Awesome Dog 5000

Gr 3-5–Marty is the new, lonely kid in town until he bonds with Skyler and Ralph over their favorite video game, Sheriff Turbo-Karate (which includes cheat codes that release “infinity farts”), and discovers Awesome Dog 5000, a robot dog armed with jet rockets and mega-cannons. Ralph and Marty are white, while Skyler has a Korean last name. The quartet teams up against Dr. Crazybrains, a mad scientist who creates harmful potions that can make people smell like dirty socks, turn feet into spaghetti, and enlarge bottoms until they can’t fit into any underwear. Almost every page is illustrated with black and white anime-style cartoons, which include a seek-and-find game. Among the fart jokes and cannon blasts is a message to be yourself, and to find friends who celebrate your quirks and differences.