Fries Alive! (Freddy and the French Fries Series #1)

by David Baldacci, Rudy Baldacci (Illustrator)

Overview

Freddy Funkhouser comes up with an idea to bolster business for his family's fast-food health restaurant, Burger Castle, and finally defeat Pookesville's biggest bully, Adam Spanker. When Freddy's fun invention goes awry, the results are five very funny French fries who come to life and wreak havoc in Freddy's family and community. With some help from his cheese-cube-loving best friend Howie Kapowie, and armed with his dad's inventions, Freddy and the French Fries set out to bring Spanker and his gang down in a final showdown, proving that brains have an edge over brawn any time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316033930
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	07/15/2008
Series:	Freddy and the French Fries Series , #1
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	584,725
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

David Baldacci is a global #1 bestselling author, and one of the world's favorite storytellers. His books are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with over 130 million worldwide sales. His works have been adapted for both feature film and television. David Baldacci is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America. Still a resident of his native Virginia, he invites you to visit him at DavidBaldacci.com and his foundation at WishYouWellFoundation.org.

Hometown:

Northern Virginia

Date of Birth:

August 5, 1960

Place of Birth:

Richmond, VIrginia

Education:

B.A. in Political Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1982; J.D., University of Virginia, 1986

Website:

http://www.david-baldacci.com/

Editorial Reviews

Bestselling adult novelist Baldacci (Hour Game) limps into children's fiction with this inane tale launching the Freddy and the French Fries series. The premise has comic potential, as the author introduces the eccentric Funkhousers. Aspiring scientist Freddy, his wacky inventor father and his 13-year-old Shakespearian quotations-spouting sister dress up (respectively as a chicken, tomato and ketchup bottle) to work at their restaurant, Burger Castle, where "almost no one ever came to eat... unless it was by accident." Located across the street is a snazzy burger place (Patty Cakes) with amusement park rides and a movie theater; the owner (who is also the police chief and mayor) and his thuggish son Adam are preparing an elaborate float for the upcoming parade competition they perennially win. After Adam and his gang attack Burger Castle with paint guns, Freddy is determined to seek revenge. He uses "his father's super secret potatoes and nanotechnology," to create five brightly colored, human-size French Fries. The plot plummets from here, as the rowdy Fries help Freddy and his best friend Howie Kapowie humiliate Adam and his pals and use their powers to clinch the float prize for the Funkhousers. Kids who can't resist references to "butt" and "poop" will find plenty to guffaw at here. Yet most readers may feel that these Fries make for less-than appetizing, curiously bland fare and pass on a second helping. Ages 8-12. (June) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 4-6-It's not easy being a boy genius when your father runs a floundering health-conscious burger joint and your older sister's a deeply annoying wannabe actress. But Freddy T. Funkhouser isn't distressed. He has a plan to win the prize for the best float at the local Founders' Day Parade and bring more attention to his dad's business. To do so, he has constructed five life-sized mechanical fries, each with its own personality. The hope is to bring these kooky creations to life through nanotechnology and a million jiggy-watts of power and then use them on his float. Yet when an experiment involving a dam and a bolt of lightning does awaken the electric fries, Freddy finds his troubles have only just begun. Baldacci, best known for his adult thrillers, is attempting to reach out to reluctant readers by creating a series very much in the vein of Dav Pilkey's "Captain Underpants" series (Scholastic), but for an older audience. Unfortunately, he lacks Pilkey's gleeful silliness and relies too heavily on gross-out jokes and slapstick pratfalls. His attempt to teach kids about the importance of friends and sticking together gets bogged down by poor writing and two-dimensional characters.-Elizabeth Bird, New York Public Library Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Another bestselling author for adults tries for the youth market, with all too typically dismal results. Sprinkling references to butts, poop and vomit throughout, Baldacci introduces a nine-year-old inventor who uses "potato-nanotechnology" to turn regular spuds into a quintet of walking, talking, brightly colored giant French fries who help him to rout a gang of bullies armed with paintball guns and to save his dad's vegetarian burger business. Despite a plethora of cheap laffs, even indiscriminate readers will find the hackneyed characters and trite, slow-moving plot unappetizing. Illustrations not seen. (Fantasy. 9-11)

Kirkus Reviews