Wiff and Dirty George: The Z.E.B.R.A. Incident, by Stephen Swinburne

Wiff and Dirty George: The Z.E.B.R.A. Incident, by Stephen Swinburne (2009, Front Street, upper middle grade, 167 pp).

Here's one for those who enjoy books that are truly extraordinary, down right weird, even verging, perhaps, on the too odd.

Wiff and Dirty George are two young Brits who suffer from poor hygiene habits. They soon begin to suffer from more serious troubles, when they become enmeshed in the sinister plot of an Evil Rabbit Man and his hopping henchmen. At first, the costumed Rabbit simply uses an infernal device (the Zipper Extraction Button Removal Atom-smasher) to undo zippers in public, but this is just the first phase of his evil plans. The Queen is his ultimate target--can Wiff and Dirty George stop him, before Her Majesty waves her last wave?

It was a bit too much for me, but I'm happy to recommend to those who have a higher tolerance for the insane...and those who enjoy lots of scientific gadget things...and who like plots that involve plucky lads foiling evil genius masterminds. Which I don't, much, myself, but I did rather like Dirty George's three foot long Madagascan worm, named Worm.

If you enjoyed last fall's The Brain Finds a Leg, by Martin Chatterton, this one might be right up your alley.

(ARC received from publisher at ALA)