Shelly's Book Blog

Science Fair: a Story of Mystery, Danger, International Suspense, and a Very Nervous Frog was written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, the same duo who wrote the Peter and the Starcatchers series. This is a very fast-paced story, full of adventure and suspense. It is certainly not very politicially correct, though, because many of the laughs come from making fun of the bumbling characters who hail from a made-up and, presumably, developing nation called Kprshtskan.

Here is an example of the type of humor in this book: When the authors introduce this country, we learn that the citizens there "speak Kprsht (pronounced kprsht)." Also, one of the secret agents stores a very stinky brick of cheese in his pants and seems blissfully unaware of the offending odor. Barry and Pearson pander to negative stereotypes for laughs, and I really do think it's sad when people feel it's OK to laugh at and look down on others because they are different.

Still, I am ashamed to say, that I laughed a lot while I read this book. Maybe if you are talking about fictional characters then it's not so mean? Nah, that's just a rationalization. Still, I really enjoyed the story of these ordinary middle school students saving the world from the machinations of a deranged strongman and the power hungry nerds he manipulates into helping him, and I think a lot of kids will, too.