Adventures of Benny
Grade 2–5—Move over, Captain Underpants, and make room for Benny. From his first adventure making friends with Bigfoot on his way to a fishing hole by providing the creature with a pair of clean underwear to protect his bottom from splinters; to fighting mummies, pirates, and booger monsters; and finding buried treasure on an island of monkeys, the action is nonstop. Benny uses smelly techniques to disarm his foes, and the butt, toilet paper, and underwear jokes are plentiful. Character development is minimal, as Benny goes from one adventure to the next in an episodic style, all related through spare text and comic-style line drawings. He does seem to have a good relationship with his grandfather (with whom he explores a pyramid in Egypt) and his father (who gets captured by pirates alongside Benny), and he makes friends easily with creatures in need. This light read with plenty of pictures should appeal to reluctant readers, particularly boys with a love of gross humor.—Alana Joli Abbott, James Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford, CTCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.