Gr. 2 - 4 Banana Fox and his trusty sidekicks are back in action. Although the Secret Sour Society is in jail, having been defeated by Banana Fox and company, Sour Grapes Jr. is on the loose (little kids can't go to jail, as he points out) and he has Banana Fox put into Library Jail because of overdue fines. Sidekicks Sharyanna and William rush to free Banana Fox but run into unexpected trouble--a book-eating robot! Bold cartoons depict Sharyanna using her flashlight to search for clues, William lowering his pet turtle through a skylight to free Banana Fox, and the hero himself crying in Library Jail. The humorous, zany mistakes that Banana Fox often makes (like assuming that the Secret Sour Soceity was behind the rain that caused his cardboard mansion to melt) are reminiscent of Inspector Gadget and sure to have kids laughing out loud. These incredibly inept heroes must fight the evil book-eating robot to save the day so Banana Fox can use his catch phrase "Wowie Pow!" and put the junior villain in time-out. Banana Fox is a yellow fox, Sharyanna is brown-skinned, and William is pink-skinned. VERDICT: Plenty of silliness and action will make this a sure hit with early chapter book and graphic novel readers. Perfect for readers who enjoy wacky heroes but are not quite ready for titles as long as Dav Pilkey's "Dog Man."
(My review originally appeared in School Library Journal, vol. 67, no. 9, Sept. 2021, p. 83.)
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