The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter (The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter #1)

Gr 3-6--Sixth-grader Rex Dexter desperately wants a dog, but his parents have deemed him too irresponsible. When he loses an old-fashioned Grim Reaper carnival game, he is cursed with the ability to see and communicate with dead animals who passed away with unfinished business. The first one he sees is his own pet chicken, which died moments before in a steamroller accident while Rex wasn't paying attention. Soon after, he starts seeing the ghosts of animals from a local zoo, all of whom died under strange circumstances. Rex must solve the mystery of who is killing off rare animals so that the victims can move on to the afterlife. And if he does, maybe he can convince his parents that he is responsible enough to own a dog, too. Hapless Rex follows in the footsteps of characters like Timmy Failure, who think they are much cleverer than they actually are. His hijinks will amuse those who enjoy slapstick humor just a little on the dark side. The mystery has a twist ending that will surprise and satisfy readers who thought they knew what was coming. VERDICT Purchase where funny books are popular-that's everywhere, right?--Misti Tidman, Mansfield/Richland County Public Library, OH

When avid dog lover Rex Dexter, a sixth grader, begs for one--"a chocolate Labrador. That's a proper pet"--for his birthday, he doesn't expect his parents to get him a chicken as a "practice pet." Nor does he expect said chicken to be promptly run over by a steamroller, shortly after Rex loses a carnival game called The Grim Reaper, one that promises a curse. Nor the chicken's ghost to turn up in his bedroom calling him "bestie." More ghosts appear: of the rhino that burned to death at the local zoo, of a dead gorilla with a shark attached to its rear. Rex has become a lightning rod for dead animals, and it's clear that something sinister is happening at the zoo. Now he, his spectral companions, and his best friend, Darvish, must get to the heart of the matter before further animals meet similarly dismal fates. In this entertainingly spooky romp, Reynolds (Dude!) tempers his morbid premise with the absurdity of Rex's situation, the ghostly entourage's distinct personalities, and a hilarious, simultaneously formal and sarcastic, narrative voice. Ages 8-12. Agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House. (Apr.)