January 1, 2023
Anxiety-ridden Tim and overly confident Tito, fourth grade best friends, are ready for another fantastic adventure, buoyed by Oskar, an inventor and self-described "good-looking time-traveling dinosaur." Two new characters join them, Tim's crush, Zoe A. Charms, "the nicest, coolest, most popular kid" at school, and his longtime nemesis, William Woodrow "W" Wiggle the Third, "the richest, snootiest, most conceited kid in the Western Hemisphere" and descendant of the town's founder. Back from attending "a fancy-schmancy elementary school" abroad, W announces that he will sponsor My Most Talented Pet Competition, turning their school's fun day into a high-stakes contest. W promises a "YouCube" broadcast and special guests, including lightly disguised American Idol judges, like Simon Catwell and Lion L. Itchy, and Tim knows he must do something special. The Bug Brain Booster 3.0, one of Oskar's creations, lets Tim's pet Margot, an ordinary housefly, win the competition by doing amazing tricks, but it also sets off a bug invasion. Insect facts, action-filled fights, yucky food humor, and pages filled with black-and-white cartoons will grab lovers of quirky, off-the-wall comic books and graphic novels. Latine Tito adds a few Spanish words to the mix; Tim, W, and Zoe read as White. An unbeatably humorous trio take on bugs and bullies in their latest zany excursion. (Fantasy. 8-10)
COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.