ALA Booklist
Twins Kevin and Joules are excited enough to be attending summer camp in the wilderness, but if there's anything their obsession with classic horror flicks has taught them, it's that camp is a prime setting for scary monsters, and that funny noise they just heard in the bushes is definitely something to worry about. Three Fluffs ("Fierce, Large, Ugly, and Ferocious Furballs") have crash landed on earth after their marshmallow planet got exploded by a stray comet, and the warrior rabbits use their hypnotizing gazes and vicious floppy ears to commandeer the camp and turn its inhabitants' brains into sweet, sweet mush. The sugar-rush plot follows a well-established course. The twins are savvy enough to know the obvious candidates to be gobbled up first and how many backup plans will be needed to triumph against the ferocious alien bunnies. A lighthearted, clever send-up of zany horror conventions, this book is just the thing for kids about ready for M. T. Anderson's Whales on Stilts (2005) and other Jasper Dash books.
Horn Book
Fluffy bunnies might not sound scary, but what about giant, hypnotizing, sugar-crazed, bunnies from outer-space? In this B-movie homage, the bunnies are coming to attack twins Kevin and Jules's summer camp. Told in a spoofy tone with a smattering of comic-style illustrations, this goofy tale may elicit as many eye-rolls as laughs, but it's sure to be fun for classic sci-fi fans.
Kirkus Reviews
Twins Kevin and Joules Rockman are happy they're spending a week at Camp Whatsitooya on the shores of Lake Whatsosmelly, because it means they don't have to accompany their parents to the International SPAMathon. Their parents would (and do) put the barely edible meat-like substance in everything. The camp's pretty lame, but craft-crazed Ms. Jones, her two batty counselors and a passel of oddball campers become the least of the twins' worries when people start vanishing and brain-controlling monster-bunnies attack. Thank goodness Kevin's studied survival tactics in awful horror movies and Joules is proficient with pointed sticks. With the help of clueless Nelson and a secret ingredient you can probably guess, the Rockman twins attempt to save the world from slavering, fanged, man- (and candy-) eating fluffy bunnies. Beaty's tale of high silliness is sure to please, and it's dotted with Santat's mini-comics and spot illustrations, which move the story along. If at times the reach for a larff is a bit of a stretch, it's all in fun. The hint at a possible sequel will have humorous-adventure lovers asking. (Adventure. 7-10)
Publishers Weekly
(Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
In this screwy, nonsensical thriller, 11-year-old twins Joules and Kevin are unwillingly deposited at Camp Whats-itooya, an unusual summer camp that is about to be attacked by giant alien bunnies (aka %C2%93Fluffs%C2%94). Led by a naturephobic scientist, a down-on-his-luck surfer, and a beehive-haired lady with a craft fetish, the twins are joined by three giggling look-alike campers dubbed %C2%93SmellyCat%C2%94 (for Sam, Ellie, and Cat), and Nelson, who exuberantly promotes the virtues of the Plumbing Channel. As the bunny threat grows, Nelson and the twins hatch a plan involving Spam (the edible kind) and freeze-dried ice cream to thwart them from taking over the camp and the world. Interspersed with parenthetical asides, directives to the reader (%C2%93Those of you who avoided reading Table 1 probably ought to be brave and read this one.... Go ahead. We%C2%92ll amuse ourselves by singing while you read. La la la la la...%C2%94), and Santat%C2%92s (Chicken Dance) kinetic comic book%C2%96style panel art, Beaty%C2%92s (Cicada Summer) storytelling is lighthearted and fast-paced. Though the story may not linger much past the last page, her unconventional and entertaining narrative make it a wholly fun read. Ages 8%C2%9612. (May)
School Library Journal
Gr 3-5 Far, far away in the Starburst galaxy (&4;just beyond the Milky Way but not as far as the Peanut Cluster&4;), a flaming meteor smashes the marshmallow Planet of the Fluffs into sticky goo. Faced with planetary meltdown, Fierce, Large, Ugly, and Ferocious Furballs hop a salvaged rocket ship and head for Earth, seeking a fresh source of sugary energy. Meanwhile, Earth twins Joules and Kevin arrive at Camp Whatsitooya. The boys are horror-film fans, and they quickly find that the camp has all the hallmarks of a fright-night flick. There are odd noises and unearthly creaturesand a smashed spaceship out in the woods. Even worse, the counselors all seem to be turning into zombies. The kids discover that the Fluffs have taken over and plan to reduce the campers&9; brains to quivering sweet mushperfect food for the invaders. Can Joules and Kevin find a way to defeat the killer space bunnies or will the fuzzy fiends get them first? The off-the-wall plot bounces from crisis to crisis as the twins use their movie expertise to predict the next emergency. The rather acerbic narrator frequently &4;breaks page&4; to address readers with asides, directions, and even mock commercials. Black-and-white cartoons—some in multipanel-comic form—and a lot of in-text graphic sound words add to the wacky fun. Similar in tone to Jon Sciezka&9;s &4;Time Warp Trio&4; series (Viking), but for a slightly older audience, this title should have special appeal to reluctant readers, especially boys.— Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL