Let's Do a Thing! (Victor Shmud, Total Expert Series #1)

by Jim Benton, Jim Benton (Illustrator)

Overview

A new series from the bestselling author of Dear Dumb Diary and Franny K. Stein!

MEET VICTOR, TOTAL EXPERT IN EVERYTHING(except Guy Who Cleans Up Bedrooms) With his confidence, imagination, and trusty sidekick Dumpylumps (who happens to be a duck), there's no telling what trouble he'll get into. Lucky for him, he has a knack for getting himself out of trouble, too. So when he finds himself at the center of an intergalactic conflict, he's pretty sure the only way out is his top-secret kitchen concoction; his teacher, the extraordinary Mrs. Nozzleburp; and the help of his friend Patti. Will he be able to save the day and find his way back to class? And just what is he going to do next?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545932851
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	05/30/2017
Series:	Victor Shmud, Total Expert , #1
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
Lexile:	640L (what's this?)
File size:	44 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Jim Benton is an award-winning author and artist. You may know some of the other things he's made, like It's Happy Bunny, Dear Dumb Diary, Franny K. Stein, Victor Shmud, and more. He's created a TV series, written books, and produced a movie, and he always did everything his parents told him to do. Pretty much. Jim lives in Michigan with his wife and kids and can be found online at jimbenton.com.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Jim Benton:"[A] series...which manages to be simultaneously snarky, recognizable and endearing."-The Detroit News, 2014 on Dear Dumb Diary Year Two, Book 5With smells, robots and messy paint, what's not to love?-Kirkus Reviews, 2014 on Where's my Fnurgle?"Jim Benton is a comic genius and a brilliant cartoonist."-Dav Pilkey, Creator of Captain Underpants

From the Publisher

05/01/2017
Gr 1–4—Fans of Benton (author of the "Franny K. Stein" and "Dear Dumb Diary" series) will be thrilled with this latest series starter. Victor Shmud is a young boy on a mission to find his true calling in life. He has tried many different fields thus far: Knuckle Doctor, Ghost Bear Hunter, and The Guy Who Puts the Sugar in Those Little Envelopes. However, he hasn't found the career that suits him best…until now. With the help of his trusted sidekick, Dumpylumps, a chickenlike duck, Victor has decided to become a Makeover Expert. Between makeovers at school, Victor and his friend Patti start playing an intergalactic space game on her phone, and, of course, since Victor is an expert at practically everything, an alien spaceship probing the galaxy homes in on Victor's excellent space war skills. Victor and Dumpylumps wind up in the middle of an intergalactic battle with the fate of the galaxy in their hands. Benton's trademark wit and kid-friendly humor are on full display. There are boisterous cartoons illustrating most pages, which support comprehension for younger readers transitioning to chapter books. VERDICT A must-buy for libraries where "Franny K. Stein" and other over-the-top, funny chapter book fare are popular.—Brittney Kosev, Honey/Rush Elementary, Lubbock, TX

School Library Journal

2017-03-15
Victor Shmud, a white child with a toy duck—or is that a chicken, as Victor seem to think?—embarks on an irreverent and ever so strange space adventure.Victor doesn't listen well in school, but he has a rich imagination and a clever friend, Patti (illustrated with a dark complexion). After a few minor misadventures, such as making a mustard-based beauty solution that he dumps, to ill effect, on the janitor's head, Victor becomes involved in a space-battle game on Patti's phone that the duck, Dumpylumps, somehow manages to win with his "butt" (a word that's repeated fairly often). Real extraterrestrials beam up Victor and Dumpylumps to destroy their enemies, the Frappletonians, in an epic space battle—with help from Patti and to the consternation of their ugly but kind teacher, Mrs. Nozzleburp, whom Victor calls, "you great big beautiful doll." Illustrations that are just as silly as the text abound, making this a very quick read, with only several sentences to a page. Combining goofy names, a preposterous but fast-paced plot, and an almost-a-superhero theme, this effort will be an easy sell, especially for those who may go on to enjoy the Captain Underpants series. Benton's wacky, off-the-wall humor may not appeal to more staid readers, but for the right audience, this will be an enticing offering. (Fantasy. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews