quizzes, instructional manuals, and tips for young space heroes, these easy-to-read books provide a smorgasbord of slapstick humor with a side of banana peels.

In book three, Commander Zack, Omega Chimp, and their FE-203 robot, "Effie," are detained on their mission to find Zack's missing spaceship, the Risky Rascal, by a disappearing planet, 16 million smelly pigs, and a bad drycleaning incident. But not to worry! In a classic comedy of errors, our space heroes once again save the day and restore peace to the galaxy in a wacky, freshly-scented finale. Introduce this series to your favorite comic book-loving 7 to 10 year-olds, then point them to the "Fun Stuff" at www.ZackProton.com, including printable coloring pages, a Zack proton ad-lib story, and an alien transmission for fans to decode.

Just Grace

Just Grace
Written and illustrated by Charise Mericle Harper
Houghton Mifflin Company
ISBN: 0618646426

We love feisty characters. We love feisty female characters. But what we really love are feisty, female, funny characters, and nine year-old Just Grace is just that.

Blessed with "empathy superpowers," Grace cooks up a creative solution to help out her neighbor, Mrs. Luther, the strange and scary big kid teacher who lives next door. But when Grace's plan backfires, she's forced to team up with her least favorite person in the whole world, Sammy Stringer. Sammy is the kind of boy who enjoys lion poop and who manages to get every piece of food stuck in his teeth. (There's one in every class!) The two third-graders arm themselves with oven mitts and go on a quest to find Mrs. Luther's cat Crinkles. In the end, we see that Grace has changed her mind about the poop-loving Sammy Stringer when she wonders, "Maybe he's got magnetic teeth. Maybe that's why food gets stuck there." (We would like to nominate those two lines for Best Last Lines Award, if there is such an award, which there should be.)

Parents and teachers will love the subtle lesson about empathy and kindness. Kids will love the strong, funny voice and quirky illustrations. We happen to love the illustration of the squirrel in running shoes. There's something for everyone here!

Moxy Maxwell Does NOT Love Suart Little

Moxy Maxwell Does NOT Love Stuart Little
by Peggy Gifford
Schwarts & Wade Books
Random House Children's Books
ISBN: 927-0-375-83105-3

Moxy Maxwell is a perfectly named kid. The only thing this soon-to-be fourth grader has more of than moxy is ideas. She's full of them. Mostly ideas on how to avoid reading STUART LITTLE. Unfortunately, STUART LITTLE Is required summer reading and summer is almost over. It's not that Moxy has anything against convertible-driving mice. Or reading. Moxy LOVES reading. But she hates being told WHAT to read.

Moxy has tried all summer to read the book. Really she has! She has taken it everywhere: In the car, in the hammock, under her spilled glass of lemonade, into the swimming pool. Can Moxy help it that more important things pop up every time she opens that darned book? Who will plant the new peach orchard in her yard if she doesn't do it? Who will invent the automatic hammock stopper if not Moxy? And really folks, rooms don't clean themselves! MOXY MAXWELL DOES NOT LOVE STUART LITTLE is a great, fun read full of charm and humor told in simple, spunky language and documented by photographs taken by Moxy's twin brother (AKA Valorie Fisher). We love Moxy Maxwell and can't wait to hear more from her in the future!

Clementine

Clementine
By Sara Pennypacker
Illustrated by Marla Frazee
Hyperion Books for Children
ISBN 0786838825

Clementine's week started out fine. On Monday she had exactly enough bananas for every mouthful of cereal AND she was excused from Journal Writing. Two lucky signs for sure! But when her best friend Margaret experiences severe hair problems, Clementine takes it upon herself to fix them, which is not an easy task with those plastic art scissors. As soon as the art teacher sees Margaret's hair she goes all historical, and then Margaret goes all historical, and Clementine winds up in the principal's office for the umpteenth time that month. So begins Clementine's catastrophic week, filled with ceiling snakes and Pigeon Wars and a bazillion trips to the principal's office.

This young chapter book should be tucked into every third grader's backpack. Pennypacker has created a thoroughly believable, quirky character with a unique voice and a fresh take on life. Clementine is a giggle-filled masterpiece stuffed with love, humor, pointy things and cats named Mascara. Move over, Junie B, Eloise, and Ramona. Clementine is in town, and we couldn't be happier!

The Squampkin Patch

THE SQUAMPKIN PATCH: A Nasselrogt Adventure
by JT Petty
Illustrated by David Michael Friend
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Ages 9-14.
ISBN: 1-4169-0274-0
http://www.pettyofficial.com

When Milton and Chloe are slightly orphaned by a tragic tanning bed accident, they end up in Urchin House Orphanage where they must eat brown goo and make zippers. Like all good literary orphans, they run away. They take refuge in a house abandoned by a missing confectioner whose obsession to create the perfect Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip cookie led him to grow a dangerous squash-pumpkin hybrid. The squampkin. Following clues in the baker's journal, the kids unravel the details of his frightening disappearance and begin to understand the growing danger around them. The orange, walking, clawing, hissing danger of the SQUAMPKINS!!!!!

Petty brings together a cast of odd figures, a generous sprinkling of smart puns and clever wordplay, and a delightfully absurd plot to create a book that is serious about being funny, but never takes itself too seriously. Best of all, The Squampkin Patch is funny and suspenseful (even a bit grim near the end). And you thought only zucchini could be scary! Best suited for readers 9 and up.

My Haunted House

My Haunted House
Written by Angie Sage
Illustrated by Jimmy Pickering
Katherine Tegen Books
ISBN: 0060774819

Not only does Araminta Spookie have a name to die for, but she lives in the best old house ever. Unfortunately, her Aunt Tabby’s getting tired of doing all the housework and maintenance while Uncle Drac does nothing but sleep all day. When Aunt Tabby puts the house up for sale, Araminta hatches a ghoulicious plan to keep realtors and buyers running scared from Spookie House.

My Haunted House is the first in this early middle grade series, featuring a fun Addams Family-esque cast of characters perfectly rendered by illustrator Jimmy Pickering. Share this book with readers who like their goosebumps served with a cauldron of laughs!