Horn Book (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

As if dealing with his genius twin sister weren't enough, summer brings new challenges for kid inventor Scab McNally. These include avoiding swim lessons and trying to capture the mysterious creature in Beeson's Lake. Scab's humorous first-person voice combines with quirky illustrations and entertaining sidebar boxes (e.g., "Scab's Trick Toe") to make an entertaining boy-geared read.

Kirkus Reviews

Salvatore Wallingford McNally, nicknamed Scab, uses his scientific studies for an even more practical purpose than annoying his twin sister: getting out of his dreaded swimming lessons. He'd rather spend his early-morning hours relaxing with his fishing buddies than diving in the deep end, but his outlandish pranks threaten to derail his summer plans. When his elusive catch slips away, Scab concocts a plan to hook the dinosaur believed to be hiding in the lake. His fast-paced first-person narration features punchy one-liners and revels in revolting gags to propel the unlikely events, though nuanced characterization reveals some complexity as Scab struggles for his peers' acceptance. His flippant, comic voice resonates in his frequent journal lists. He outlines his quirkiest fears, including a phobia of the letter G. "I can't write it in cursive. My teacher Miss Sweetandsour says my G's are saggy. So are her ears." Paillot's angular drawings suit the characters's zany antics. The Secrets of a Lab Rat series serves up another chuckle-inducing helping with this second installment. (Fiction. 8-11)

School Library Journal (Sat May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Gr 3-5 Scab McNally is back in this laugh-out-loud volume. With high energy and ingenious ideas, the 10-year-old skates (just barely!) through one sticky situation after another. The plot focuses on a dinosaurlike creature he spots while fishing with his buddies, but nonstop goofiness, plot-related or not, is the real draw here. Cartoon drawings and plenty of sidebars full of Scab's secrets, tips, and other hilarious insider information break up the text. A solid step up from Captain Underpants. Amanda Moss Struckmeyer, Middleton Public Library, WI