Ever since transforming into a Muppet, Danvers Blickensderfer's life has gone a little bonkers. Not only does he have a cool fuzzy nose and flip-top mouth, he's also the right-hand man to his hero, The Great Gonzo. To top it off, he's singing boy band hits with the coolest guy in school, Kip Strummer. Yes siree, life is sweet . . . that is, until a new kid strolls into town. Armed with snarky attitude, snappy one-liners, and a killer bowler hat, this conniving comic is soon stealing the spotlight and turning Danvers into the laughing stock of the school.
It's a clash of the class clowns as Danvers enlists the help of master Muppet yukmeisters Fozzie Bear, Pepe, and Rowlf in his quest to be the sixth-grade king of comedy.
Meanwhile, evil little sis, Chloe, is getting her own musical number at Kermit's theater and, for Miss Piggy, this means one thing: War!
The Tales of a Sixth Grade Muppet series is so much fun and I wish it was easier to find. I was lucky to come across it randomly on a library book sale and had to special order the sequel from Better World Books. I'm not really that invested in the Muppet boy named Danvers, but I'll all in for the various felt friends working at the Muppet Theater. The jokes are hilarious and I think they go way over the heads of their intended audience of middle schoolers. My favorite character is Pepe the King Prawn and the author nailed his characterization. It's the tiny little "okay" after every sentence that really sells it for me. I've put in my request for the third book and hopefully it doesn't bail like my last request for Amelia's Notebook. It seems like I was a Muppet myself in a past life and I truly wish there were more books like this: solid naked hardbacks, fun journal-style format, and packed to the brim with legitimately funny jokes. I may not care as much about the human/hybrid characters, but those Jim Henson creations have my whole heart. It's a shame this series wasn't that popular and it's difficult to source it a decade past publication. People just don't know a good thing until it's gone!
Danvers' sister has gotten her own reality show, much to Miss Piggy's dismay. Meanwhile, the new student at Danvers' school is a jokester who makes Danvers and his friends the main target. Can Danvers use what he is learning from the Muppets to take this guy on?
There are so many story lines happening, yet everything keeps weaving together perfectly. Meanwhile, the Muppets and the new characters are all enjoyable. I just wish Pepe didn't use "okay" every time he was on the page, okay?
Book #2 begins with Danvers still as a muppet & performing with his cool new boy band & interning at the Muppet Theater. Then, new kid Phips comes into the picture & thinks he's the resident funny guy. It would seem from the cover that the clash between Danvers & Phips is the main story but it's not. That involves an invention of Dr. Honeydew that turns kids into zombies who tell jokes until everyone's brains turn to mush. The kids will love it as much as the first one.
These are fun books with really silly, Muppetesque storylines. The narrator is a sixth grader, and the writing style definitely sounds like the style an 11-year-old boy might write in. My favorite part of them is the details in the cartoon illustrations. Take your time and look at them closely to catch all of the jokes!
Part 2 of channeling my inner 12 year old boy. The story of Danvers, the boy who turned into a muppet continues, with more zany stuff you'd expect from a story with Gonzo as a major character. Good light hearted fun.