Benjamin Franklin: You've Got Mail

Gr 5–7—This sequel to Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in My… is a hilarious send-up of the time-travel genre. Through a peanut butter and jelly sandwich—fueled misunderstanding, seventh grader Franklin Isaac Saturday (Ike) and his girlfriend Claire Wanzandae have messed up the American Revolution and set a mob after Ike's historic pen pal, Benjamin Franklin. Ike ships himself back in time to Revolutionary Philadelphia to rectify the situation, only to discover that a furious Ben does not want his help. When they are forced to flee, Ben and Ike set off on a journey to right the revolution, hoodwinking poor villagers and inspiring French aristocrats along the way. Readers not bothered by historical inaccuracy will find Ike and his antics sidesplittingly funny. His irreverent tone and perpetual optimism, contrasted with Benjamin Franklin's surly belly-aching, result in an Odd Couple—esque feel that will keep readers invested in an otherwise thin story. The plot ignores historical realities and demands suspension of disbelief but refreshingly acknowledges the consequences of time travel. Secondary characters Claire, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson are flat props for comic relief. The authors' style lacks coherence—the book jumps from first-person narration to epistolary and back in an unstructured manner. Fans of screwball comedies by authors such as Jon Scieszka and Dave Barry will enjoy this series.