Winter Reading 2014 The Qwikpick Papers: Poop Fountain!

Fans of Tom Angleberger (author of the Origami Yoda books) have another book to laugh their way through. Lyle, Dave, and Marilla form a club and name it The Qwikpick Adventure Society. (The club is named after the convenience store where Lyle's parents work. The club's meetings are held in the break room of the store.) When they realize that all three of them have free time on Christmas Day, they try to think up a really big adventure to go on together. A news article shared by another student during Current Events time causes them to decide on a visit to the local waste management plant to see the "Poop Fountain." On the big day they prepare themselves with a camera, PB&J sandwiches, pennies to throw into the fountain, a map, and a compass. To reach the plant they must cross fields full of cow pies, a construction site (where there is an incident with a bulldozer), and a farm full of abandoned pumpkins. Once there, things become even more interesting.

The style of the book is similar to the Origami Yoda stories with Lyle typing up an official report of the adventure, written comments inserted by each of the club members, and photos and drawings added to illustrate different points. The kids and the things they do are funny - like watching old movies left at the Qwikpick (gas station convenience store) from when there used to be movie rentals. Lyle mentions "The Princess Bride" as one of the videos. They also listen to old record albums in the store's break room and are proud to be the only kids at their school who know about the Electric Light Orchestra. All the details just add to the humor of the story and the sense that it could actually happen.

If you enjoy the Origami Yoda stories, Jeffrey Brown's Star Wars: Jedi Academy, and other books written in a journal or report style - or if you like the humor of Captain Underpants, then give this a try. Readers will laugh out loud and wait eagerly to see if there is another club adventure. 

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley. It will be published May 20, 2014. Until then, check out the author's website or follow him on Twitter, He has also made a trailer about the book in which he shares reasons why you should never sneak into your local sewage treatment facility (like the kids in the book do).