Starred Review. Gr 3-5 Logan knows he shouldnt have been playing tag in the library reference stacks and he sorry that he crashed into Professor Wordsworth. But what did the strange old man mean when he said that Logan should be punished? Suddenly, the boy starts speaking in puns really awful puns and he cant stop. His family and friends think he just smarting off, but Logan quickly realizes that he is under a curse. According to the professor, there is only one way to break the spell. Logan has three days to collect seven oxymorons, seven anagrams, and seven palindromes or the pun-ishment will continue forever. This lighthearted fantasy would be an excellent classroom read-aloud. The language concepts are deftly explained and the clever, wordplay-filled dialogue provides numerous examples. There is an emphasis on problem-solving and self-reliance as well. Logan uses the dictionary and experiments with Scrabble tiles as he races against the clock to find the required answers. The short text and lively cover art will attract young readers, who will howl at the atrocious puns and repeat them at the earliest opportunity. Be prepared for an epidemic of juvenile punsters. Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr. 4-7. Wordplay is at the heart of this funny, surreal adventure in which even the title is a pun. While roughhousing at the library with his friend Benedict, Logan literally runs into an elderly patron, who, as a punishment, saddles Logan with an unusual curse: everything he tries to say comes out as a pun. After a day in which even his dog groans at his tedious jokes, Logan is desperate to lift the curse. The cure, according to the elderly spell caster, involves more wordplay: Logan must hunt down examples of oxymorons, anagrams, and palindromes. Younger kids may need help with a few of the more sophisticated puns ( I was jest doing wit you asked ), but with an appealing mix of magic and silliness, Lubar captures Logan's frustrations when he is unjustly accused of disobedience, his urgency to solve his dilemma, and the linguistic fun: I realized I had two palindromes living at home . . . Mom and Dad. Teachers will find plenty of uses for this. GillianEngberg. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.