Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger, illustrated by Jen Wang

This nonstop fountain of funny lines, kooky characters, and over-the-top plot had me laughing so much people around me kept asking what was so funny. Lenny Jr. goes to buy a special mustache his best friend Casper desperately wants; The Heidelberg Handlebar #7. When Casper dons the mustache he finds that he has specials powers and can talk anyone into whatever he wants. He quickly takes over the world and it is up to Lenny to stop him with the help of television star Jodie O'Rodeo. They race through this rip-roaring adventure using gadgets from a Willy Wonka-type factory that involves boogers, chicken-tasting erasers, and more. Take a chomp out of this one, but place your disbelief outside the door - its wacky humor is out there.

Red and Jodie have the best lines. Red has a string of implied non-shocking swear words that go something like this, "Are you boys selling candy bars for your gottdangled school? No more candy bars! Get the Helchfitz out of here!" He tells the boys his brother died over one hundred years, calls Lenny a "FarDobbled Candy-Bar-selling Punkler" when he looks at hats, and pets the money Casper gives him for the suit. I haven't met such a fun, crotchety character since Yosemite Sam - the cartoon king of irreverent comments.

If Red is Yosemite, then Jodie is Annie Oakley except she slings water pistols versus guns. Check out Jodies gun-slinging slang. I'm reading along from Lenny's point of view when "Kablammo!" I get Jodie's point of view. She's on a rescue mission and loves using variations of the word "ding-dang." We've got "Who the ding-dang-dong are you?" or references to her "...ding-dang TV show" or there's "Ding-dang dude, can't you be more careful?" She's a lovable ding-dong that's fer sure. Other fun words are "goshamighty, cockamamy, kablammo, (yes I borrowed that one), giddyup, woolbusters,whoop-de-doo, bojangles, heinies, and twinkle-toes (she didn't use that one but I think she should have or maybe it should be twinkie-toes in honor of Hostess treats).  Jodie can toss a knife like a circus performer but she doesn't want to hurt anyone so she lets the handle hit the villain between the eyes. She's a keeper, this one.

A imaginative story that will lighten your day! Enjoy
Reading Level 4.6
4 out of 5 Smileys