Raiders of the Lost Shark — Lyn Gardner

Best friends Tat and Hetty are thrilled to read in the Little Snoring Gazette that Captain Syd's lost treasure 'definitely, certainly, absolutely, maybe, possibly could be buried somewhere in Little Snoring castle.' They're intent on searching the old castle until they find it, even though hotshot Hollywood director Bigwig Junior the Third has taken over to film his new movie, Raiders of the Lost Shark. It turns out there's an even bigger problem in their way, however. The Ghastly McNasty twins -- the nastiest pirates ever to sail the seven seas -- have returned to Little Snoring, and this time they're determined not to let the children thwart their own search for Captain Syd's treasure. Can Tat and Hetty find a way to outsmart the 'greedy and grouchy and grumbly and very, very grubby' Gruesome and Grisly McNasty once again?

Author Lyn Gardner and award-winning illustrator Ros Asquith team up here for the second hilarious adventure in this early chapter book series. The language is fun and oozing with slapstick jokes, witty wordplay and toilet humor. The clever line drawings add even more whimsy with lots of silly asides to flesh out the laughs. Full of slime, stink and just enough ick, the series is pitch-perfect for the 7 to 10 age group. In fact, it's so entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny that young readers won't realize they're building critical-thinking skills as they process the many layers of details involved in the elaborate treasure hunt.