Again hilarious and weird, but this time with mystery novels. ( )

This sequel to Whales on Stilts, focuses on Katie Mulligan star of the (imaginary) Horror Hollow series of books. Katie is tired of having to always have adventures - all she really wants is a nice summer vacation and she's determined to have one. Soon, Katie is off with Lily and Jasper to the Moose Tongue Lodge for some rest and relaxation and absolutely no mysteries or monsters! Unfortunately, almost as soon as they arrive, the Hooper Quintuplets (from another imaginary series which appears to be a cross between The Sound of Music and the Bobbsey Twins) are kidnapped. Lily and Jasper are all for helping to rescue the Quints and catch the kidnapper, but Katie is completely uninterested - all she wants to do is sit and read fashion magazines and hang out with the Cutesy Dell Twins (Sweet Valley High knock-offs). Adventure just won't leave Katie alone, though and when her friends are put in peril it's really only a matter of time until Katie joins the fray.

Just like Whales on Stilts, this is extremely silly, but there's also some very poignant moments this time. The resolution of the plot reveals that as long as a character's books are being read they are frozen in age. When Katie mentions to Lily that this means that they'll grow up and Jasper never will (he's clearly been the same age for decades already), the heartbreak happens when Katie realizes that she also is stuck in time and only Lily will get to continue to grow up - maybe have kids even - while Katie will always be the same as long as her books are read. I'm interested to see where Anderson takes this for the next volume of the series Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware. ( )

Okay, but not as good as Anderson's previous in the series, [book: Whales on Stilts!], which struck a better balance between parody and earnest absurdity. [book: The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen] has its own good jokes and affectionate jabs at genre fiction aimed at children, but doesn't pull it off as well. The authorial narrator is more talkative here, which is one of the up sides of this volume. ( )

Intrepid kid detectives Jasper, Katie, and Lily return in this inspired sequel to the hysterically funny Whales on Stilts. This time, the three find themselves in an alpine retreat for has-been protagonists of juvenile serial fiction. Enter the lederhosen-clad Hooper Quints, who personify what the wholesome Von Trapp family singers of Sound of Music fame would have become had they turned to a life of crime. Unbelievably hilarious. ( )

Who would have thought Anderson could top the first book in this series, the sublime Whales on Stilts? Well, he has. I laughed and laughed and subjected several coworkers, friends, and passing acquaintances to spontaneous read-alouds. I am in love. ( )