Hoping to double his villainy, cat Petey (Dog Man's nemesis) clones himself but accidentally creates a sweet young clone; Li'l Petey wins everyone over, including his creator. Peppered with Dickensian allusions and "flip-o-ramas," this third series entry highlights the redemptive power of love and friendship. Pilkey's child-emulating cartoon style never condescends, and the graphic novel brims with cleverness, humor, and action.

Humbug! Not only has feline supergenius Petey escaped from prison, but an evil psychokinetic fish is raising up an army of animate apartment buildings. What the dickens is Dog Man to do?Fictive co-authors George and Harold dish up another heap of "mirth and woe" for their dog-headed police officer—featuring, to no Pilkey fan's surprise, slapdash plotting, sly jokes, alimentary humor, and Flip-O-Rama sequences aplenty. Actually, in a major twist, Petey the cat takes center stage thanks to Li'l Petey. This is a mini-me clone who refuses to be evil even when presented with a "supa-robot" 80-Hexotron Droidformigon wielding "80-HD Power" and who transforms Petey from supervillain to self-sacrificing parent, intoning "It is a far, far better thing I do…" in the climactic clash. Said clash is inevitable after tiny but powerful Flippy sets out for revenge with a tank of "Living Spray Gas" that converts buildings to hungry monsters capable of eating (and, it turns out, ralphing up) anything in their path. But L'il Petey saves both day and the thoroughly diverse human cast by winning over the furious fish with a homemade picture book and, with his jailbird dad (temporarily) back behind bars, ends up Dog Man's cherished ward. Step-by-step instructions for drawing major characters and monsters, plus a tail-wagging plug for reading to canine audiences, cap a sequel that ably fulfills the 2015 opener's great expectations. Only chuzzlewits will be less than delighted. (Graphic science fiction. 7-10)

Gr 1-4Fifth graders George and Harold, inspired by reading classic literature in school, have finished their third "Dog Man" graphic novel. A cop with the head of a canine and the body of a policeman, Dog Man fights crime while trying hard to be a good boy. As in the earlier installments, he defends his city from a daunting array of bad guys. Flippy the fish returns as an evil cyborg to ravage the city with an army of Beasty Buildings, and Petey the mad scientist cat clones himself and causes double trouble for our dogged hero. Though George and Harold are a bit older and "totally mature" now, their artwork remains charmingly childlike, with bold outlines and colorful simple backgrounds, and their dialogue retains its amusing misspellings and quirky syntax. Madcap action and general silliness abound on every page. The book is filled with laugh-out-loud situations, puns, delightful Flip-o-Rama animations, and a lot of licking and chewing on furnitureenough to keep even the most jaded young reader enthralled. VERDICT Pilkey has done it again. This latest installment is just as "supa" funny and irreverent as the first two volumes in the series. Sure to be popular, it's a great choice for elementary school graphic novel collections and of particular interest to reluctant readers and fans of the series.Kelley Gile, Cheshire Public Library, CT