  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 02/01/2015 Gr 3–5—Ridiculously farty, this slim book is smelly fun. When his lunch is stolen by school bullies the B.O. twins and Harry Butz II, Darren is forced to eat the school cafeteria's five-bean burritos, with malodorous results. After he releases the smelliest and loudest "fart to end all farts," he is sent to the nurse's office. There he meets Tina, Juan-Carlos, and Walter, who are also suffering from the burritos' side effects. The next day, the farting foursome find themselves using their special abilities to save Walter during a school assembly. Stan, the school custodian, offers to help them hone their gaseous skills for good to become the Fart Squad. While doing research for extra credit, Darren figures out the connection among the stolen lunches, burritos, and Harry Butz II's dastardly plan to stop his perpetual "butt itch" by unearthing the magical Golden Scratcher. The Fart Squad must band together to save the town. VERDICT A goofy and quick read. Put this in the hands of kids who enjoy action and plenty of potty jokes.—Kefira Phillipe, Nichols Middle School, Evanston, IL - Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 04/01/2015 Few things are more uncouth than flatulence, which makes it the perfect subject to capture the attention of middle-level readers. This story of a band of unlikely heroes at Harry Buttz Elementary begins with perennial troublemaker Darren Stonkadopolis, who is just as surprised as everyone else when he lets rip the most volcanic fart of his life during an otherwise normal afternoon at school. But when many of his friends begin to suffer the same symptoms, it becomes clear that these new “fart-bilities” are no coincidence. Rather, the friends start to unravel an evil curse on the town of Buttzville, and it’s up to them to save the rest of their school from the same hideous fate. Hilarity ensues when Darren and his pals come up against their stern teacher, Miss Priscilly, and the stinky brother-and-sister duo of Bertha and Oscar, better known as B.O. Like most things that adults find reprehensible, young readers will delight in this gross adventure, illustrated almost too well by Gilpin. - Copyright 2015 Booklist. Bulletin for the Center... - 06/01/2015 Let’s get this out of the way right now-yes, this book is absolutely a celebration of farts and flatulence-related humor. Our four intrepid heroes must face school lunch after their own packed meals were stolen, and burritos are on the menu. All experience digestive discomfort, but these are no ordinary burritos: they have been microwaved so many times that they now impart supernatural, albeit disgusting, powers. The kids don’t actually get to use their new superhero abilities too much, though they do save the day when a butt-scratching device threatens the whole town (best not to ask too much about the plot); a hinted-at sequel could see them using their new gifts for even grander purposes. This is the gem for those who revel in potty humor, and the fact that it also sneaks in a bit of social commentary about school hierarchies, some clever non-fart-related humor, and a genial group of antiheroes is all just bonus. Small goofy and spirited black and white drawings add to the fun. AS - Copyright 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Loading...
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