Melonhead and the Undercover Operation

September 1, 2011

Melonhead and his buddy Sam deliver their third goofball romp when they go undercover to catch one of the FBI's Most Wanted.

Having earned "Junior Special Agent" status from their numerous visits to FBI headquarters, Melonhead and Sam decide that a woman they meet on the bus is The Chameleon, master of disguise and wanted by the FBI. They get so caught up in their self-imposed spy mission that, despite their perpetual good intentions, things run amok. In particular, they bungle a pastry delivery, to the delight of the squirrels, when they hide in a tree outside the suspect's home. As in the first two books of this series, the story is liberal with such tomfoolery as nose picking, butt walking and a dog-pee mishap. The boys have a witty repartee and are fond of rhyming: "E-Z P-Z, rice and cheezie" or "Unbend, my friend." As the pair works at fixing their delivery bungle while still continuing to track and report on The Chameleon, they learn that fear and bravery go hand in hand and that sometimes tomato-soup blunders turn out to be a good thing. Combined with appearances from neighborhood favorites met in earlier volumes and Johnson's snappy sketches, Melonhead's pure, kid-centric, fun-loving perspective is hard to resist.

As they learn to take responsibility for their mini-fiascoes, Melonhead and Sam deliver sniggers galore in this sweet and funky confection. (Mystery. 8-11)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

November 1, 2011

Gr 3-6-In his third adventure, Adam "Melonhead" Melon and his friend and fellow FBI Junior Special Agent, Sam, believe that a neighbor is one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted criminals. The boys take their investigation very seriously, working undercover, doing surveillance, taking notes in their evidence log, and snapping photographs of the person of interest, nicknamed the Chameleon. While carrying out the investigation, Melon is bound by his parents' rules, including his mom's "Remind-O-Rama" that reminds him what he shouldn't do. Now his dad has added the Melon Family Guidelines for Life that tell him what he should. Melon interprets the guidelines loosely, especially, "When in Doubt, Ask an Adult." The secondary characters stem from Kelly's previous novels, and readers who start with this book might be missing some backstory, but the humorous nature of Melonhead and Sam's investigation is sure to be a hit among middle-grade readers. Short chapters and frequent pencil drawings make this an ideal choice for reluctant readers. In addition, fans of Clementine and Stink will recognize a spark of inadvertent mischievousness in Melonhead.-Sarah Polace, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma, OH

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2011
Grades 3-5 Life continues hilariously on in this threequel as middle-grader Melonhead attempts to make it through his summer duties as an FBI Junior Special Agent while following new Guidelines for Life. This family doctrine for what to do (rather than rules about what not to do, which haven't worked too well in the past) sees him and best friend Sam through good-old-fashioned adventures all over Washington, D.C., spying on mysterious characters, partnering with elderly neighbors, baking gross-delicious cakes, and cracking open a case of their own making. Illustrated with expressive ink spot art, this romp's guidelines for fun also include references to blood, butts, and blond wigs.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2012
In this Melonhead and the Big Stink follow-up, the title character and his friend Sam are FBI Junior Special Agents. They spy on a suspicious person, botch their investigation, and accidentally solve the wrong mystery. Melonhead continues to be amusing, but this set of misadventures is a little long and convoluted. Elderly friend Mrs. Wilkins steals the show.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)