February 15, 2016
Grades 2-4 In this sequel to Apocalypse Bow Wow (2015), Brownie, Apollo, and their new friends need to find more food, and Rat has found a Twonkies factory filled with the sugary, goo-filled pastries. There's just one problema cat (readers will recognize it's a lion), who challenges Apollo to a duel. If they win, they get all the Twonkies, but if the lion wins, he'll eat all of them. The training does not go well for Apollo. Meanwhile, a naked human wearing only sunglasses keeps popping in and muttering about a time machine, then disappearing before any of the animals can follow him. Young readers will giggle, while older readers may chuckle at the references to the Terminator films. The Proimos father-and-son duo use fun dialogue; simple panel layouts; large-print word balloons; and goofy, scratchy black-and-white art to craft a story about a postapocalyptic future that won't scare young readers. The book ends on a cliff-hanger, promising more stories, perhaps about that sunglasses-wearing gentleman, to come.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)