Gr 2-4-In their fourth adventure, young mouse Ricky and his super-robot friend battle the evil Martian villain Major Monkey. After decoying the Mighty Robot to Mars with a fake distress call, the simian fiend plans to take over Earth with the aid of his giant metallic Mecha-Monkeys. It's up to Ricky to travel to the red planet and release the robot in time to save the world once more. Pilkey's special brand of deadpan humor highlights the off-the-wall plot. The brief, easy-to-read text and Ontiveros's black-and-white cartoon illustrations strike just the right note of mock heroism. The "Flip-O-Rama" activity pages add to the comic-book effect. This science-fiction romp should have strong appeal to reluctant readers as well as those just making the transition to chapter books.-Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Ricky Ricotta has a whole new look in these repackaged editions. The intrepid mouse still vanquishes neighborhood bullies, but now the slight plots are accompanied by original full-color digital art by Santat. With several "flip-o-rama" animation pages and comic-book sequences embedded in the stories, reluctant readers will appreciate chapter books that are easy to get through.