Masters of Disaster

Gr 5—7—Henry has the brilliant idea that he and his friends Riley and Reed need to make a name for themselves (and impress the girls) by having mind-blowing adventures. Riley is in charge of supplies and documentation, Henry is the idea man and general planner, and Reed has the unfortunate job of carrying out most of the exploits which always seem to end in smelly grossness. The 12-year-olds boldly undertake all sorts of daring adventures, starting with launching Reed off a steep roof tied to a bicycle to bounce off a swimming pool diving board and break a world record. Other stunts include surviving a night in the wilderness, bull-riding (girls love cowboys), and dumpster diving for science. Reed continues to get smellier because each episode predictably ends with him in some sort of rotting material or human or animal waste. Nick Podehl narrates all the voices in Gary Paulsen's humorous novel (Wendy Lamb Books, 2011) with youthful eagerness and abandon, endowing each character with an appropriate personality. Each chapter presents one of the daring exploits, and there's a brief introduction by the author explaining the origin of the book. Listeners, especially boys, who thrive on adventure, wackiness, and basic grossness will love this endearing trio.—Teresa Wittmann, Westgate Elementary School, Edmonds, WA