The Biggest, Bestest Time Ever! (Mal and Chad #1)

Malcolm (better known as "Mal") is an elementary school supergenius who has taught his dog, Chad, to talk and regularly makes inventions that grownup scientists wish they could create. However, no one seems aware of Mal's abilities (or the fact the dog can speak), so he keeps his time machine and mini-mega-morpher a secret between himself and his loyal canine friend. The charm and humor come from Mal's adventurous streak: when the teacher assigns her students an essay on what they want to be when they grow up, Mal takes it very literally, as he shrinks himself and swims in the dishwater to see if he might want to be a scuba diver. From there he considers becoming an archeologist and goes back in time millions of years thanks to his time-travel machine, adventuring with dinosaurs. McCranie's art is loose, but his characters are expressive and fun. The amusing situations and snappy back and forth between Mal and Chad--"I am not a crypuppy!"--make this a winner. Ages 9-12. (May)

Gr 3-6--Fans of Calvin and Hobbes will gravitate to this graphic-novel chapter book featuring an inventive kid and his talking dog. Mal has typical social trouble at school, hiding his intelligence and struggling to make his feelings known to a cute girl while trying to avoid the class blowhard. His single mom doesn't seem to be very supportive, sending him to bed without supper, threatening to ground him, and spanking him in the first three chapters, but these travails set him up as an underdog who will prevail in the end. Mal's great ideas are augmented by his miraculous inventions (shrink ray, jet pack, time machine), which take him and his dog, Chad, on exciting adventures to exotic locales, all in service to the overall story line. The great buddy relationship and some sweet moments (look for the pals dancing to the elevator music in the time machine) keep readers emotionally connected.--Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD