The Nerdy Ninjas vs the Really Really Bad Guys: Nerdy Ninjas 1 (Shogun Whamhower, illus by Heath McKenzie, Scholastic)

Jake, Pongo, Veejay and Ben are about as nerdy as they come. In fact they are so nerdy that the most famous bully of all Crispin Staniforth—Financial Times reader and professional extortionist—declares them too insignificant to even bother bullying. The boys decide to put their ability to go unnoticed and ignored to good use by becoming ninjas. After all, the ability to completely blend in with your surroundings is highly prized by the ninja community. When they overhear a dastardly plot to blow up the school, they employ their new skills—thwacking with rolled-up newspapers and pelting the really bad guys with squash balls (their alternative to razor-sharp shurikens). There are many funny moments in this book which are sure to appeal to the ‘Captain Underpants’ crowd. There were a few issues with pacing—more than half of the book was dedicated to explaining how nerdy the boys were—which made the final ninja confrontation feel a little sudden. However, as this is the first book in the series, it is likely that future books will be able to jump right into the action.

Amelia Vahtrick is the children’s book buyer at Better Read Than Dead in Newtown

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Category: Reviews