Review by New York Times Review
Two books feature epic battles on a minuscule scale and heroes in the form of vermin. RATSCALIBUR By Josh Lieb 171 pp. Razorbill. $16.99. (Middle grade; ages 8 to 12) SUPER FLY The World's Smallest Superhero! By Todd H. Doodler 115 pp. Bloomsbury. $15.99. (Chapter book; ages 5 to 7) ANIMALS CAN BE an author's best friend. Talking animals, to be precise. Since the dawn of folklore, anthropomorphic beasties have been reliable go-to guys when a story simply wouldn't be as much fun with plain old human protagonists. And so it is that Josh Lieb, in "Ratscalibur," layers on the fur - and the claws, and the skinny pink tails - to transform the archetypal "unassuming kid fulfills prophecy and saves the kingdom" plot into a witty mash-up of favorite fantasy motifs. The book recasts Arthurian legend with rodents - rat knights, squirrel sorcerers, guinea pig guards, and so on. But rather than create an entirely imaginary world populated by sword-wielding woodland creatures, à la Brian Jacques's classic Redwall saga (a series that, in both page count and body count, is truly the "Game of Thrones" of talking animal tales), Lieb sets his adventure here on Earth, right under the unknowing noses of us humans. He trades castles and dungeons for urban alleys and sewers, enchanted forests for city parks. And it's in this change of venue that the book comes alive. Lieb's obvious delight in laying out the vermin-world analogues of swordand-sorcery staples is infectious. Readers will smile to see Popsicle-stick lances, peanut-shell helmets and, of course, the title sword, which is actually a spork - a spork that must be pulled from a scone. (Pun lovers will find no shortage of reasons to enjoy this book.) Despite the Arthurian trappings, the plot of "Ratscalibur" owes less to "The Once and Future King" than it does to "The Lord of the Rings." The rodent mage Gondorff the Gray, for instance, is an obvious tribute to Tolkien's quintessential wizard, Gandalf. And the scheming Salaman is, in turn, modeled after the villainous Saruman (or possibly the Ring trilogy's other archfiend, Sauron - distinctive naming was not Tolkien's forte). Lieb's sewer rat berserkers call to mind Middle-earth's orcs, and Ratscalibur glows when danger is near, just like Bilbo Baggins's sword, Sting. Lieb even gives a nod to Tolkien's favorite deus ex machina - escape via giant bird. For readers in the know, these homage bits can act as either Easter eggs or spoilers, but either way, they fit perfectly with the book's mix of parody and genuine adventure. Lieb, a "Tonight Show" producer and former "Daily Show" writer, takes a tone here that is much less arch than in his previous novel, "I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President." There's an earnest sweetness at the heart of "Ratscalibur," and the author's reverence for the stories that inspired him is apparent, giving the book a retro feel. Tom Lintern's gorgeous linedrawn illustrations, which call to mind the work of Zena Bernstein or Garth Williams, add to the old-school appeal. In "Super Fly," Todd H. Doodler also treads well-worn territory, tackling the "nerdy kid accidentally gains superpowers" story. But here again, the triteness of the premise is nicely camouflaged by the presence of animals. Or, in this case, insects. Mr. Doodler, if that is his real name (it's not), does a fine job of mining the bug world for laughs ('"He's out for blood,' said Susie Spider. 'I'm always out for blood,' said Monica Mosquito.") and an even better one of poking fun at superhero clichés. When the cape-and-tights-clad protagonist, Super Fly, wonders why his partner in crime-fighting, Fantastic Flea, keeps erupting into bursts of nonsense like "Great hairy hamster hiccups!," he gets the simple answer of "It's the way sidekicks talk." Like Lieb, Doodler sets his story in an unseen segment of our real world, and goes so far as to put us two-legged folks at risk from his insect villain. Crazy Cockroach doesn't just sic his giant robots on the insect city of Stinkopolis, he orders his creations to smash skyscrapers in Paris, New York and Tokyo. Aimed at a younger audience - ages 5 to 7, as opposed to "Ratscalibur's" 8-to-12 demo - "Super Fly" has, by design, a far less sophisticated narrative. But it stands out as an oasis of cleverness in a market segment that often makes read-aloud parents wish they could either go back to picture books or fast-forward to Harry Potter. CHRISTOPHER HEALY is the author of the Hero's Guide trilogy for middle-grade readers.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [June 21, 2015]
Review by Booklist Review
Eugene Flystein is an unusual fly, preferring books and perfecting his inventions to outside pursuits. He and his family have recently moved to Stinkopolis, where the fourth-grader finds himself the target of class bully Cornelius C. Roach a giant bug who runs off with Eugene's Top-Secret Robot Notebook. Eugene and his new friend Fred Flea botch an attempt to fend off Cornelius with Eugene's Ultimo 6-9000 an invention, delivered via key lime pie, that increases intelligence and strength by a factor of 9,000 and make a supervillain out of the roach, Crazy Cockroach, who builds an army of robots bent on destroying humankind. Knowing what he must do, Eugene eats the pie and transforms himself into Super Fly. With the help of his sidekick, Fantastic Flea, he battles Cornelius and saves the day . . . but for how long? Unapologetically silly, with plenty of gross-out humor and charming illustrations by author Doodler, beginning readers will thrill to the adventures of Super Fly.--Szwarek, Magan Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Bullied kids may sometimes think of their tormentors as giant cockroaches, but for fourth-grade fly Eugene McFly, it's literally the case: Cornelius Cockroach is making his life miserable at Brown Barge Elementary, "which was a brown barge floating in a broken toilet in the center of town." (Hmm.) With alliteration, insect puns, and gross-out gags aplenty, Doodler follows Eugene's misadventures as one of his inventions, the power-amplifying Ultimo 6-9000 (which is cunningly disguised as a piece of key lime pie), turns Cornelius into a supervillain, requiring Eugene and his friend Fred to assume the superheroic roles of Super Fly and his sidekick, Fantastic Flea. Doodler's cartoon illustrations add to the madcap action of a story that sets the stage for future exploits. Ages 5-7. Agent: Erica Rand Silverman, Sterling Lord Literistic. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Eugene Flystein is a nerdy, unathletic fourth-grade fly living at the edge of the town dump in Stinkopolis. In his spare time, Eugene makes strange inventions that children love, like a homework robot, and plays with his younger sister, Elle. He even makes friends with a flea in the flea circus, Fred. But most of all, he stays out of the way of Cornelius Cockroach, a bully and his arch nemesis. That is, until Cornelius is transformed by one of Eugene's inventions, the Ultimo 6-9000, into a supervillain-Crazy Cockroach. Soon Stinkopolis is being terrorized and robbed by the cockroach, and Eugene must transform himself into Super Fly to save the dump. The drawings and plot in Super Fly might appeal to older readers, but the writing style is definitely for the younger set, possibly even to be included in easy reader collections. Fans of "Captain Underpants" (Scholastic, 2002) will enjoy the potty humor and simple black-and-white illustrations. The only downside is the very basic sentence structure, which would make read-alouds awkward. VERDICT Recommended for elementary and early chapter book collections.-Shalini Miskelly, St. Benedict Catholic School, Seattle, WA © Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
After accidentally using one of his inventions to turn school bully Cornelius Roach into a super villain, it's up to nerdy housefly Eugene Flystein to become a superhero and save the day. The humor is weak, the plot is slow to get rolling, and even the Captain Underpants crowd (whom this is clearly aimed at) would find this chapter book unsatisfying. Cartoony black-and-white drawings featuring bug-eyed characters may attract some readers. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
From the "bug-centric" burg of Stinkopolis rises Super Fly, diminutive defender of the city dumpnot to mention the planet beyond.Following in the footsteps of his renowned dad, inventor of the Poop-A-Rama ("the perfect appliance for any housefly household"), nerdy fourth-grader Eugene Flystein has developed not only a device that converts boogers into lunchroom pizzas, but the Ultimo 6-9000, a device that increases intelligence and strength by a factor of 9,000. Unfortunately, the latter's first subject is class bully Cornelius C. Roachwho races off to build giant robot rats and roaches with the aim of exterminating (wait for it) "HUMANS! Dun, dun, dun." What can Eugene do but soup himself up likewise, don a cape and his little sister's tights, and buzz off to battle? In a narrative festooned with swarms of small cartoon drawings and chapter heads like "Nice Flies Finish Last" and "Your Fly is Down," this mighty mite, with able if overcaffeinated sidekick Fred Flea, survives a series of fiendishly clever traps and attacks on the way to a win. But the triumph is short-livedroaches being, as everyone knows, hard to killand further conflicts loom. As Fred would (does, actually) exclaim: "Ding-dong donkey donuts, Super Fly!" Fans of Super Diaper Baby will agree. (Superhero farce. 7-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
