Reluctant Reader Pick: Dog Man Unleashed (book 2)

Dog Man Unleashed
by Dav Pilkey
Graphix
224 pages
2016
ISBN: 9780545935203

Kids don't need to be told: Dog Man Unleashed is the real deal! Dav Pilkey just keeps getting it right for those reluctant readers who just need a reason to pick up a book. This second book is even more fun than the original.Inane, silly, charming, ridiculous, and did I say silly? Well, fun then. Sheer fun!

 Pilkey does the amazing: he makes everything possible: a T. Rex skeleton becomes reanimated and dances around , a cat can be an evil genius, a police chief is so bumbling that he needs the assistance of Dog Man to solve even the silliest of crimes. In a graphic novel that reads more like a "Rocky and Bullwinkle" cartoon with evil Natasha and Boris, Dog Man is your hero. Pilkey must have spent every Saturday morning glued to his television watching the roadrunner outsmart Wile E. Coyote.

Poor Dog Man. He is half Dog (the head and dog instincts) and half human (the human body). In a  freak accident, Officer Knight and Greg the Dog get blown up, and  the ambulance takes them to the hospital with the siren sounding, "Wee-OOO-Wee_OOO" --never has anyone found a way to write a siren sound that was legit before Pilkey--so applause for that alone! The ER doctors say that the only way to fix Greg the Dog and Officer Knight is to combine them into one. This seems far-fetched, but it is laugh out loud funny!

Dialog is tongue-in-cheek with 80's and 90's references. It is irreverent and hysterical. Two kids are  passing by, a boy and a girl, and see the cat villain stealing treasure chests. A  mysterious stranger wants to stop him by  using  his mind powers to pick up a phone booth to throw at the cat. The kids ask, "What's a phone booth?" Next he picks up a stack of newspaper and a mailbox then "he grabs some other stuff with his brain" from Lulu's Obsolete Goods. The kids wonder what each obsolete item is and that's the fun of it! Adults will chuckle along with their reluctant readers--if they are lucky enough to be reading along, that is!

Dog Man is the perfect cop...except for the fact that every time he sees a bone, he wants to lick it and every time he sees a ball, he wants to chase it and catch it. Pilkey has included flip pages with instructions for readers to flip the pages and see the "action" cartoon. Readers will be delighted!
How to draw pages in back teach readers how to draw main characters and Pilkey's website has more content to interest young doodlers and dreamers.

Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants series made readers out of a generation of reluctant readers two decades ago; Dog Man will take this generation by storm. Hooray for Dog Man!

Highly, highly recommended for all reluctant readers and anyone who needs a laugh. This is sheer silliness for the fun of it! Don't fight it! Give in to Dog Man!

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the ARC from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Tween Pick: Recipe for Trouble (with recipe)

Recipe for Trouble
by Sheryl Berk & Carrie Berk
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
171 pages
with recipes, ideas and tips
Excerpt of Winner Bakes All included

What happens when four friends start a cupcake company and each one starts growing up and apart? Is Peace, Love and Cupcakes doomed for failure?

The girls each go their separate ways for the summer, and Lexi is sad. She is looking forward to fifth grade and a new season for launching the success of their company. She visits her flamboyant, fun, and flirty Aunt Dee in New York City. Dee is a tornado of energy and ideas. She takes Lexi to see all the sights: museums, Central Park, trendy restaurants, extravagant shops, and they even experience nirvana off a real New York City hot dog vender's cart. Lexi can't believe a hot dog can taste so good!

Lexi uses all the experiences, sights, and sounds to write new cupcake recipes. She is inspired by the great masters' paintings in the museum and can't wait to share her recipes with her friends.

Kylie comes home from summer camp with great news. She had the time of her life and met such interesting new friends. In fact, she wants one of her new friends to join the cupcake business. Lexi is hurt, and a little furious. She thought Kylie was her bff, and she doesn't want any more members in Peace, Love and Cupcakes.

Trouble is brewing between the two besties, and the girls have a few spats and misunderstandings as the orders for cupcakes begin rolling in.


The business is running smoothly when Lexi realizes she has a crush on Jeremy. The other girls try to help shy Lexi let her feelings be known, but it's not until the school production of "Romeo and Juliet" that Lexi conquers her fears.

Recipes and tips for cupcakes are a nice addition to the mix (pun intended). Girls will love the idea of a tween business and the friendship that is threatened. This is a sweet little book written by mother and daughter team Sheryl and Carrie Berk. Great fun!

Recommended grades 4-7.

Here is a fun recipe from the book (with permission):

Jeremy’s Pastalicious Cupcakes

Spaghetti Cupcakes

Makes 6

1 Cup tomato sauce

4 ounces ricotta cheese

3 ounce Parmesan cheese

8 ounces shredded mozzarella

1 tablespoon milk

1 egg

1 package pre-cooked whole wheat spaghetti

1 package of turkey meatballs


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the tomato sauce, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, grated mozzarella cheese, 1 tablespoon of milk, and 1 egg.

3. Pour the cooked spaghetti into the bowl with the tomato sauce cheese mixture. Toss the spaghetti in the mixture, making sure to coat all of the noodles.

4. Add spoonfuls of the mixture into greased muffin tins. It can come up to just below the top of each opening. Press down so the noodles are packed into muffin tin—they will apart if not packed enough.

5. Dip the turkey meatballs intomato sauce and the top of cupcakes. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

6. Bake for eighteen to twenty-two minutes.

7. Let cool for a few minutes. Run a butter knife around each one to loosen.


FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)