Horace Splattly: When Second Graders Attack (Halloween)

Horace has run out of his sister Melody's superpower cupcakes, which poses a problem when a group of second graders calling themselves the Nibblettes threatens to overtake Blootinville with disgusting gravy snack cup-bombs.

Grade 2-4-Welcome to the continuation of the zany adventures of the Cupcaked Crusader. Horace is 10, but is nearly the shortest kid in school. His younger sister, Melody, creates disgusting-looking cupcakes, some covered with "spotted pebble things," others with white spikes or tiny caterpillars, etc. Eating any one of her concoctions provides him with a different super power, temporarily. The villain is Chef Nibbles, who hypnotizes the town's second graders and uses them in his effort to get everyone to eat his terrible canned food, Snoodles and Cheaze. Under his spell, Melody stops baking, so Horace tries his hand at it, with interesting results. The text provides plenty of creative twists, danger, and excitement to keep readers turning pages, and is enhanced by Gott's cartoon illustrations interspersed throughout. A likely choice to hand children who want more books like Dav Pilkey's "Captain Underpants" series (Scholastic).
Sharon R. Pearce, Geronimo Public School, OK
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