The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit by Octavia Spencer

Holding all this nonsense together is the author’s good-natured sense of harmless fun. The epic is filled to the brim with sight gags, toilet humor, flip-o-ramas and anarchic glee. The Captain Underpants saga maintains its charm even into this, the 11th volume. When the good Captain shows up to save the day, he brings with him dynamic action and wordplay that meet the series’ standards. The creative chums fool around with time travel and several wacky inventions before coming upon the evil Turbo Toilet 2000, making its return for vengeance after sitting out a few of the previous books. His school-age companions, George and Harold, maintain most of the spotlight. The famous superhero returns to fight another villain with all the trademark wit and humor the series is known for.ĭespite the title, Captain Underpants is bizarrely absent from most of this adventure. A series of appendices includes ninja tips and recipes.Ī quick read about a girl sleuth whose fiery determination will leave readers wanting Book 2.

Despite the difficulty of keeping track of the minor characters, readers will appreciate Randi’s determination to make a difference. Replete with crooked politicians, a spooky house and a ghost, a stormy night, caves with bandits and bats, and several well-placed martial arts kicks, this novel will keep young readers guessing. Randi, a black belt in karate, teams up with hearing-impaired, asthmatic Dario “D.C.” Cruz and lithe African-American Pudge Taylor from Boston to crack the case of the missing time capsule. Shortly after their arrival, in the midst of the Founders’ Day Festival, someone steals the Deer Creek time capsule, which might hold the town’s treasure. Ready for a change, Herb moves the family to the small town of Deer Creek, Tenn., where they always spend summer vacations. Her father, Herb Rhodes, author of the best-selling Glenn Street detective novels, spent Randi’s childhood on book tours but stopped writing after his wife’s recent death from cancer. In this first novel by Oscar-winning actress Spencer, Randi Rhodes thrives on solving the mysteries that unfold in her busy Brooklyn neighborhood. Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan meet Nancy Drew.

The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit by Octavia Spencer