Horace Splattly, the Cupcake Crusader: The Terror of the Pink Dodo Ballo: The Terror of the Pink Dodo Balloons (Horace Splattly, the Cupcaked Crusader) - Hardcover

Grade 2-4-This book aspires to be a comical playground-hero saga in the mode of "Captain Underpants" (Scholastic), but there is none of Dav Pilkey's inspired anarchy here. Horace Splattly is transformed into a superhero by eating cakes baked by his domineering younger sister, Melody. While the citizens of Blootinville are preparing for the annual Celernip Festival, giant dodo-shaped balloons suddenly release swarms of "pink butterfly hair clips" that devour the hair of anyone they touch. The resulting epidemic of baldness threatens to affect the event, and everyone blames the Crusader for the disaster. Meanwhile, Melody blackmails her brother into performing a humiliating stage routine in the Celernip Prince Pageant. Horace must save the town from hair loss, uncover the individual behind the balloon attacks, and avoid being unmasked. The episodic plot piles one bizarre event on top of another but never makes the absurd seem believable. Adult characters are cruel, sarcastic, and selfish, and the teacher is particularly unpleasant. Children don't fare especially well either. Horace's peers tease and bully him unmercifully and even his two best friends are quick to accept his guilt. Young superhero fans deserve better.
Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL
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