School's Out

Gr 4–8—This humorous fantasy is the second entry in a series about an evil Dark Lord who finds himself trapped in the body of a human boy, "Dirk Lloyd." Beginning with the embarrassing derivative of his real name, the Dark Lord suffers the humiliations of being treated like a mere boy and determinedly discovers a way back to his world. The experiment goes awry and his friend, Sooz, is transported to Darklands instead of Dirk. While Dirk plots her rescue and his return, Sooz manages to befriend snot-dripping orcs and warty goblins and establish herself as the new Dark Queen. The narrative alternates between Sooz's adventures in Darklands and Dirk's return to power, with occasional first-person commentary from Dirk, printed as if handwritten. These diarylike entries and the Dahlesque illustrations add to the fast-moving fun. Sooz's plight and march to power show her mettle, and when Dirk's not being impossibly fiendish, there's a little chemistry between the two. Like any good villain, Dirk has two sides and when Chris, his "brother" from home, gives up on him, Sooz continues to appeal to his humanity. Dirk Lloyd and his pals' story is reminiscent of the zany, action-packed adventures in "Artemis Fowl" (Hyperion), served up with sly commentary on the powerlessness of being a child. Packed with tween-appeal.—Martha Baden, Prescott Public Library, AZ