Customer Reviews

The Case of the Fiendish Flapjack Flop (Humpty Dumpty Jr., Hard Boiled Detective)

5 star:		(11)
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3 star:		(1)
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This book not only makes playing with your food OK, but uproariously fun! Humpty Dumpty Jr. is a detective any kid will love - with his smart alic mouth, "down and dirty" ethic and attitude and desire for justice, what's not to love?! Throw in a few "eeeww" discriptions such as "It's face was rotting wart-flesh. Foul green snot oozed over cracked teeth" and clever rhymes such as "Fe! Fi! Fo! Fegg!" roared the ogre, "I smell the blood of a rotten egg! Be he live, or be he dead, I'll grind his shell to make my bread!" and you have a book sure to engross the most picky of reader.

The Case of the Fiendish Flapjack Flop, takes such nursery rhyme characters as Patty Cake, Humpty Dumpty, the Queen of Hearts, the Knave of Hearts and many others and lends it own very unique twist. I found this to be of utmost cleverness and enjoyable fun.

In this first case, Humpty Dumpty Jr. discovers the beloved Patty Cake missing and her bakery Pat-A-Cake Bakery in ruins. With the help of a street kid named Rat and an egg beater magic wand, Humpty takes the search through the mean streets of New Yolk. Will he be able to crack the case or will the case crack him first? The only way to find out is to grab up a copy of The Case of the Fiendish Flapjack Flop as quickly as you can and enter the world of fiendish foods.

I simply cannot recommend this story enough. It is great fun, full of laughs and a sure way to get any child wrapped in the world of reading. I am very anxious to read the next in the series The Mystery of Merlin and the Gruesome Ghost. So be on the lookout for my review on it shortly!

When I saw the title of the newest children's series that I've recently come across, I couldn't believe it. With all the new fantasy series and kids' books hitting the shelves in increasing numbers every day, I considered myself jaded. I honestly didn't believe I'd ever find anything new or fresh again.

Then I saw the improbable character featured in Sourcebooks' latest offering: HUMPTY DUMPTY, Jr.: HARDBOILED DETECTIVE. Yep, you guessed it. He's an egg.

But HD, Jr. isn't just any egg. He's a trench coat wearing tough private eye with a knack for solving crimes and tracking down bad guys in New Yolk City.

The creative team (Nate Evans, Paul Hindman, and Vince Evans) have outdone themselves with this series in writing and art. The writing is nice and tight, filled with wordplay and puns that the targeted audience (7 and up) will love. Throughout the book, the art serves to draw reader interest while enhancing the story with comical notes and sight gags.

Just as in any good private eye story, HD, Jr. has a sidekick (Rat, a young street kid he joins up with in THE CASE OF THE FIENDISH FLAPJACK FLOP and an antagonistic police detective, Lieutenant Rosebriar (an eyepatch-wearing rhinoceros with an attitude). The short chapters fly by, chockfull of witty dialogue that kids will love.

In his first case, HD, Jr. receives a panicked phonecall for help. Caller ID shows the call came from Pat-A-Cake Bakery. Sprinting into action, HD, Jr. grabs his skateboard and his semi-trust magic wand (an eggbeater with mystical properties).

Once at the Pat-A-Cake Bakery, HD, Jr. discovers evidence of foul play and clues. It's obvious that Patty Cake has been abducted. And the chase is on.

As I turned pages, I quickly became ten years old again. I fell in love with HD, Jr.'s scrambled world and his tough guy patter. I loved the way the book proceeds just like a "real" private eye movie would. Our fearless hero follows the trail, discovers possible villains, and gets embroiled between the cops and the bad guys. Not only that, but so much of the fairy tale world every kids becomes acquainted with while growing up get splashed onto every page.

The art is rich and vibrant at times, but drawn so simply that many young readers might find themselves encouraged to pick up a pencil and try their hands at drawing the characters. The illustrations add a depth to the prose story that's invaluable for beginning readers.

Fans of Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants series and Kirk Scroggs's Wiley and Grampa's Creature Features will love this series because it feels familiar yet will take them into a new and familiar world. The first two books in the Humpty Dumpty, Jr: Hardboiled Detective just hit the bookshelves on October 1. The third book won't be out until May '09, but I'm already looking forward to it!

My 10 year old and 7 year old have both read the two Humpty Dumpty detective books. They absoulutely loved them! We have one copy of each and they were literally sharing the first book back and forth and whichever one finished first started on the second one. Needless to say I am ready to read both of them if I can get them away from my kids. My 7 year old especially liked the humor in the two books. It was right up his alley! He loved all the egg jokes and the illustrations of course. He has even quoted the first book to me several times! His favorite line in the book is, "A messy desk is the sign of a busy egg." This is of course because my son has a messy desk! After he read the first one he took it to school for his teacher to read aloud to the class. It was a big hit! Get these books, they are great! We are ready for #3 to be out now!

When can we read "The Mystery of Merlin and the Gruesome Ghost"? (Case #2)
Luke

Gold Star Award Winner!

In New Yolk City, there lives a Hardboiled Detective who is the toughest egg around. Humpty Dumpty, Jr., has cracked every case that's come across his desk--except one, the one that made him become a detective. Putting that aside, he's won tons of awards for solving crimes, all the while putting himself at odds with the local police precinct.

One day, while reading the headlines in the paper, Humpty answers the phone, only to hear a scream before the line goes dead. He traces the call to the Pat-A-Cake Bakery, and rushes over there to check on his friend, Patty. He finds the lock to the door missing, just vanished, and baking supplies, ingredients, and recipe cards for Patty's magical cakes and pastries scattered all over the place.

While investigating, Humpty finds a piece of evidence--a playing card featuring the Jack of Hearts--on the ground. When he hears a noise from the storeroom and goes to investigate, an attacker leaps from the shadows, and Humpty is suddenly locked in a battle against someone who could possibly be Patty's kidnapper. Armed only with his magic egg-beater wand and his wits, Humpty wastes no time in finding out all he can to save Patty and crack this case.

His search will take him from Queens (to question the Knave of Hearts), to the sewers, to a highly charged final battle with an old foe on the outskirts of town.

The first book in a hilarious new series, created by three veteran authors and illustrators of children's books, this is one egg-citing set of books that will surely keep any younger or reluctant reader glued to the page to laugh as long as possible.

Reviewed by: Allison Fraclose

I read this book to my kindergarten students. They LOVED making predictions about what would happen next and couldn't wait until tomorrow to hear the next chapter! It was also great for recalling details as we reviewed each day what had happened the previous day. I highly recommend reading this book aloud to kindergarten and first grade students.

I don't usually write reviews, but this book hit me as particularly inventive and funny. It's great for kids with its easy-to-follow, action-packed mystery and its clues sprinkled along the way. I loved the art too. There's a very appealing sensibility to it that makes it a joy to look at. Yes, recommended!

If you're looking for a delightful, entertaining, well-priced gift for any kid this holiday season--look no more! Paul Hindman's Humpty Dumpty Jr. Hardboiled Detective: The Case of the Fiendish Flapjack Flop is one of those books that will make even reluctant readers want to read. It's fun. It's colorful. It's funny, with the kind of humor kids love. And it's wonderfully illustrated by the Evans brothers. The best news: the first TWO books in the series have come out just in time for the holidays (don't miss #2: The Mystery of Merlin and the Gruesome Ghost). Great for children tackling their own chapter books or parents who want something fun to read to their kids. Congratulations on a great new series!

Yesterday, I read both of these marvelous books: The Mystery of Merlin and the Gruesome Ghost and The Case of the Fiendish Flapjack Flop. Can't wait for the third. The writing cracked me up and the illustrations were the best and funniest shell thrown around the narrative. The humor of the writers came out in puns and descriptions guaranteed to grab the most youthfully cynical of readers. Best of all, I found myself flipping, not eggs, but pages to get to the next yolk. The characters from Humpty himself, the Rat, Patty and the Pancake villain in one book to Humpty again, the Rat (perhaps my favorite), Merlin the fake and Merlin the real, together with clanking villains and a princess and prince descended from.............well I'll not spoil it for everyone who hasn't read it. Don't miss these books. You'll miss adventures and laughs. Julian Booth

Skate boarding with a wand from Xanadu gnomes, this oval private eye whips up adventure, and saves the day. It's enjoyable and cholesterol free!