School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-In the fictional metropolis of Nitro City, it's all about plumbing. And toilets. And bodily functions. There are mutant creatures living in the pipes and sewers, one of many challenges facing the city's citizens. Sully Sullivan is a 13-year-old with a deep passion for plumbing who worships the craft's heroes of years past-legendary folks who were taken down by a nefarious corporation called Ironwater. Sully is so into plumbing that he becomes the go-to for his school's principal when plumbing problems arise, and collects plumber trading cards. Sully becomes embroiled in a plot to save the city from Ironwater and much adventure ensues. This story is not just full of toilet and bathroom humor and puns-they are the entire story and plotline. VERDICT Hand this to avid fans of Captain Underpants who are looking for something longer but with ample potty humor and slapstick comedy.-Kate Olson, Bangor School District, WI © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
After a nefarious corporation wrests control of Nitro City's sewers, plumbers are banned, and mutant beasts begin emerging from drains. Since the toilets are constantly clogged at Gloomy Valley Middle School, 13-year-old Sully Stringfellow, who works after school as an "outlaw" plumber's helper, is recruited to apprehend the "Phantom Clogger" before Taco Tuesday, when, the principal says, "I need every stall open for business." The premise of Bates's (How to Make Friends and Monsters) satirical romp gives him free rein with potty puns, yet the humor extends further, fueled by Sully's wry asides, droll badinage, and a colorful cast that includes a retired super-villain who lives in a secret underground lair; Sully's crusty grandfather, member of a posse of crackerjack plumbers that guarded the sewers; and the boy's parents, off in Fiji, where his mother sells repurposed spatulas, and his poet father searches for a word that rhymes with purple. An explosive-literally-finale wraps up this lighthearted, swift-paced saga of good vs. evil in a slimy underworld. Ages 8-12. Agent: Brandi Bowles, United Talent Agency. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
