ALA Booklist

After swimming class, Stink finds a three-legged frog, followed by two more frogs at home. He quickly becomes obsessed, learning frog calls and joining the First Annual Frog Neck Lake Frog Count. Then he wakes one morning to find a blue frog licking his arm, giving him superpowers like Peter Parker d soon he is convinced he is turning into an amphibian himself. Can his new powers help him in swimming class? And can he convince adults to stop poisoning frogs with fertilizers? Quick paced and funny, this eighth series title will charm fans. Careful readers will wonder why Stink takes outdoor swim lessons in early March, but it's a minor quibble.

Horn Book

Stink finds a freaky three-legged frog after swim class, and then starts running into frogs wherever he goes. The new pals inspire Stink and his gang to learn about amphibians. But is he turning into one himself? In his eighth winning chapter book with endearing-as-ever illustrations, affable Stink's inquisitive and humorous relationship with the unknown will make readers curious themselves.

Kirkus Reviews

Stink Moody, younger brother of Judy, hops into the spotlight with a common problem--and one that's a bit more unusual. Stink would like to advance in his swimming lessons, but he's afraid to put his face underwater and seems doomed to remain a Polliwog forever. Fortunately, he's distracted from that issue by the sudden appearance around town--in some surprising places--of a whole lot of real frogs, a few of which are deformed. These frogs give McDonald the opportunity to offer a little information, through the voice of a nature-center guide, on how adverse environmental conditions can influence frog development. Stink memorizes a variety of frog sounds, enabling him to participate in a frog count at a local pond. Somehow, he becomes convinced that he's turning into a frog himself, but that might just make it possible for him to swim underwater. Brief, cheery, oversized text and lot of cartoonish black-and-white illustrations (only some of which were available for review) make this a good choice for newly independent readers. A minor issue is that the text informs readers that it is early spring; even in Virginia, that's a little early for Stink to be taking swimming lessons in an outdoor pool, as indicated in the illustrations. Young readers with a fondness for amphibians will jump all over this one. (Fiction. 6-8)

School Library Journal (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

D'LACEY, Chris &; Jay D'Lacey . Rain &; Fire . 304p. Scholastic / Orchard . 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-41453-1 . LC 2012014374. Gr 5-8 A companion guide to the Last Dragon Chronicles . Gr 58 FREDERICK, Heather Vogel . Wish You Were Eyre . 464p. (The Mother Daughter Book Club Series). S &; S. 2012. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3064-8 ; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4423-4199-9 . Gr 69 FRIEDMAN, Laurie . Mallory and Mary Take New York . Bk. 19. illus. by Jennifer Kalis. 152p. Darby Creek . Mar. 2013. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-0-7613-6074-2 ; ebook $11.95. ISBN 978-1-4677-0962-0 . LC 2012019008. Gr 35 GUTMAN, Dan . Miss Kraft Is Daft! Bk. 7. illus. by Jim Paillot. 112p. (My Weirder School Series). HarperCollins / Harper . Jan. 2013. pap. $3.99. ISBN 978-0-06-204215-6 . Gr 23 GUTMAN, Dan . You Only Die Twice . Bk. 3. 289p. (The Genius Files Series). HarperCollins / Harper . Feb. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-182770-9 ; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-06-182771-6 ; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-220284-0 . Gr 58 HOLUB, Joan &; Suzanne Williams . Pandora the Curious . Bk. 9. 256p. (Goddess Girls Series). S &; S / Aladdin . 2012. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5975-5 ; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4935-0 ; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4936-7 . Gr 36 IRWIN, Bindi &; Chris Kunz . Bindi: Behind the Scenes: The Wildlife Games . 192p. Trafalgar Square . Feb. 2013. pap. $11.99. ISBN 978-1-86471-839-3 . Gr 36 KAIN, P.G. Dramatic Pause . Bk. 3. 288p. (Commercial Breaks Series). S &; S / Aladdin . 2012. pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-9788-7 ; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-9791-7 . LC 2012948208. Gr 58 KESSLER, Liz . Emily Windsnap and the Land of the Midnight Sun . Bk. 5. illus. by Natacha Ledwidge. 272p. Candlewick . Feb. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5824-3 . Gr 46 KINNEY, Jeff . The Third Wheel . Bk. 7. illus. by author. 224p. (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series). Abrams / Amulet . 2012. Tr $13.95. ISBN 978-1-4197-0584-7 . Gr 4–8 LASKY, Kathryn . Star Wolf . Bk 6. 246p. (Wolves of the Beyond Series). Scholastic . Jan. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-27962-8 . LC 2012029320. Gr 4–6 MCCLINTOCK, Norah . Change of Heart . Bk. 7. 218p. ISBN 978-0-7613-8317-8 ; ISBN 978-1-4677-0701-5 ; ISBN 978-1-4677-0963-7 . MCCLINTOCK, Norah . In Too Deep . Bk. 8. 224p. ISBN 978-0-7613-8318-5 ; ISBN 978-1-4677-0702-2 ; ISBN 978-1-4677-0964-4 . ea vol: (A Robyn Hunter Mystery). Darby Creek . Mar. 2013. Tr $27.93; pap. $8.95; ebook $20.95. Gr 6 Up MCDONALD, Megan . Stink and the Freaky Frog Freakout . Bk. 8. illus. by Peter H. Reynolds. 160p. Candlewick . Feb. 2013. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6140-3 ; pap. $4.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6422-0 . Gr 1–3 MATT AND DAVE . Yuck's Fart Club . illus. by Nigel Baines. S &; S. 112 p. Jan. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-8153-4 ; pap. $4.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-8152-7 ; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-8154-1 . LC 2012027627. Gr 3–4 PILKEY, Dav . Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers . Bk. 10. illus. by author. 224p. Scholastic . Jan. 2013. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-545-17536-4 . LC 2012944030. Gr 3–6 RIORDAN, Rick . The Mark of Athena . Bk. 3. 608p. (The Heroes of Olympus Series). Hyperion / Disney . 2012. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-4060-3 . LC 2012017264. Gr 5–9 SELFORS, Suzanne . Smells Like Pirates . Bk. 3. 384p. (Smells Like Dog Series). Little, Brown . 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-316-20596-2 . LC 2012028738. Gr 4–7 SMITH, Roland . I, Q: Kitty Hawk . Bk. 3. 230p. (I, Q Series). Sleeping Bear . 2012. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-1-58536-605-7 ; pap. $8.95. ISBN 978-1-58536-604-0 . Gr 5–8 SNIEGOSKI, Tom . Quest for the Spark . Bk. 3. illus. by Jeff Smith. 288p. (Bone Series). Scholastic / Graphix . Jan. 2013. Tr $22.99. ISBN 978-0-545-14105-5 ; pap. $10.99. ISBN 978-0-545-14106-2 . LC 2012025128. Gr 4–8