Children's Literature
- Jean Boreen
Henry worries that he and his friends Riley and Reed "may be the most boring twelve-year-olds on the planet." So Henry talks his friends into joining him on a number of wacky adventures that often put all three friends, but Reed in particular, into some sticky and stinky situations. Henry takes it upon himself to come up with the adventures, Riley researches aspects of the adventures to assess if they can be done, and Riley gets stuck actually doing most of the hare-brained stunts that seem to go along with the adventures. Henry's first idea is to break the world record for the most forward airborne somersaults on a bike; his idea is to have Reed use a neighbor's garage, then their diving board, to give Reed enough time to hit four somersaults. The concept works, but Reed ends up sitting in garbage, a disposable diaper filled with "doody" on his head. So begins the concept of stink, as with each adventure, Reed somehow ends up with something smelly stuck to his body. As one would expect from Paulsen, the adventures he creates are hilarious and death-defying in ways only twelve-year-old-boys could create. If you have a young reader looking for a fun and accessible book, this one is certainly a great choice. Reviewer: Jean Boreen, Ph.D.
School Library Journal
Gr 5–7—Henry has the brilliant idea that he and his friends Riley and Reed need to make a name for themselves (and impress the girls) by having mind-blowing adventures. Riley is in charge of supplies and documentation, Henry is the idea man and general planner, and Reed has the unfortunate job of carrying out most of the exploits which always seem to end in smelly grossness. The 12-year-olds boldly undertake all sorts of daring adventures, starting with launching Reed off a steep roof tied to a bicycle to bounce off a swimming pool diving board and break a world record. Other stunts include surviving a night in the wilderness, bull-riding (girls love cowboys), and dumpster diving for science. Reed continues to get smellier because each episode predictably ends with him in some sort of rotting material or human or animal waste. Nick Podehl narrates all the voices in Gary Paulsen's humorous novel (Wendy Lamb Books, 2011) with youthful eagerness and abandon, endowing each character with an appropriate personality. Each chapter presents one of the daring exploits, and there's a brief introduction by the author explaining the origin of the book. Listeners, especially boys, who thrive on adventure, wackiness, and basic grossness will love this endearing trio.—Teresa Wittmann, Westgate Elementary School, Edmonds, WA
