After visiting here be sure to check the links to other selections over at Shannon Messenger’s Marvelous Middle Grade Monday post.

This could be the longest title of any book I’ve read, but this laugh out loud tale by Tom Angleberger was worth the ride. Here’s my take on FAKE MUSTACHE OR, HOW JODIE O’RODEO AND HER WONDER HORSE (AND SOME NERDY KID) SAVED THE U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION FROM A MAD GENIUS CRIMINAL MASTERMIND.

Date of Publication: 2012

Word count: 28,188

Level: 4.8

Back of book description (Click on image to make larger):

Five things I liked:

1. With a name like Angleberger, I was sure the author would go all out with character names that topped his own. Lenny Flem Jr., evil best friend Casper Bengue, Jodie O’Rodeo, and Fako were perfect choices.
2. The absurd storyline. This one breaks away from anything you have ever read. It was goofy, creative, and I loved thinking about what was going to happen next.
3. Multiple POV’s from Lenny to Jodeo and back and forth several times. This type of writing is hard to pull off,  but this one flows smoothly.
4. He created swear words for kids. Characters aren’t supposed to be cussing their heads off in Middle Grade books, but Angleberger came up with some hilarious lines with the likes of “Gotdangled,” “Helchflitz,” “FarDobbled,” and “Punkler.”
5. As I was reading, it struck me how this would make a great read-aloud for parents to kids at bedtime, and for teachers in that ten minutes before the bell rings. Super silliness and super fun.

Favorite Lines: Luckily, I have spent many hours planning what I would do if someone broke into the house. True, I thought it would be a burglar, not a horde of fast food employees, but, still, it was a pretty good plan.

Who will love this book: Anyone with a crazy sense of humor. Boys especially will like the narration that is always funny and moving the story to a fast conclusion. If you have a kid who can’t wait for Saturday morning cartoons, this will be a perfect substitute. I’m not a big fan of mustaches, but I loved this fake one.