Pilot & Huxley

Gr 3—5—Pilot & Huxley follows in the grand tradition of high-interest books like Dav Pilkey's "Captain Underpants" series (Scholastic/Blue Sky), which circulate like crazy. After being zapped into another dimension by the Grim Reaper, nervous Huxley and wisecracking Pilot begin a quest to return home. But as strangers in a strange world, it isn't easy. The boys must sail across a sea of bees and pick a sleeping giant's golden nose hair to return to their dimension, fending off aliens along the way. Some jokes are funny, while others are unquestionably dumb. Sarcasm is frequent, and the gross-out humor occasionally goes over-the-top—likely to the delight of young readers and the horror of some grown-ups. The cartoon artwork isn't sophisticated. The layout, too, is simplistic. While these elements detract from the richness of the reading experience, they do make the barrier to entry extremely low, allowing just about any reader to pick up this offering and follow right along. A graphic novel that keeps the madcap plot moving and the jokes coming, it will certainly appeal to boy readers, but may not leave a lasting impression.—Travis Jonker, Dorr Elementary School, MI