The Detachable Boy

Gr 2—5—Australian John Johnson is a "detachable person." His body parts come apart and he can reattach them at will, no blood involved. John and his family keep this fact a secret until he is kidnapped. Using his detachability, he escapes, only to learn that his friend Crystal has also been kidnapped and sent to Carcass Springs, AZ. He confides in another friend and together they hatch a plan to send John to the U.S. in pieces (no passport required). Upon arrival, he must use all his wits and pieces to thwart a nefarious gang that has been collecting detachables to sell for their parts. This is a wacky romp that would appeal to readers of Dav Pilkey's "Ricky Ricotta" books (Scholastic) and Kirk Scroggs's "Wiley and Grampa's Creature Features" series (Little, Brown). The only foreseeable problem is that the story is full of Australian expressions and the very readers who would be attracted to it will have problems interpreting them without a glossary.—Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA