(2) K-3 Illustrated by Julia Rothman. Since the 1992 publication of The Stinky Cheese Man (rev. 11/92), Scieszka has been upending conventions in children's literature. Here, he's back at it, with a Dadaist interpretation of Blanche Fisher Wright's classic The Real Mother Goose. Scieszka focuses on four Mother Goose rhymes plus "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," modifying each entry multiple times and creating absurdist variations. For example, he rewrites "Jack Be Nimble" backwards, in pig Latin, and in Esperanto; as Mad Libs–like fill-ins; as a multiple-choice quiz; and as a child's book report. Language-play abounds, including translations into Morse code; verbal and nominal substitutions; spoonerisms; and "Jabberwocky" ("Old Mother Jabbber went to the clabber, / to get her frum jub a gove"). Encouraging youngsters to create their own riffs on literature, Scieszka includes explanations of many of these linguistic conventions. Rothman illustrates each poem by altering Wright's original illustrations--superimposing her own mixed-media collages on some, clipping others and rearranging the parts, adding geese to populate many pages. Clever, inventive fun.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(3) 4-6 Frank Einstein series. Illustrated by Brian Biggs. With ingenuity, silliness, and science, boy genius Frank Einstein tackles two final problems. In Bio-Action, Frank brainstorms an invention to save the planet from human destruction; in Space-Time, Frank, friends Watson and Janegoodall, and trusty robot sidekicks Klink and Klank travel through space and time to save Grampa Al. Biggs's three-color illustrations elucidate the scientific explanations, and each book's back matter encourages further investigation. Review covers these Frank Einstein titles: Frank Einstein and the Bio-Action Gizmo and Frank Einstein and the Space-Time Zipper.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(3) 4-6 Frank Einstein series. Illustrated by Brian Biggs. With ingenuity, silliness, and science, boy genius Frank Einstein tackles two final problems. In Bio-Action, Frank brainstorms an invention to save the planet from human destruction; in Space-Time, Frank, friends Watson and Janegoodall, and trusty robot sidekicks Klink and Klank travel through space and time to save Grampa Al. Biggs's three-color illustrations elucidate the scientific explanations, and each book's back matter encourages further investigation. Review covers these Frank Einstein titles: Frank Einstein and the Bio-Action Gizmo and Frank Einstein and the Space-Time Zipper.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(3) 4-6 Frank Einstein series. Illustrated by Brian Biggs. Frank's EvoBlaster invention--which permits evolution and devolution into other life forms--leads Frank and his friends on hilarious misadventures packed with genuine scientific information. Frank eventually engages in a battle of the species with his nemesis, T. Edison, who has been causing mischief in Darwin Park. This fourth series entry's dynamic three-color illustrations and informative back matter match its blend of humor and science.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(3) 4-6 Frank Einstein series. Illustrated by Brian Biggs. In his third book, genius Frank uses his big brain to secure his pal, Janegoodall, a spot on the baseball team by fine-tuning the human body. Complete with trusty robot sidekicks and an archrival, this joke-filled, slapstick story is interwoven with real science. Back matter extends the knowledge and includes puzzles and baseball tips. Three-color illustrations round out both the humor and science.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(3) 4-6 Frank Einstein series. Illustrated by Brian Biggs. With his trusty sidekicks, Klink and Klank, Frank wages a battle against his classmate and nemesis, T. Edison, for the town's energy supply. Both scientific facts and jokes abound in this action-packed second installment. Humorous black-and-white illustrations with yellow accents include appropriately complex scientific diagrams, while an afterword provides instructions for "how to make your own Electro-Finger," scientific definitions, and more.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(4) PS Jon Scieszka's Trucktown series. Illustrated by David Shannon & Loren Long. Also illustrated by David Gordon. In this desultory addition to the series, all the familiar residents of Trucktown--from Jack Truck to Izzy Ice Cream Truck--compete in a race to see who will get from A to Z first. Boisterous and colorful illustrations will grab the attention of any truck fan, but the text's rhymes are uninspired and sometimes read aloud awkwardly.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(2) 4-6 Frank Einstein series. Illustrated by Brian Biggs. After a freak electrical storm, boy genius Frank Einstein wakes up to find two robots--Klink (a "self-assembled artificial-intelligence entity") and Klank (a "mostly self-assembled artificial almost [intelligent]" being)--in his lab. He hopes they'll help him win a science prize and save his grandfather's repair-shop business. The book features kid-friendly humor in spades, and an impressive amount of scientific know-how.

Reviewer: Sam Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2014

(4) 4-6 Spaceheadz series. Illustrated by Shane Prigmore. The evil chief of the Anti-Alien Agency's plot to destroy Earth is thwarted by fifth grader Michael K.'s unique ability to withstand the brainwashing effects of commercials. The humor and frenetic energy continue in Scieszka's wacky series; this title will only make sense to readers of the previous three books who know (and love) the cast of characters.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Matthew Myers. Gran Gran has inscribed this copy of Birthday Bunny to Alex. The mischievous boy repurposes the sappy story and pictures through the liberal application of number 2 (pencil). It's all very clever and even wise about the divide between what grownups think kids should like and what they actually do, but neither joke nor point comfortably stretch to thirty-two pages.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2013

(4) K-3 Jon Scieszka's Trucktown series. Illustrated by David Shannon & Loren Long. Also illustrated by David Gordon. Truck Jack calls his compadres to order: "Trucks line up!" As blue, pink, and green trucks fall into formation, Pete, who marches to his own drummer, realizes he was skipped ("Hey...What about me?"). Once that's sorted, the vehicles add their own humorous twist to the final "Line...UP!" Per usual, the story's frenzied energy will be a draw for some readers.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Jon Scieszka's Trucktown series. Illustrated by David Shannon & Loren Long. Also illustrated by David Gordon. Truck Kat loves to make maps of everything including her room and town. When Kat gives a surprise map to her friend Jack, he follows it precisely over highways and under Race Bridge to "an art show of all...Kat's maps." Though the text is easy to read, the payoff is lackluster compared to all that buildup.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) 4-6 Spaceheadz series. Illustrated by Shane Prigmore. Nearing their goal of recruiting "3.14 million + 1" earthlings to help save their planet, Major Fluffy and his crew's troubles are about to end. Or not. With their Earth friends' help, the aliens try to find out who betrayed them. Comical, convoluted, and goofy, this series will continue to engage fans and confound the uninitiated.

Reviewer: Betsy Murray

(4) K-3 Jon Scieszka's Trucktown series. Illustrated by David Shannon & Loren Long. Also illustrated by David Gordon. In this skewered Thanksgiving tale, the first residents of Trucktown arrive (complete with Pilgrim hats and a Mayflower replica), build "Ye Olde Trucktown" out of logs, and, in looking for a way to celebrate this accomplishment, settle on an annual Trucksgiving road race. The slight story will be appreciated by those who enjoy the series' smart-alecky brand of humor.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(4) 4-6 Spaceheadz series. Illustrated by Shane Prigmore. With Francesco Sedita. Michael K. tries to stay away from the other new-kid fifth graders Bob and Jennifer--especially after they reveal they're aliens who "need to get three point one four million and one Earth persons to become SPHDZ" or Earth will be "turned off." The zany illustrations and kinetic design strive a little too much for quirkiness; nonetheless this series-starter is a comical, high-energy read.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot

(4) PS Jon Scieszka's Trucktown series. Illustrated by David Shannon & Loren Long. Also illustrated by David Gordon. Three previously published easy readers--Uh-Oh, Max, Pete's Party, and Dizzy Izzy--are parked under the hood of this picture book. Trucktown fans can revisit their favorite characters as, among others, Max jumps, Kat digs, Ted tows, and Izzy makes herself dizzy. The frenetically energetic stories with matching illustrations continue to be simultaneously entertaining and exhausting.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) K-3 Jon Scieszka's Trucktown series. Illustrated by David Shannon & Loren Long. Also illustrated by David Gordon. Ice-cream truck Izzy "loves to get dizzy"; despite his best efforts being busy and fizzy and skidding in a tizzy, he can't seem to achieve dizziness. The story's rhymes make for an entertaining read-aloud. Worrywart cement mixer Melvin doesn't know who sent him a valentine; inexplicably he questions everyone but the sender. Both volumes are hit-or-miss in terms of coherent plotting. Review covers these Jon Scieszka's Trucktown titles: Dizzy Izzy and Melvin's Valentine.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) 4-6 Spaceheadz series. Illustrated by Shane Prigmore. Fifth-grader Michael K. is still trying to keep the alien agents' identities on the down-low in order to protect them from Anti-Alien Agent Umber; he's also trying to recruit more kids to his cause of helping save the world. Funny, fast-paced, and full of goofy pop-culture references, the second series entry will entertain Scieszka's fans and the not-yet-converted.

Reviewer: Betsy Murray

(4) K-3 Jon Scieszka's Trucktown series. Illustrated by David Shannon & Loren Long. Also illustrated by David Gordon. Ice-cream truck Izzy "loves to get dizzy"; despite his best efforts being busy and fizzy and skidding in a tizzy, he can't seem to achieve dizziness. The story's rhymes make for an entertaining read-aloud. Worrywart cement mixer Melvin doesn't know who sent him a valentine; inexplicably he questions everyone but the sender. Both volumes are hit-or-miss in terms of coherent plotting. Review covers these Jon Scieszka's Trucktown titles: Dizzy Izzy and Melvin's Valentine.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(4) K-3 Jon Scieszka's Trucktown series. Illustrated by David Shannon & Loren Long. Also illustrated by David Gordon. In Gift, all Kat's truck friends wonder whether her mysterious present is something practical or frivolous. Tire is a classic 'round-the-campfire ghost story (but with a non-scary outcome) about a mysterious voice following Melvin home from the junkyard. The story lines of these two are somewhat easier to follow than past series entries. Zany cartoons animate the Trucktown pals. Review covers these Jon Scieszka'a Trucktown titles: Kat's Mystery Gift and The Spooky Tire.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin