Why Did the Underwear Cross the Road? Gordon Korman. Richmond Hill, ON: Scholastic, 1996. 110pp, paper, $4.50. ISBN: 0-590-47502-9. Grades 4 - 6 / Ages 9 - 11. Review by Lorraine Douglas. ****/4

excerpt:

Justin moped around the house all weekend. The laughter of the other groups still rang in his ears. Kindergarten field day had been the icing on the cake of disaster. And Tidal Wave Water Park was now totally out of reach.
He tried telephoning his partners.
Margaret was bitter. "How dare you call me Justin Zeckendorf after what you did you humiliated us in front of the whole town I can never show my face again!" And she hung up.
Jessica was more to the point. "Drop dead, creep!"

JUSTIN WANTS his team to win the "Good Deed Contest." The grand prize is a trip to Tidal Wave Water Park. But his goofy ideas cause his team, the Z's, to score negative points.

The Z's inadvertently leave a lady's suitcase in the middle of the road and her underwear is blown all over town. Then the Z's make copies of a raffle ticket to raise money for a worthy cause and sixty-one people end up eligible for the big prize. Later, the team tries to score with washing windows, but they end up flooding a house. . . .

But the Z's are also on the trail of a ring of car thieves, and they ultimately succeed in their mission. Antics abound in this humorous and appealing novel, bound to appeal to Korman fans.

The short chapters and fast pace of jokes make it a good read-aloud for a class. Recently nominated for the Manitoba Young Reader's Choice Award.

Recommended.

Lorraine Douglas is Youth Services Coordinator for the Winnipeg Public Library.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cmeditor@mts.net.

Copyright © 1996 the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

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