Jasper Dash and The Flame-Pits of Delaware (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Jasper Dash and The Flame-Pits of Delaware Kate Quealy-Gainer Anderson, M. T. Jasper Dash and The Flame-Pits of Delaware; illus. by Kurt Cyrus. Beach Lane/Simon, 2009 423p. (Pals in Peril Tales) ISBN 978-1-4169-8639-3 $16.99 R Gr. 4-7 Notorious not just for its tyrannical governor and its sad lack of vowels, the exotic state of Delaware is a land filled with dangers and populated with murderous mountain squids, enigmatic monks, and kangaroo-wrangling cannibals. Sure, this isn't the Delaware that you or I might find in a guidebook (unless, of course, it is the official There and Back Again Guide to Delaware), but Jasper Dash is no everyday bloke, and he has a knack for finding adventure where other people just find waterslides and minigolf. So when nefarious forces threaten the sacred Vbngoom monastery in the mountains of Delaware, Jasper is yet again joined by his plucky chums, Katie and Lily, as he ventures into the great state's treacherous jungle (yes, Delaware apparently has both a jungle and a mountain range) to confront his arch-nemesis, the interdimensional criminal Bobby Spandrell. As in the previous installments of Jasper's adventures (Whales on Stilts, BCCB 4/05, and The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen, BCCB 7/08), Anderson never takes his tongue out of his cheek in this uproariously entertaining combination of Indiana Jones, the Stratemeyer syndicate, and MADtv. The absurdity is front and center from the very beginning, with Jasper lifting weights with his eyelids in preparation for a Stare-Eyes contest, while the nail-biting action scenes during the trio's journey are brilliantly paced—though still all-around goofy. Sly jabs at the overused tropes and clichéd conventions of the action genre will surely be appreciated by the more sophisticated reader, and there is enough slapstick humor here to go around for those with less ironic tastes; any youngster looking for a laugh and an adventure will not be disappointed. Kate Quealy-Gainer Assistant Editor Copyright © 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois