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Fake Mustache. by Tom Angleberger. April 1, 2012. Amulet Books. 208 pages. ISBN: 9781419701

From the author of The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back comes an even stranger story. Fake Mustache is, as the subtitle tell us, the story of “How Jodie O'Rodeo and Her Wonder Horse (and Some Nerdy Kid) Saved the U.S. Presidential Election from a Mad Genius Criminal Mastermind.” “Some Nerdy Kid” is Lenny Flem, Jr., the main character of the story, whose best friend, Casper, buys a fake mustache and uses it to brainwash the entire country into committing robberies, allowing him to buy a company, and permitting him to run for president. Only Lenny, who knows the mustache is fake because he watched Casper buy it, is immune to the brainwashing, but Casper knows he’s onto him and will stop at nothing to keep him from foiling Casper’s plans for world domination. With the help of TV star Jodie O’Rodeo, Lenny must find a way to escape the henchmen Casper has on his tail and unmask his friend as the fraud he really is.

Though Tom Angleberger seems to share a similar sense of humor with authors like Andrew Clements and Louis Sachar, this book is by far the most surreal and unusual any of the three has written. The Origami Yoda books dabble in the bizarre, but stick mostly to realism. This book deviates from reality almost immediately and just keeps revealing new layers of wackiness. And it is fantastic. Lenny is the ultimate underdog, forced to become a hero by virtue of the fact that everyone else around him has been brainwashed. Jodie O’Rodeo is instantly recognizable as a take-off on the plethora of Disney channel personalities, especially Hannah Montana, but she’s more than just a pretty face, even if there is a tiny hint of romance between her and Lenny. Ultimately, what works the best is the fact that every aspect of this story is driven by the actions of kids. The villain and heroes are all kids, and adults become victims and pawns in Casper’s plot, but they’re no help at all when it comes to saving the day. Sometimes the absence of adults in children’s books can be annoying, especially when it becomes an obvious gimmick to further the plot, but in this case, the lack of adult involvement serves to empower Lenny, who might otherwise never have the chance to become a hero.

This book is sure to be a hit with kids who have enjoyed the Origami Yoda books, and those who like their reading material to make them laugh. It’s also kind of a fun tie-in for the upcoming Presidential election, even if doesn’t have much to do with the actual election process. The short chapters will help even reluctant readers stick with the story, and I think girls and boys will both find plenty to enjoy as the adventure unfolds. But, as Levar Burton always said, you don’t have to take my word for it. Colby Sharp has compiled a list of his students’ responses to the book over at his blog. Judging from these responses, it looks like another hit for Tom Angleberger! I recommend borrowing this zany book from your local library as soon as possible. In the meantime, check out the trailer below for a sneak peek:

I borrowed Fake Mustache from my local public library. 
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I remember reading the original Amelia Bedelia series as a kid, and thinking they were pretty great. I loved seeing her misinterpretations of the instructions she received from Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, which led her to do things like throw dust on the furniture and cut up a calendar to make a date cake. But when I look at those books now, they actually make me somewhat uncomfortable. Though I realize that Amelia Bedelia is meant to stand in for a child, and that her actions are meant to be silly, I can't help but want to roll my eyes at how utterly ridiculous her behavior is, and how she can't function properly in any situation.

But now Herman Parish, the nephew of Amelia Bedelia creator Peggy Parish, has brought Amelia into the 21st century with stories from her childhood. Usually, I object to the attempts on the part of authors or publishers to repackage "classic" characters for new generations. But I have to admit, that compared with the original Amelia Bedelia books, the newer series sits a lot better with me, and I think the writing is every bit as good, if not better in the new books.

In Amelia Bedelia Makes a Friend, Amelia's best friend, Jen, her opposite in every way, moves out of Amelia's neighborhood.  When the new neighbors move in, Amelia isn't very interested, but she does listen as her mother lists the items the movers have brought into the house. These include a footstool, which Amelia imagines as a small table held up by three feet with painted toenails, armchairs, which she draws with her crayons as goofy objects  with long, bendable arms, and a twin bed, which Amelia assumes is home to a pair of twins.

As it turns out, the new neighbor is a grandmother named Mrs. Adams. Though she and Amelia are quite different, they enjoy one another's company. Soon, Amelia and Mrs. Adams do many of the same things together that Amelia and Jen used to do, and they become best friends too.

I enjoyed this book on a number of levels.

First of all, I really liked the way the text and illustrations work together to incorporate the original Amelia Bedelia concept of literal interpretation into this story. Amelia's interpretation of each piece of furniture her mother names as she watches Mrs. Adams move in isn't explicitly stated in the text, but instead comes to life in Amelia's own imaginings and drawings.Her only actual statement revealing her confusion occurs when she asks Mrs. Adams about the twins who use the bed.

Secondly, I liked the theme of unlikely friendships, and the idea of friendships between kids and their older neighbors. Amelia's relationship with Mrs. Adams paints a very positive picture of older folks and encourages the reader to focus on what we have in common as human beings, rather than differences that might pull us apart.

Finally, I like the way Herman Parish has changed Amelia from a bumbling, incompetent, and borderline obnoxious adult to a sweet, outgoing, and confident little girl whose confusion is a product of being young and uninformed, rather than just a gimmick to create silliness. This younger version of Amelia is really appealing, and I think I'd actually like to read some more books about her.

My only complaint is that the cover is misleading. Yes, a girl Amelia's age does appear in the story, but it's a brief encounter, and she is not the new friend referenced by t

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Zombie Cows is the second book in the Agent Amelia series, a collection of chapter books originally published in the UK that are now making their way to the US thanks to Lerner Publishing Group. Each book in the series contains three episodes in which Amelia Kidd, a child secret agent, must fight evil and ego-maniacal villains who want to take over the world. In this book, the episodes are entitled "The Case of the Zombie Cows", "The Case of the Perilous Pipe" and "The Case of the Creepy Cakes."

In "The Case of the Zombie Cows", Amelia is at a petting zoo with her mother when she encounters some strange mechanical farm animals. In "The Case of the Perilous Pipe" a substitute teacher's strange musical instrument seems to have a strong, creepy hold over many of the students. And in "The Case of the Creepy Cakes", Amelia visits a bakery where the owners are trying to make everyone fat. Each of the villains is comical and easily beaten once Amelia is able to convince him or her to brag about his/her plan for world domination. The bad guys in each of these stories reminded me of some of Roald Dahl's villains, or of someone like Count Olaf from the Series of Unfortunate Events books. They are evil through and through, but it's still believable that a child can defeat them.

The language in this book is very straightforward with no extraneous frills, making it a great choice for new chapter book readers. Each story is fast-paced and well-plotted, and Amelia's sense of humor and intelligence kept me turning the pages so quickly I finished the book in one sitting. Hers is a unique voice that stands out from other chapter book heroines, and while the setting of the stories is familiar, the focus on spying and bringing down forces of evil will attract kids who like adventure and mystery stories. This is one of those series that will appeal to boys and girls, and to reluctant readers as well.

Zombie Cows will be released in the US on October 1, 2011.

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This is the newest Elephant & Piggie book, published just this past June, and it focuses mostly on Gerald, who can't decide whether to eat his ice cream by himself, or share it with Piggie. While he tries to decide what to do, and imagines the dire circumstances under which Piggie might just desperately need ice cream, the ice cream itself melts and falls off the cone. While Gerald wallows in his sadness over the lost cone, Piggie comes along and offers Gerald some ice cream. He assumes the cone will be all his, but then realizes that Piggie has brought it for them to share.

I hate to say it, but I think this series is getting to the point where it has run its course. The storyline here wasn't exactly predictable, but it did sort of follow a formula  that has become common in these books. Things go along, making the reader suspect one thing will happen, and then a twist or coincidence at the end turns those expectations on their heads. The drawing here was also kind of run-of-the-mill. Some of the other books have experimented with different perspectives, different characters, and creative uses of the two-page spread, but this one didn't introduce anything new  to the format.

One thing I did love, though - the careful eye will find not just the pigeon in the endpapers, but a melted ice cream cone as well!

This is my final post in a 7-week series about the Elephant & Piggie books. Previous reviews are listed below:

My Friend is Sad
There is a Bird on Your Head!
I Will Surprise My Friend!
Pigs Makes Me Sneeze
Can I Play Too?
We Are in a Book

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I often have mixed feelings about books that break the fourth wall, but this one is absolutely brilliant. Gerald and Piggie discover that they are characters in a book, and that as such, they can make the reader say things. They laugh themselves into hysterics over making the reader say "Banana" and repeat this joke several times, choking on sobs of laughter as they fall over crying with joy. But then Gerald learns that the book ends, and out comes his flair for the dramatic. "I have more to give!" he says, and counts down the final pages of the book with much fear and tears. Piggie has the solution, though - if the reader will agree to read the book again, the fun doesn't have to end.

I can think of no greater tribute to the joy of reading than a book that invites the reader to step inside of it and interact one-on-one with the characters. As Willems has done previously in the Pigeon books, he creates a wonderful read-aloud experience for kids reading to the adults in their lives, as well as for adults, like me, who read to kids on a regular basis. )See how I used this book at story time by clicking here.)

This is my absolute favorite Elephant & Piggie book, and it will be really hard for any others in the future to live up to it!

This is my sixth post in a 7-week series about the Elephant & Piggie books. Previous reviews are listed below:

My Friend is Sad
There is a Bird on Your Head!
I Will Surprise My Friend!
Pigs Make Me Sneeze

Can I Play Too?

Next Saturday I will conclude this series with a review of Should I Share My Ice Cream?

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As I recall, this book got mixed reviews when it was published. A snake who has no arms or legs wants to play with Gerald and Piggie, but they can't figure out how to play catch with such a creature. At first, they focus on his weaknesses, but the snake, who is well aware of not having any limbs, wants to try anyway. Elephant and Piggie throw balls his way, but they all end up whacking him on the head. Illogically, they decide that throwing more balls will make them easier to catch, and they pelt the poor snake with even more painful throws. In the end, they wind up using the snake himself as the ball, which seems to make everyone happy.

I think I understand what this book was trying to do - that is, to celebrate differences and encourage creative thinking that will allow any child who wants to play to participate. But what happens, I think, is that the snake - and children who, like the snake, have physical differences that require adaptations - is strongly marked as "other" and is then treated kind of badly by the main characters. The solution of using the snake as a toy doesn't really feel like a proper  resolution to me, and on top of that, I didn't think the story was that funny. The main joke was throwing things at the head of someone who couldn't defend himself.

I'm quite sure that Mo Willems, who is himself a father, and spends so much time with children, never intended his book to poke fun at kids with disabilities, but it can definitely be read that way, and I think that's too bad. Not the best one in the series. Probably my least favorite.

This is my fifth post in a 7-week series about the Elephant & Piggie books. Previous reviews are listed below:


My Friend is Sad
There is a Bird on Your Head!
I Will Surprise My Friend!
Pigs Make Me Sneeze

Next Saturday I will review We Are in a Book.

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The title page of this book features Gerald the Elephant holding a handkerchief and pointing accusatorily at Piggie. Because Gerald sneezes when Piggie comes bounding over to him to say hello, he jumps to the silly conclusion that he is allergic to his best friend. Deciding he can't risk it, Gerald says goodbye and walks sadly away from Piggie. On his way, he runs into Doctor Cat, who also makes him sneeze. Is he allergic to cats, too? Not according to Doctor Cat. The doctor diagnoses Gerald with a cold, which we then learn he has also passed onto Piggie. The end papers show us Piggie, holding a Knuffle Bunny-like rabbit, with a thermometer in her mouth, accompanied by that pesky pigeon, who has a hot water bottle on his head.

Gerald's dramatics are at their ridiculous best in this book. The build-up to his sneezes, especially, make the reader feel that sensation of needing to sneeze and finally letting it out. I also enjoyed the introduction of a third character who could serve as the voice of reason between the two extremes of the main characters. This book would be a fun way to remind kids to cover their mouth when they cough or sneeze, and also a wonderful to point out the irrationality of hypochondria, especially in such a germophobic world.

This is my fourth post in a 7-week series about the Elephant & Piggie books. Previous reviews are listed below:


My Friend is Sad
There is a Bird on Your Head!  
I Will Surprise My Friend!

Next Saturday I will review Can I Play Too?

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The cover of this book shows the sneaky side of both Piggie and Gerald, and the title page only furthers our suspicions of these two sly characters. As they tiptoe off in opposite directions, the reader is already dying to know - who will surprise who?

As the story begins, Gerald and Piggie meet a squirrel who is planning a surprise for her friend. The squirrel jumps out and says boo, and  then they laugh themselves silly. After observing all of  this, Gerald and Piggie decide they want to surprise one another as well. They sneak off in opposite directions, then reconvene around a stone in the center of the page. Each tries to find the other, but as one moves around the rock, so does the other, and they never quite meet. Gerald begins to imagine all the horrific things that could have happened to Piggie, while she, meanwhile, imagines that Gerald went off to get lunch and finds herself famished. At the same time, they set off to find each other, only to wind up truly surprising one another in an unexpected way.

Compared with the first few books, this one is not as funny. The concept of sneaking around a rock, each never detecting the other's presence is kind of a cartoon cliche, and though kids may not recognize it, I certainly did, and it kind of made me groan. The dialogue is the real strength here, and Gerald's worried faces when he starts to worry about Piggie's safety are wonderfully exaggerated and clever.

This is my third post in a 7-week series about the Elephant & Piggie books. Previous reviews are listed below: 

My Friend is Sad
There is a Bird on Your Head!

Next Saturday I will review Pigs Make Me Sneeze.

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Elephant and Piggie have been my favorite easy reader characters for a few years now,  ever since the publication of the second book in the series, which is what I'm reviewing today. To give myself a little break from reading and reviewing longer books, I'll be posting about a different Elephant & Piggie title every Saturday for the next six weeks.

My Friend is Sad opens with Gerald sitting on the ground sighing to himself. "Ohhh..." Piggie notices that he is sad and quickly jumps in to help her friend feel happy again. She dresses up as a cowboy, a clown, and a robot, all things that Gerald loves, but the elephant only becomes more upset when he realizes his friend Piggie is missing all the fun. It's clear to the reader all along that Piggie is the one dressed as these things, but Gerald is slow to catch on, prompting Piggie to suggest that perhaps he needs new glasses.

What I love so much about this book, in particular, is Gerald's facial expressions. The frenzied motions he makes as he recounts the amazing things he saw in Piggie's absence show his frustration over the fact that his friend missed out, and his longing to have his friend share in the moment. The size of the text inside each speech bubble also gives cues as to the volume and intensity of Gerald's outbursts, which increase the more agitated he becomes. I also love the subtlety of the end papers - at the start, Gerald is weepy and alone, but at the end, he and Piggie share a content and friendly hug.

This book was laugh out loud funny for me, as an adult. I can only imagine the hysterics it brings to preschoolers and early readers!

This is my first post in a 7-week series about the Elephant & Piggie books. Next Saturday I will review There is a Bird on Your Head.

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