In this mixed-format series opener, straight text switches to comic-strip panels whenever the young narrator and his twin leave their suburban neighborhood to visit an alternate Earth that features zombies, miniT. Rex's and a general practice of wearing tighty-whities as overgarments. Sucked through the interdimensional doorway of a mysterious house with his goody-goody twin sister Stephanie and best bud Hector, Zeke meets a band of rebel Undies who greet him as a long lost prince, then later returns home to keep the UnderLord—who has come in the guise of squat, truly clueless rap star "Beefy D" (get it?) to conquer the Earth—from recovering his stolen (porcelain) Throne. This being a setup episode, Hale leaves plot and subplots unresolved, but tucks in enough wacky characters, wisecracking and alimentary humor to satisfy even jaded Captain Underpants fans. Not quite another Chet Gecko (as yet), but still, well, a gas. (Fantasy. 9-11)

Gr 3-6 Zeke and Stephanie's Great-aunt Zenobia has disappeared, and the family has received a number of her belongings, including an old-fashioned toilet and a letter. As the twins are fighting over who gets to use it for a family-history project, two "agents" appear at their door, investigating unusual happenings in the neighborhood. The kids' cat takes advantage of the open door and escapes with the coveted letter in his mouth. Zeke, Stephanie, and their friend Hector chase Fitz, and all four fall down a hole into the land of Underwhere. Here, the story shifts to graphic novel format as readers meet its residents, who wear their undies on top of their clothes and believe that Zeke is a prince who has come to save them from the Underlord. The remainder of the book is a jumble of bathroom humor and rollicking adventure; the children travel back and forth between home and Underwhere several times, taking on zombies, thunder lizards, and eventually the Underlord, who is disguised as a rap star. A talking cat, a last-minute science project, and those pesky agents complicate the tale. While the mixed format is innovative, characters and objects in the illustrations are sometimes difficult to distinguish. The ending is clearly a setup for the next adventure. Amanda Moss, Maywood Elementary School, Monona, WI