Dolphin Girl: Trouble in Pizza Paradise

Gr 2-5–By day Captain Dugong and his daughter, Dolphin Girl, run Pizza Paradise, a Chuck E. Cheese–like restaurant, until they receive the call to go out to protect the citizens of Deerburbia from the Bad Guys Club for Bad Guys. When the leader of the club, the evil Sea Cow, attempts to take over Pizza Paradise, Dolphin Girl is horrified, but her father seems unconcerned. So with her new sidekick, Otter Boy, Dolphin Girl sets out to save the day. Smith’s wacky illustrations and silly character antics will remind kids of their favorite cartoons. Dolphin Girl clearly runs the show as she helps her bumbling dad, who’s more focused on getting free cable than crime fighting. Superhero powers such as echolocation and extreme breath holding make it clear that these are not your average heroes. The villains’ plans are ridiculous and will keep kids laughing as they wait for things to go wrong. Jokes about college loan debt and college majors will go over children’s heads but will give caretakers a chuckle. The ending will have kids anticipating future installments in the series.