In another installment in the bland series, Zally Guevara's grandmother gives her an ancient cacao pod and tells her she's old enough to travel to Aventurine to begin fairy-godmother training. Her quest takes her to unknown places to help an ailing queen; along the way, Zally learns of her special ability to commune with animals and to be bold and resourceful.

George and Harold get into a sticky situation in Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy Part 1: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets, the """"sixth epic novel"""" by Dav Pilkey. Harold and George's latest prank makes """"school brainiac"""" Melvin Sneedly vow to get revenge. But when Melvin transforms himself into the Bionic Booger Boy, things get a little drippy. Can Captain Underpants save the day?

Gr 2-4-Fourth-graders George and Harold are good at pranks involving ketchup on toilet seats; saving the planet from the "nasty forces of unrelenting evil"; and making fun of Melvin Sneedly, the school brainiac and tattletale. When his robot-making hobby backfires during a class demonstration, Melvin tries to transform himself into a bionic superboy to get back at the pair but ends up as Bionic Booger Boy instead. Chaos ensues after he accidentally doubles and triples in size. George and Harold call on Captain Underpants (the school principal), but he loses his powers when he is covered in saliva. When a bionic hamster hears the terrified cries of his two friends, he comes to the rescue. The typical Pilkey ending leaves the door open for a sequel, and the novel is filled with the familiar comic-book inserts, Flip-O-Rama animations, and black-and-white cartoon illustrations. Fans will love this installment, and the book would probably appeal to slow readers. Adults are likely to be turned off by the use of the words "idiot" and "dumb" to refer to children and by the graphic description of snot. Purchase where there is demand.-Kristina Aaronson, Henniker Community School, NH Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.