Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot (Captain Underpants, #12) By Dav Pilkey

Oh lord we have reached the end, the final book in the epic series of Captain Underpants. If you haven't never read Captain Underpants lets recap quickly. 3.5 stars!

George and Harold are fourth graders who as we find out in this last book have ADHD. So they tend to get into mischief because they have a hard time paying attention, are easily distracted and have a hard time with impulse control. They tend to wreck havoc on the school teachers mostly, but sometimes their fellow students...mostly to Melvin Sneedly the school brainiac and tattle-tale. One day the boys get in big trouble and Mr. Krupp the principal decides he's finally going to separate the boys. He's going to put them in separate classes. (By the way, this is a rant, but I just found out that to take apart and to put something in two groups is spelled the same. Seperate is not a real word. It's the misspelling of separate. Food for thought) George and Harold panic and do the only thing 4th graders can do. They decide to hypnotize the principal. Some how through kid magic it works and the boys turn Mr. Krupp into Captain Underpants the superhero from their homemade comic books. Through the entire series Captain Underpants has to fight off all the villains and save the day.

In the conclusion of this series we have one last villain, Sir Sticks A Lot who is the gym teacher Mr. Meany. However he is being taken over by a alien particle called the Zygo-Gogozizzle 24. The alien decides that it doesn't want to rule the world like most evil villains, it does feel the need to brain wash all the children in Piqua, Ohio to become its slave. Then all the kids on the planet. So Mr. Meany a.k.a Sir Sticks A Lot builds an ape like robot exoskeleton that has powerful armpit sprayers. These spray cans are filled with Rid-O-Kid 2000 which turns all the kids into compliant slaves. They will do what ever an adult says to do. George and Harold find out and decide they need a grownup to help them save the day. But who do they turn to? I'm not going to spoil it.

Overall I really enjoyed this series. Dav Pilkey suffered from ADHD, dyslexia and behavioral problems. He was often out in the hall as a punishment for his disruptive behavior. This gave him time to write and draw his own comic book stories. In second grade Dav created Captain Underpants. His teacher ripped it up and told him he couldn't spend his life creating silly books. He sure got the last laugh. I love that Dav got to use his disability growing up to create something that most kids are very fond of. I work at an elementary school and the Captain Underpant books are sooo well loved that they are all falling apart at the seams. The library doesn't have enough copies for the amount of kids that want to read them. A lot of the teachers have their own class sets because of this. I have very much enjoyed reading George and Harolds adventures out loud to my own kids. The cherry on top. These books are filled with high vocabulary words. They promote science, helping others and solving problems. There are current events in these books which are funny to see AND future Harold is married to a man. I'm happy to see a bit of gay representation in a children't book. There all kinds of parents out there!

I recommend these books! Hardcover And that's the end of Captain Underpants! It's been a long hilarious, successful journey that has come to a close with little fanfare. I can't say I found this volume as delightful as the usual outings. The silly toilet humour has been pared down and Pilkey sadly sinks to political correctness but it was still a wacky wild ride that tied up the Underpants story while at the same time leaving Harold and George wide open for further adventures ... in time! Hardcover My boys LOVE the Captain Underpants series and have read all the books but this is the first one I've read. I was actually pleasantly surprised. It wasn't nearly as gross as a thought it would be and had some adult humor thrown in that would probably go over most kids heads. For instance, one of the teachers is named Miss Anthrope. There were also some big words (e.g. megalomaniac) that can build up kids' vocabularies. Lastly, I loved that there is a same-sex couple and people of different races in this book.

I'm not sure my 11 year old cared about any of that. He just thought it was hilarious. And that's okay too. Hardcover Wow.... The end of an era (perhaps?).

Captain Underpants has always had a very special place in my heart. I think Pilkey has crafted very amazing books, especially in helping young boys to learn to read (like myself). It is amazing reading these books as adults, there is so much hidden in there that, much like other children media such as Pixar movies, they are actually for all ages.

I think that while this is not the most amazing or fun Captain Underpants adventure, it is probably the most important one. To me, Captain Underpants has never been a silly fun book, but actually has a very serious point. That point is that it is okay to be yourself. Are the two main characters the smartest kids in the school? No. Are they most athletic, no. However, they are passionate about what they love, and take no apologies for that. This is such a special quality, especially since so many other uptight people want to ban the books or say they are not appropriate. I think this idea is no more evident in the book than the scene where homosexuality is mentioned. I think that this how's Pilkey's true view on life, that nothing matters except that if you are happy, and I felt this scene showed this beautifully.

In summation I hope this is not the last Captain Underpants book. I feel that Pilkey has created something special and an important commentary on or society today Hardcover Harold is quietly outed. Hardcover

REVIEW Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot (Captain Underpants, #12)

I can't believe this is the last one in the series! Surely not?! My boys have loved all of these, and I have to admit that I was the driving force behind choosing them as bedtime stories. There is something for everyone in these stories.
I have heard that there are certain districts (?) in the U.S. That have banned these books, which I find utterly bizarre and rather sad. It's hardly graphic violence or pornography, and one can always chose not to buy a book. It's not like it's forced into a child's hand and they're forced to read it (Clockwork Orange style, with eyelids pinned open, tied to a chair). Why people feel the need to impose THEIR opinions on others and force their way of life on others, this is something that I will never comprehend. And it invariably backfires on the enforcer. But hey, that's my opinion.
For me and my family: we love these books. There's nothing better than getting into bed with my sons, one on each side, reading these books and laughing at all the silly jokes. That's what I'll remember when my boys tell me they're too old for bedtime stories (how does 30 years from now sound?!). Hardcover One extra star for the inclusion of Harold's adorable future husband! Hardcover These were so good early on...this one was horrible! My rating is one star but Finian would probably give it five! ;-) Hardcover My son absolutely adores these books (and the show), and while I'm not a fan, it's really increased his interest in reading.
Mr. Meaner becomes super smart and tries to convert everyone to be like him. With all the usual hijinks, the boys, along with Captain Underpants, save the day. Hardcover I'm happy to report that this, the proclaimed final book of the current Captain Underpants series, is a worthy ending.

I first picked up The Adventures of Captain Underpants back in the year 2000, attracted by its light take on superheroes and all round silliness. Since then it has had the rare honour of being a series that I have taken through to my adulthood. While the characters are of course fun and memorable, the real reason I've stuck by the Waistband Warrior is that Pilkey's wry but absurd humour chimes so well with my own.

This book in particular is a fine example from its Vonnegut-esque science fiction ('Zygo-Gogozizzle 24 is a slightly radioactive substance that can bind with organic matter, morph into complex organisms, and be mixed with mayonnaise and dill-pickle relish to create both a tasty salad dressing and a clean-burning fuel source with enough power to light up an entire city.') to its exceptionally tongue-in-cheek sound effects (CHIMBA-LOOSHI! and CHEFFGOAL-D'BLOOOM! anyone?).

It is also surprisingly progressive considering that it shows a future Harold Hutchins with a rather dapper husband. I had no idea that this proved such a controversy in America that some schools banned the book. It baffles me that such details are still so vehemently protested.

However what makes me most sad is the thought that this wonderful book series has come to a credible conclusion. I am sure the recent successful film adaptation and TV show will herald more stories but, quite frankly, neither format offers the unique chance to control the action via Flip-O-Rama fight sequences.

Regardless I will end on a happy note of 'Tra-la-la!' at least until somebody throws water on me.

I recommend this book and the rest of the series before it, to anyone who isn't an old-fashioned fuddy duddy or a 'Mr Krupp'.

NOTE: If you are a gym or PE teacher without a sense of humour, this may not be the book for you... Hardcover

Laugh out loud with Captain Underpants, the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Dav Pilkey, the creator of Dog Man!

George and Harold, and their doubles, Yesterday George and Yesterday Harold, have a good thing going. Two of them go to school, while the other two hide in the tree house and play video games all day -- then they switch! But it turns out there's something rotten in the state of Ohio, and it's smellier than a pile of putrid gym socks. The boys' malicious gym teacher, Mr. Meaner, has created a method of mind control that transforms their fellow students into attentive, obedient, perfect children. Now the future of all humanity is in George and Harold and Yesterday George and Yesterday Harold's hands! Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot (Captain Underpants, #12)