  | Full Text Reviews: Bulletin for the Center... - 05/01/2012 When twelve-year-old Lenny Flem, Jr. lends his best friend, Casper, ten dollars to purchase the Heidelberg Handlebar #7 fake mustache at a local gag shop, he has no idea he’s just become an accomplice in Casper’s plot for world domination. In the days following, a mysterious man with some impressive facial hair (as well as rather tall shoes) steamrolls his way into the governor’s seat, takes over the Heidelberg Novelty Company—the nation’s leading manufacturer of voting booths—and launches a presidential campaign. Lenny, of course, knows the guy with the killer crumb-catcher is his potentially sociopathic pal in disguise, but the general populace has fallen under the mustache’s hypnotic sway, leaving it up to Lenny and his new friend (and former child TV star), Jodie O’Rodeo, to save the day. Angleberger goes straight for the absurd here, avoiding any lengthy setup that might explain Casper’s actions and instead following in the footsteps of M. T. Anderson (Whales on Stilts, BCCB 4/05, etc.) by introducing a wacky premise followed by an even wackier storyline. Sly jabs at both the electoral process and the world of adults in general come fast and furious, and kids will delight in the various ways in which Casper exploits his power over grownups (using school librarians to rob the Federal Gold Reserve is a particularly brilliant move). The transition in perspective from Lenny to Jodie in the middle of the book requires a little readerly readjustment but also serves to give this cross-gender appeal. The 2012 campaign season just got a little hairier. KQG - Copyright 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Booklist - 05/15/2012 Angleberger (The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, 2010) clearly knows a thing or two about how middle-grade kids, boys especially, can have an almost bottomless fixation on novelty items. Like, oh, a fake mustache. After Lenny’s best pal, Casper, buys the Heidelberg Handlebar #7 (rumored to have been made from the actual mustache of a legendary European assassin), things get weird quick. A string of robberies, orchestrated by a very short man with a very prominent mustache, leads to the suspiciously named billionaire Fako Mustacho’s bid for the presidency. Lenny knows that Casper and his ’stache are the culprits, and he enlists the help of a yodeling teen TV star to bring him down. It’s kind of a weird strategy to build an entire plot around a few novelty items (various models of sticky-stretchy hands play a big role, too) but Angleberger’s foot-on-the-floor zaniness helps pull it off, fueled by a steady stream of gags and utter ridiculousness that make Saturday-morning cartoons seem reasonable in comparison. Pure, unfiltered hilarity. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Origami Yoda and its follow-up, Darth Paper Strikes Back (2011), became kid cult faves, and fans will gobble this up with equal relish. - Copyright 2012 Booklist. School Library Journal - 06/01/2012 Gr 3–6—Be prepared for a wacky romp as seventh-grader Casper Bengue uses a hypnotic, brainwashing fake mustache to try to take over the world. The town of Hairsprinkle, its mayor, and finally the United Sates fall under his spell. The only people standing between Casper (now called Fako Mustacho) and his path to world domination are his former friend Lenny and canceled preteen television star Jodie O'Rodeo. Angleberger keeps the action moving as Lenny and Jodie escape Fako's brainwashed goons in a novelty factory full of wigs, confetti, and enough fake snot to keep kids involved. Humorous full-page black-and-white art is scattered throughout. A quick, fun read and first purchase for libraries, especially where the author's "Origami Yoda" series (Abrams) is popular.—Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA - Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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