When Fly Guy draws pictures of his parents, Buzz decides to surprise his pet fly with a family reunion. The clever boy places tiny invitations near rotting garbage in the neighborhood, and the response is immediate. Reassured to hear that the house is a swatter-free zone, thousands of flies happily swarm inside to greet their son/nephew/brother/cousin. Fly Guy's family hugfest, punctuated with speech balloons carrying exclamations such as "BRUZZER!" "SIZZTER!" "MUZZER!" "FAZZER!" may not include a word of standard English, but the meanings are clear in context, and the flies' joy is infectious. Called to dinner, they gather in the dining room, to the surprise of Buzz's polite but bemused parents. Luckily, Buzz has arranged for an unusual outdoor feast, one that is sure to amuse children. The new Fly Guy book has all the hallmarks of this popular series: a short, accessible text aimed at beginning readers; bold line drawings; colorful washes; squiggly-line textures; googly-eyed characters; plenty of humor; abundant goodwill; and a story that kids will read and reread for fun.

In this antic series' 17th episode, Buzz throws his lonely pet fly a surprizze party. Inspired by Fly Guy's drawings of "Muzzer" and "Fazzer," Buzz plants tiny invitations in every reeking trash can and pile of rot in the neighborhood—and opens the door to thousands of Fly Guy's relatives, after assuring them there are no "swatterzz" on the premises. "Wow!" says Buzz, delighted. "Flies have big families!" Fly Guy too is delighted: "Bruzzer! / Sizzter! / … / Auntzie! / Unkz!" Buzz's parents are, understandably, nonplussed, but Buzz has it all planned out…even to the catering, as a garbage truck drives up and dumps a heap of stinking refuse in the yard. Out fly the guests to chow down and play amid the noxious noshes. It's a grand party, but time (as they say) flies, and ultimately the swarms disperse as the garbage is bagged up. As with all the Fly Guy books, Arnold makes the most of the contrast between readers' received assumptions about flies and Buzz's total ignorance of them, genially giving the former a 90-degree twist. Page-filling fleets of flies may give some readers (or their caregivers) pause, but it's hard not to get a kick out of the way the flies tuck into their garbage banquet, and the baby picture of a larval Fly Guy with a pacifier is pretty darn cute. "Thankz, Buzz!" says the grateful guest of honor at the end. Readers will agree it's the least a boy could do for his buzzom buddy. (Early reader. 5-7)

PreS-Gr 2This is the 17th book in the series, and neither Fly Guy nor Buzz has lost his charm. When Buzz learns that Fly Guy is missing his family, he plans a surprise reunion to cheer up his friend. He puts out posters around the local trash cans to advertise the party, and when all 500 relatives show up, Buzz dumps a giant pile of garbage in the yard (adults will be happy to know that Buzz cleans up all the garbage in the end). Humorous touches including Fly Guy greeting various relatives with exclamations of "Cuz!" and "Bruzzer!" make this story a fun read. The comic artwork continues in the "Fly Guy" tradition, and there are various puns and comedic scenes, such as the family playing in the garbage, making this a silly and lighthearted tale. VERDICT Purchase where this series is popular.V. Lynn Christiansen, Wiley International Studies Magnet Elementary School, Raleigh, NC