Hautman, Pete. Slider.

Hautman, Pete. Slider. Candlewick Press  2017 278p $16.99    978-0-7636-9070-0  ms/jr  Realistic Fiction  E-BN     

David Miller can eat. He’s an average kid, but has a special talent --  despite his small size, he can put away an entire pizza himself in less than four minutes.  He is in awe of other food champions, which leads him to steal his mother’s credit card to purchase the half-eaten hot dog of one of his food-contest idols, Jooky Garafalo. But, he mixes up his decimal points, and ends up bidding $2,000 instead of $2 on his winning bid.  Along with his sidekicks, Cyn and Heyman, he concocts a plan to earn back the money: he will follow in the footsteps of his heroes and enter food-eating contests. 

David must train if he is to beat his competition, and so he eats heads of cabbages, entire pizzas, and bags full of hamburgers.  His training is complicated by his caring for his brother Mal who is autistic, but for whom that label is forbidden in the Miller home, plus the normal problems confronting 12-year-old boys on the brink of adolescence.

Pete Hautman tells David's hilarious story in the first-person voice. Despite the larger-than-life characters and implausible plot, the story rings true because of David’s family, friendships, and voice.     This is a hysterically funny book for middle-school and junior-high students.    

Summary: After “borrowing” his mother’s credit card and making a $2,000 mistake, David Miller enters food-eating contests to earn back the money he owes her before she learns the truth.

Humor-Fiction                                      --Lisa Teixeira

Korman, Gordon. Restart.

Korman, Gordon.  Restart.  Scholastic  2017  243p.  $16.99  ISBN 978-1-338-05377-7  ms/jr  Conflict  VG-BN

In this novel a young man named Chase, the biggest bully at school, has a concussion that gives him amnesia and changes his personality as well.  He cannot remember much about his life before the accident that caused the concussion, and has to rely on other people to tell him what was going on in his life back then.  Although the action of the novel seems to drag a bit in the middle chapters, it becomes very engaging toward the end when Chase is faced with making some decisions about his life and who he wants to be. A nice touch is that Korman is making the point that kids can be both athletes and intellectuals, and that being athletes does not have to mean they are bullies. An interesting take on bullying and victimization as well. If readers can get through the slow-paced middle they will be rewarded with some hilarious and exciting action at the end of the story.

Summary: When Chase wakes up from a coma, he discovers he has lost large parts of his memory, including the fact that he was the world’s biggest bully!

Bullying-Fiction, Humor-Fiction                                      --Carol Kennedy

Martin, Ann. Missy Piggle-Wiggle.

Martin, Ann.  Missy Piggle-Wiggle.  Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends      2016    241p    $16.99 ISBN 978-1-250-07169-9     elem/ms  Fantasy  E-BN           

This is a delightful fantasy about a young girl who creativity helps several parents in town with their children’s behavioral troubles. Missy is known as the magic lady with potions that cure children’s misbehavior. Her unique cures help the children learn that they must take responsibility for what they do and say.

Their mother has hired Missy to babysit Honoriah, Petulance, and Frankfort Freeforall from Merriweather Court, who are grabby and wild children. Honoriah (a know-it-all), Petulance (greedy), and Frankfort (who doesn’t care about anything) find their behaviors changing after Missy applies her magical cures when she babysits them.

Other children in town fall to Missy’s magical cures as well. Georgie Pepperpot is cured of his “I Never Said That” attitude. Heavenly Earwig is cured of tardiness. Rusty Goodenough is cured of eavesdropping. Readers will experience some “oohs and aahs” and laughs as they read the solutions Missy has for each problem. This is a quick, humor-filled read.
 
Summary: Missy Piggle-Wiggle has come to town to care for her aunt’s house while she looks for her pirate husband. Missy concocts some inventive cures for bad behavior to help the parents of misbehaving kids.

Humor-Fiction, Behavior-Fiction                                                                               —Linda McNeil

Larson, Kirby. Audacity Jones.

Larson, Kirby.  Audacity Jones.  Scholastic Press     2016  209p  $16.99  ISBN 978-0-545-84056-9        ms/hs  Fantasy  VG-BN

     

Audacity Jones is a most unusual girl.  She is always in trouble or stretching the limits at Miss Maisie’s Home for Wayward Girls.  She learns she loves the Punishment Room, where she spends much of her time with her feline companion Miniver.  The room is filled with books and other goodies as well as a snack from the cook. Investigating the books provides her with lots of enjoyment and learning.
    

The book gets interesting when Commodore Crutchfield comes to borrow an orphan to accompany him to Washington, D.C.  Audie is surprised when she finds her cat Miniver has hidden in the car truck.  Their destination in D.C. is the White House, where they will attend an open house for President Taft and his family.  Audie soon realizes that something is not adding up, and she starts asking questions and investigating on her own.  In the course of a few days, she is kidnapped and the president is almost killed.  Readers will enjoy the humorous and engaging predicaments that Audacity and Miniver get into and out of with her orphanage BFF’s.

Summary:  Audacity Jones is a spunky orphan who lives in a home for wayward girls.  Life is not destined to be dull with Audacity living there.  Readers will enjoy a funny and engaging book.
                 

Humor-Fiction, Adventure-Fiction                                  --Linda McNeil

Pichon, L. Tom Gates: Excellent Excuses (And Other Good Stuff).

Pichon, L.  Tom Gates: Excellent Excuses (And Other Good Stuff).  Candlewick Press  2015  340p.  $12.99  ISBN 978-0-7636-7474-8  elem/ms  Graphic novel  VG-BN

Tom’s daily foibles make for fun reading is this humorous graphic novel. Friendships and family are the themes that form the foundation for many of the vignettes vividly illustrated by young Tom Gates.  One of a series, this book sticks to the format found throughout the series.  In many ways it is comparable to one of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books put into a graphic-novel format.  Liz Pichon has created yet another easy-to-read, funny book in which readers will find many a chuckle, such as in the scene where Tom and his friend Derek hang a bunch of photos of Tom’s sister Delia out a window where Delia’s boyfriend can see them.  Other examples are the image of Marcus playing the drums on wayyy too much sugar, and descriptions of time spent with “The Fossils” (Tom’s grandparents).  All in all, it is a fun read.   

Tom Gates has two weeks off from school.  YAY!!  Of course, he uses this time to spruce up his social life and annoy his sister Delia.  Other highlights of Tom’s life follow: joining the school band, finding a drummer for his band, and interactions with friends and family.    

To date, there are nine titles in this series.  Each is in the graphic-novel format, very funny, and sure to catch the eye of boys who enjoy reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books.  

Humor-Fiction                                                     --Lynn Fisher