Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder
7/3/12 ** Well, this book didn't live up to my hopes. Jo Nesbo is Norwegian. He is perhaps better known for his series detective/thriller adult series about Harry Hole, which a friend described as "like the Dragon Tattoo books but not as dark." I respect that friend's taste in books, so I found Nesbo in my library and discovered that he also has a series of books for kids about Dr. Proctor and his inventions. With this title, I was hoping to discover a series that I could "sell" to my fourth graders as an alternative to the Wimpy Kid books.
If I'd rated it at my halfway point, I would have assigned 2 stars. My opinion rose as several threads of the story came together in a clever (but predictable) way. Much of the humor was subtle, and I'm not sure that some of my readers would pick up on it. I will purchase a copy for my classroom library and invite kids to read it. Perhaps I'm underestimating my readers. Certainly a few kids will enjoy the characters and learn something about suburban Norway.