The Fantastic Family Whipple

Gr 3–6—Poor Arthur Whipple is unlike his insufferably self-satisfied 12 siblings and his parents in that he has not won a world record in anything. They've all won multiple honors; in fact they hold the world record as the winningest family in the world. It is Arthur's dream to contribute to his family's success, but he just cannot seem to do it. He's too good-hearted and has a unfortunate tendency to help wounded competitors instead of taking advantage of the situation. Meanwhile, someone appears to be sabotaging the Whipple family's latest record-setting efforts, even perhaps trying to kill them. Arthur is the only one with any sense, and he begins to investigate. Stephen Crossley narrates the British book, obviously the first in an intended series, with flair, embodying each character with different accents and personalities. The listener always knows whom he/she is hearing. He does his best to keep things lively and funny; unfortunately, the monotony of the constant attempts at world record-breaking begins to wear after awhile. The story (Razorbill, 2013) isn't quite as amusing as it was likely meant to be and could have been more effective with some editing. However, for that child feeling a little underappreciated and looking for something along the lines of Roald Dahl, this might fit the bill.—B. Allison Gray, Goleta Library, Santa Barbara, CA