Secrets of Dripping Fang, Book Two: Treachery and Betrayal at Jolly Days [Hardcover]

Dan Greenburg (Author), Scott M. Fischer (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Secrets of Dripping Fang

When last we saw them, the Shluffmuffin twins were running for their lives. In this, the second installment, they run right into the arms of their long-lost father. But he's not quite as they remember him . . . Of course, who would be after a tragic Porta Potti accident? Instead, he has become something frightening, something far too horrifying to explain.

No, no, we can't do it, you'll just have to buck up and read the book yourself. When things get creepy, you try to cover your eyes, but you peek through anyway, don't you? Well, then, you'll get what you deserve--a laugh attack you'll never recover from. Serves you right.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6–Ten-year-old twins Wally and Cheyenne are on the run again. In the first book, they were placed in the horrid Jolly Days Orphanage after their father died in a mysterious porta-potty accident. There they ate horrid gruel and did nasty chores (bodily fluid humor is big in this series) until they were adopted by two giant ants. The twins escaped and went back to Jolly Days. In this second volume, the Onts come back looking for them, so the Shluffmuffin siblings hit the road and hide out in the scummy Dripping Fang Forest. This series has shaped up to be Lemony Snicket carried a few steps further, to the point where–to most adults–it becomes disgusting and tragic, especially when the twins learn who the decaying zombie following them might be (hint: think porta-potty). Strictly for fans of hardcore middle-grade horror.–Walter Minkel, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-6. This second book in the Secrets of the Dripping Fang series follows the 10-year-old Schluffmuffin twins into the Cincinnati swamps, where they continue to stay one step ahead of the evil Mandible sisters and encounter a strange, horrible zombie who turns out to be someone they know. The book unfolds like a funny version of a child's worst nightmare, with chase scenes broken up by strange, silly characters. There's also plenty of gross humor and fantasy, with everything delivered in kid-friendly dialogue and short chapters, which will capture the attention of reluctant readers. Illustrations not seen. Nancy Kim
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (January 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152054634
• ISBN-13: 978-0152054632
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #198,525 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dan Greenburg has known success as a humorist, a novelist, a journalist, a screenwriter, and a playwright. Now he has turned his considerable talent to writing an original new series of books for a younger audience. Inspired by his own son Zack, for whom the hero of his new series, The Zack Files, is named, Greenburg has combined his love of humor, his interest in things paranormal, and his talent for writing to create books that kids like Zack will want to read. With 18 books to his credit, Dan Greenburg's work has been translated into 19 languages and is available in 22 countries. His best-selling titles for adults include How to Be a Jewish Mother, How to Make Yourself Miserable, Scoring, Love Kills, How to Avoid Love and Marriage and Exes. His previous books for children include Young Santa, The Bed Who Ran Away From Home, Jumbo the Boy and Arnold the Elephant. His articles have appeared in the New Yorker, Esquire, Ms., Time, Newsweek, Life, New York magazine, Cosmopolitan, the New York Times Book Review, Vanity Fair, Playboy, and have been reprinted in 33 anthologies of humor and satire in the United States and England. Born and raised in Chicago, Dan Greenburg received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Illinois, and his M.A. from UCLA. He is the father of Zack, a teenage son, who played the title role in the motion picture, LORENZO'S OIL, and served as the inspiration for The Zack Files. Mr. Greenburg lives in Westchester County, New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, December 10, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Secrets of Dripping Fang, Book Two: Treachery and Betrayal at Jolly Days (Hardcover)

I would recomend this book to anybody who likes Dan Greenburg. I even e-mailed Scott M. Fischer (the illasrtator)! He is a great guy. He said he even liked these books so anybody who likes things that are a tiny bit scary in a funny way you should defenetly get this.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jolly Good Fun, April 5, 2007

By 

drebbles (Arlington, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Secrets of Dripping Fang, Book Two: Treachery and Betrayal at Jolly Days (Hardcover)

Having barely escaped from the Onts (really two giant ants who wanted to kill them), Wally and Cheyenne Shluffmuffin have no choice but to hitchhike their way back to Jolly Days Orphanage. After catching a ride with a truck driver who claims to keep a brain in his trunk, Wally and Cheyenne are happy to be back at Jolly Days but Hortense Jolly is less pleased to see them and rats them out to the Onts. Wally and Cheyenne are soon on the run again with the Onts hot on their trail. Wally and Cheyenne have to deal with getting lost in a swamp, quicksand, no food, police, and a giant spider. As if that wasn't enough, just why does that zombie look like their late father?

Taking place right after "The Onts", the first book in Dan Greenburg's Secrets of Dripping Fang series, ended, "Treachery and Betrayal at Jolly Days" is great fun. There's a nice sense of humor throughout the book which is full of odd ball characters like Verne the brain touting truck driver; Hortense Jolly; the Onts; the Zombie; a bus driver who insists on exact change because it's the law; the orphans of Jolly Days; and Edgar Spydelle who just happens to be married to a giant spider. There are also some laugh out loud gross moments, mostly dealing with the zombie. While this is a children's book and therefore most of the humor is aimed at children, there are also some especially funny moments that adults will love: the full page ad for the Jolly Days Orphanage that is in the yellow pages; policemen named Beckett and Kafka; and a small diner with an amazing menu that includes filet mignon and coq au vin. The illustrations by Scott Fischer are also very funny and readers should look closely at them for hidden jokes. At 124 pages, the book is just the right length for young readers.

"Treachery and Betrayal at Jolly Days" is jolly good fun.