Keep Your Paws Off!

October 1, 2017

Gr 3-5-Marty, the not-too-bright protagonist from the first series installment, is back solving another mystery-this time about himself. He finds a scrap of his older sister's diary with an intriguing statement: "Marty is a we...." Unfortunately, the sentence is cut off. What does his sister Erica know about him? Is he a weatherman? A weightlifter? Or, thinks Marty, could he possibly be a werewolf? Marty convinces himself that he must be a werewolf and that his transformation will happen when the moon is full. Parisi's simple stick cartoons appear on every page of this short, quick read. Readers know that Marty will come through it all, if a bit battered. Indeed, Erica got it right; Marty is a weirdo, but in a good way. VERDICT A solid choice for young reluctant readers who like hybrid novels.-Lillian Hecker, Town of Pelham Public Library, NY

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2017
Aspiring artist Marty Pants jumps to wild conclusions again with hysterical results.When his faithful cat, Jerome, chomps a piece of a page from his perfect sister's secret diary, Marty looks at it, of course: "My brother is a we," it reads. Marty assumes the obvious: Erica somehow knows he is a werewolf. He consults his best (female) friend, aspiring psychologist Parker, who tries to talk him down. Instead, he makes a list of the symptoms of werewolfery and starts checking them off until his friend Roongrat, who makes up everything he says but pronounces it with confidence, professes belief in werewolves--ergo, they must not exist. Unfortunately, when Roongrat changes his tune and Marty realizes he displays all the symptoms, he must protect Parker...well, and the rest of the school, from the wild, rampaging beast he will surely become. Can he control his full-moon madness? Parisi's second heavily illustrated, comic strip-dotted tale of art and absurdity is as fun and funny as the first. The paper-white cast overflows with varied, sometimes-goofy, character traits; those, combined with Marty's misunderstandings and deadpan observations, will entertain through the final pages. Readers will howl for the next installment even without full-moon inspiration. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 7-12)

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December 1, 2017
Grades 4-6 In a second round of Wimpy Kid-style exploits and mishaps, budding artist Marty convinces himself that he's becoming a werewolf, and so goes to panicky lengths to stave off a potential bloodbath at his school's upcoming Full Moon Festival. Typically, his efforts have the opposite effect; not only does his warning flier actually make more people want to attend, but the BITE ME graffiti he paints on a candy factory's wall in an effort to get himself arrested, instead earns him a windfall as the owners decide to use the image in their ads. Marty intersperses his anxiety-ridden narrative with line-drawn mini-comics, art jokes, and views of himself and his various foils riding around on frogs (because he can't draw bicycles) or acting out punchlines. Though, to his relief (and mild disappointment), he turns out not to be a ravening monster, he does at least end up with massive stashes of candy bars and cash. Readers will laugh at his pranks and pratfalls, while admiring the way he comes out on top.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2018
When aspiring artist Marty Pants discovers a page torn from his sister's diary--that says "my brother is a we"--he becomes convinced it means he's a werewolf. The farcical story rockets forward from there, with characters and adventures vividly depicted in both words and cartoons. Once again, Marty's warm heart shines through the high jinks in this second story, which ends on a satisfying note.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)