Strange but True

Gr 3–5—Potter leaves the more serious nature of The Humming Room (Feiwel & Friends, 2012) behind for this slapstick joyride. Otis Dooda is used to people joking about his name; he's heard it all: Otis Poopy-Stinks, Otis Toilet Twinkie, etc. He's over it. What he's not over is his family's move from the country to the 35th floor of an apartment in New York City. His older, rat-loving brother, Gunther, is a source of annoyance and disgust; his mother has a penchant for soy wieners; and his dad shouts, "Rice and beans!" when he's angry. Otis's misadventures begin immediately when he offends the strange kid hiding in a potted plant on the apartment's first floor. The "Potted Plant Guy" hands out a curse: Otis will break all his bones by the next full Moon. Foiling the curse drives the youngster throughout the story, with plenty of odd things happening along the way. He meets Perry, the owner of a miniature horse with a gas problem; Cat, who has siblings named Linus, Lucy, and Hobbes; and Lola and Noodle, poodles dyed pink and blue. There are plenty of poop and fart jokes, and the black-and-white illustrations add a graphic-novel feel. Give this one to fans of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" (Abrams) and "Captain Underpants" (Scholastic) series.—Jamie Kallio, Orland Park Public Library, IL