Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot: Color Edition (Captain Underpants #12) (12) Hardcover – April 5, 2022

We are big fans of the CU series and have been for a few years now. I have read through the entire series with my son, who is about to turn 8, three times, and it never gets old. In book 12, Pilkey does not disappoint--the same gross humor and poking fun at uptight attitudes.It could easily be argued Pilkey has an agenda in this book. Some of the humor, such as song titles from the 60's twisted into silly chapter headings, and his political humor, along with some advanced vocabulary and commentary on ADHD went above my son's head--there is no way a child would get that stuff. It was clearly there to amuse (or provoke? :)) the adult reading to the child. I felt like he acknowledged that he has a dual audience (as often parents read to their children in this 6-8yo age group), but since he is politically opinionated and quite liberal, many parents will not be entertained by his agenda (one easy example--he refers to GOPs as "grumpy old people." I'm sure Republicans will not be amused). To be fair, Pilkey has always had undertones of "speaking" (in a sense) to his parent audience throughout the series, so this is not strictly a new thing.Pilkey also talks about ADHD. My son has ADHD, and he said at one point during the book, "that's me!" in an excited and proud way. I like that Pilkey was able to portray ADHD as something that has its upside, too, in that lots of kids who have ADHD are more creative and energetic.The message that giving drugs or medicating for ADHD is a very bad choice is not explicitly stated, but it certainly is the underlying message of the book. I don't think kids would necessarily connect the real world drug Ritalin to the Pilkey make believe gas Rid-o-kid 2000 (the drug in the book that controls children) but it is an obvious enough message to the adult reader.My son felt so strongly about how horrible that gas was. He actually punched the book and said "every kid has something to offer just the way they are." I don't think he's ever punched a book before--he was just SO into the story. On our second night reading it, he even came to bed fifteen minutes early and brushed his teeth without any fuss in order to carry on reading this book, as he could not wait to continue it. For an extremely energetic kid like my son to choose an early bedtime for a book is the highest possible praise. This book did not seem to have as many laugh out loud moments for him as compared to previous books in the series, but regardless, he was extremely engaged and passionate about reading it.The other hot button issue in this book is the fact that when the boys travel forward 20 years in the future and meet their future selves, one of them is married to a man. I was really excited to see this in a mainstream children's book. For my kids, this was accepted with a matter of fact "of course, no big deal mom, why are you excited?" as I've made it a point to tell them from the time they were itty bitty that they could each choose to marry whatever man or woman they wanted. We've answered all the questions on how babies happen in gay marriages and what social prejudice is, and why the recent Supreme Court decision was necessary. For families who have not discussed these things, reading this book together could be the beginning of a conversation (if it was even noticed by the child or pointed out by the parent). I like the way Pilkey presented it--it just was, no big deal, just the way life is, no special mention made of it. It is introduced like this: "Soon, everyone had gathered together in Old George's studio. Old George, his wife, and their kids, Meena and Nik, sat on the couch, while Old Harold, his husband, and their twins, Owen and Kei, plopped down on the beanbag chair." There is a nicely illustrated picture of the scene. Then the story moves on. Kudos, Dav Pilkey. It was brave of you to do this, to take the stand that "this is what normal married life looks like." Parents who disagree will of course choose not to buy your book (and likely down vote this review into obscurity, but I'm okay with that, too.)I expect that some more conservative families may argue children's books shouldn't get political, but the truth is, mainstream children's books get political all the time-- by excluding reality, not by including it. When families all look alike, all white and heterosexual and living in an expensive home as they are in so many childrens' books, it doesn't reflect the everyday truth of real kids in the real world. Pilkey chose to forge his own path, and it is only so worthy of note because he is among the first to do so in mainstream children's lit, which, to be honest, should surprise no one who has read the first 11 books of this series. He's just that kind of author--he makes the book he wants to make, even if some parents might not like it.I'm sure many other young children's authors will follow suit in reflecting the world as it is in all its diversity, gay marriage and all, if not soon (I hope soon!) then inevitably in the years to come. Norms (and laws) are changing to reflect what is real for people in all their diversity, and I am so glad authors like Dav Pilkey are willing to choose to have these realities be reflected matter of factly in the stories they tell, without the story itself having anything to do with the subject of diversity. Thank you, Mr. Pilkey!

Our 10-year-old grandson loves Captain Underpants.

I personally haven't read the book but my son has recently finished the series to date. These books have made reading so much fun for him. He was having a hard time adjusting to school and especially reading everyday. I tried a bunch of Dr. Suess books, Disney story books, reading to his younger brother. I couldn't get him to read without a big fight happening. I was browsing through the book section and saw Captain Underpants books 1 and it was in color. I went on a limb and purchased it praying that this would help. My prayer was answered. He was a bit weary if he would actually like it but just a few minutes in and he was already giggling. From then on, his love for reading grew. He finished the book just a day or two later (I of course made him read it again) and he was begging for the next one. Each book shows every book of the series to the printed date and it made my son want to read! This book series made him excited to read! He went from hating reading and reading level being average to a few months later being two grades above and he wasn't even done with the series. His vocabulary grew, he thought about things more, he began to draw more, create stories, make up a new super hero. He even started to make his own comic for his friends! As crazy and weird as the titles of these books seem, they really do engage each child. Boys and girls. My niece would be excited for our morning rides to school when they would read another chapter of the book on our way. I'm so thankful for what this writer has done with my son's ability and love of reading.

I've been reading Captain Underpants since I was 6 and can say I've never been disappointed by the writings of Dav Pilkey. He always manages to be funny in a creative, silly and sometimes witty way and this book is no exception!The beginning will have you laughing out loud (though the humor might go a little over kids heads) and the plot twists and turns in the same kooky ways you've come to expect with an ending that'll leave you wondering "what's next for George and Harold?".That being said this book (and the last few) have had a somewhat convoluted plot that throws in time travel and new characters that leave the books feeling a little too thin on story and detail. It's like Dav wants to write a full fledged novel but had to trim it down to kid sized chunks.Also the story focuses mainly on George and Harold, which isn't bad, but kind of disappointing that Captain Underpants only gets a few pages.There are also a few twists that'll surprise you! One in particular (readers know the one I'm talking about) was somewhat a surprise and Dav handled it very very well, but I imagine more prudish parents might take issue with it.Overall it's a fun adventure for new and old readers alike that's sure not to disappoint!

Added the newest Captain underpants book to my kids’ collection. No issues with shipping or the book itself!