The spy next door: Mutant rat attack! by Jay Cooper

Dexter has great dreams of being a super skate-boarding spy. Sadly, they're just that - dreams. He doesn't even own a skateboard. But when his wacky teacher, worried that his farting rats will be taken away, makes a big mistake in trusting a mysterious villain, events start happening fast. Next thing he knows, Dexter has been inducted into a super secret spy society, given a skateboard with artificial intelligence, and is risking life and limb (not to mention his olfactory senses) in the pursuit of the gaseous Princess, a rat who has been enlarged by bionic broccoli.

If this sounds a little too silly for you, you are not the right audience for this book. If, however, you immediately wanted to know why the teacher was keeping hundreds of farting rats and the explanation "to harness the electricity of their gas" makes perfect sense, then this is probably the book for you. Also, there's a good chance you might be a nine year old kid who's also a big fan of Captain Underpants.

This quirky little book, first in a series of course, has plenty of black and white illustrations and cartoons. It's full of skateboarding rats, secret gadgets, and a rather snarky skateboard. I am disappointed that the main character is a white boy - there was plenty of opportunity to add more diversity - but with a story inspired by the author's own love of media it's not surprising.

Verdict: Nothing new here, but if your readers can't get enough of silly adventures and gross humor they'll happily pick this one up.

ISBN: 9780545932974; Published 2017 by Scholastic; Borrowed from another library in my consortium