Sanitized for Your Protection

August 1, 2015
Detective Timmy Failure is on the case...probably not a good thing for anyone involved. Timmy (formerly of Total Failure Inc., but he had to fire his partner, Total the polar bear) has a new case: someone stole the funds from YIP YAP, a charity created to raise money to buy books for the bookless tot Yergi Plimkin. Unfortunately, Timmy's mother is forcing him to use his precious spring break to help her boyfriend, Doorman Dave, move to Chicago. The investigation goes on the road, with the help of Timmy's best friend, Rollo Tookus, via telephone. Who will Timmy find as a scapegoat-er, discover to be the perpetrator? This case may answer these crucial questions: can Molly Moskins, criminal mastermind, be rehabilitated? Will Total the polar bear ever get enough bonbons? And what did Timmy actually hear his mother and Doorman Dave talking about that could change everything? Cartoonist Pastis brings his intelligent yet clueless, arrogantly overconfident detective back for a fourth nonsensical (and nonexistent) case. Some of the humor (such as the plays on song titles, quotes, and lyrics that name most chapters-"Rainy Days and Mothers Always Get Me Down," for instance) will fly over the heads of all in the target audience. Nevertheless, for fans of the bestselling series, this one's more of the same. Abundantly illustrated fun for readers who are tired of the Wimpy Kid. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)

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September 15, 2015
Grades 3-6 It's all change, all the time for Timmy Failure. He has fired Total the polar bear from the detective agency, his mother's boyfriend is moving to Chicago, and Timmy is traveling cross-country with Molly Muskins, who may or may not be a criminal mastermind. The trip has interrupted Timmy's latest investigation involving stolen money from a class fund-raiser. But Timmy never has trouble finding dots to connect, and he and Molly go on the run in Chicago in order to solve the case. The observant reader will have already deduced that Timmy's motivation is more than crime fighting; he is avoiding a truth close to home. Timmy, while still taking refuge in the fantasy world of his polar bear and the detective agency, has noticeably grown over the series. In particular, his behavior toward overly affectionate Molly reveals an empathetic side of Timmy, as he observes how her father constantly belittles her. At times laugh-out-loud funny, then disarmingly sweet, Timmy's brand of failure continues to succeed with style. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: This new addition to Pastis' best-selling series will get an additional boost from a planned author tour.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

December 3, 2012
Mysteries abound in the first children’s book from Pastis, creator of the comic strip Pearls Before Swine. Who stole the Halloween candy of Timmy’s classmate Gabe? Who is the mysterious girl Timmy refuses to discuss? Why is no one fazed that Timmy has a pet polar bear named Total? Fortunately, Timmy is an aspiring detective, who believes his agency, Total Failure Inc. (“We won’t fail, despite what the name says”), is “on the verge of being a Fortune 500 company.” Unfortunately, Timmy is a terrible sleuth, who doesn’t leap to the wrong conclusions so much as cannonball into a swimming pool full of them. His narration reveals an impressive command of business-speak (he doesn’t talk with his single mother—he teleconferences), while the wide-eyed characters resemble a cross between the work of George Booth and Sara Varon. Pastis has assembled an eccentric and funny cast (running gags revolve around Total’s voracious appetite and a librarian who looks like one of the Hells Angels), yet there are also touching interactions to be found, particularly between Timmy and his mother. Ages 8–12. Agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House.