Bogbrush the Barbarian

Gr 4—6—Bogbrush is a mighty warrior of the well-muscled but small-brained variety, so when he sets off on a quest, it's no wonder that he gets into trouble. Luckily, he is rescued from a nasty card shark by smart and lovely Diphtheria (an aspiring alchemist) and a small thief named Sneaky, who throw in their lots with Bogbrush. After a journey filled with bandits, ape-men, and evil magicians, they arrive in the City of Scrofula, where Bogbrush expects to pull an axe out of a boulder and be proclaimed king. This adventure is relentlessly brimming with jokes, puns, and snarky asides; even the chapter numbers are silly (the author seemingly fails to grasp basic numerical concepts). The text is scattered with informational boxes explaining vocabulary and other points, always with a joke thrown in. While many of these witticisms fall short of funny, enough do stick to make this book worth considering. Many readers will happily snicker through it, until the puzzlingly abrupt ending. Small black-and-white illustrations reinforce the broad humor. Fans of Cressida Cowell's How to Train Your Dragon (Little, Brown, 2004) will enjoy this story as long as they are ready for fare that is a bit more sly, bloody, and exaggerated.—Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library