ALA Booklist (Tue Jan 03 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Amato's fun-filled title in the Riot Brothers series follows fifth-grade Wilbur and his third-grade brother, Orville, as they create more crazy games with often amusing results. The first section, in which the boys become spies, and the last part, in which they play an opposites game and get to be school principals for a day, are the most clever and entertaining. The boys' mix of silliness and creativity will resonate strongly with children, and the large print and short chapters make for easy independent reading. Long's black-and-white illustrations add significantly to the book's humor. A fun read that will leave kids eagerly awaiting sequels.

Horn Book (Tue Jan 03 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Fifth-grader Wilbur and his younger brother Orville share a love of pranks. Enthusiastic collaborators, the boys try to waylay a diamond smuggler and win a trip to Hollywood, among other schemes. This lighthearted illustrated chapter book ends with some Riot brother sayings, including "A bad day is like bad breath. It just gets worse unless you do something about it."

Kirkus Reviews (Tue Jan 03 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Hopping once again into the Captain's Underpants, brothers Wilbur and Orville Riot return with more lame jokes and wild, goofy games. On "daily missions" that take them from chucking plastic bugs at each other and playing basketball with rolled-up dirty socks to declaring a "Dwitch Say" and wearing each other's clothes, the two horse around at home, school and the local mall—"As soon as we got to the Gateway Shopping Mall, Mom went to one of those stinky lotion stores. Of course, it wasn't called the Stinky Lotion Store, it was called the Smelly Slime Shop. Ha-ha!" What a pair of cards. Reined in by their mother, who isn't above slipping a few plastic bugs into their food herself, the two do, at least, offer a happy picture of siblings getting along well, rather than squabbling or picking at each other. Lots of simply drawn cartoon vignettes add to the manic air, and along with such droll bons mots as "Life is boring when you're not spying on someone," the "rules" for many of the featured games are reprised at the end. A laugh Riot, with an obvious audience. (Fiction. 9-11)

School Library Journal (Tue Jan 03 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Gr 2-5-Fifth-grader Wilbur Riot and his younger brother, Orville, are fighting boredom once more in this uproarious follow-up to Snarf Attack, Underfoodle, and the Secret of Life (Holiday House, 2004). Amato presents three new humorous exploits, each told in brief, fast-paced chapters, as the boys embark on a spy mission, unwittingly star in a movie, and take their mother's place as school principal during a wacky Saturday Switch Day ("Dwitch Say"). Mom is good-natured throughout all of their antics, even getting in a joke or two of her own (sneaking plastic bugs into their sandwiches) while maintaining a level of control. An appended section compiles the brothers' many sayings ("A bad day is like bad breath. It just gets worse unless you do something about it") and instructions for games such as "Bye-Bye Buggie" and "Sirty Dockball." The black-and-white cartoons, large print, and straightforward language will attract both newly confident and reluctant readers, who will want to get in on the fun. This title stands on its own, but be prepared for youngsters to demand more about this crazy twosome.-Kristine M. Casper, Huntington Public Library, NY Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.