Benny McGee and the shark: The shark report by Derek Anderson

Benny is at the beach, but he's not going in the water - there might be a shark in there! He thinks about all the things he's learned about sharks in class as he sculpts a sand-shark. As his family packs up to go home, a menacing shadow appears in the distance.

The next thing Benny knows, he's being followed... by a shark! The menacing shark follows him to school and then home again and, upon the advice of his busy parents, Benny invites the shark in and forms a tentative friendship with him, now known as Mr. Chompers. Despite various incidents, the two are getting along well and Benny is planning on Mr. Chompers saving him from a bad grade since he's forgotten to write a report, when they arrive at school and he remembers the deep-sea fisherman who's supposed to visit them!

Fortunately, Benny manages to rescue his friend and, even though he gets a bad grade and nobody believes his story, he still has his friend. Even better, he's no longer afraid of swimming in the water!

The interior illustrations are done in shades of blue and gray, but the cover illustration shows Benny as a chunky white kid with curly red hair. The shark is a lumpy gray shadow, menacing even when he's being friendly. Even when it's supposedly sunny, the art looks clouded and menacing. The story starts abruptly, with no introduction of explanation of who Benny is or his character and ends just as abruptly, with Mr. Chompers returning to the ocean. However, it seems he's not gone forever since there is, of course, a sequel.

Verdict: There are plenty of humorous series out there and this one just doesn't offer anything new. An additional choice.

ISBN: 9780593093382; Published February 2020 by Penguin Workshop; Review copy provided by publisher