Brotherhood of the Rotten Babysitters
Sidekicks

by Dan Danko and Tom Mason

      So many paperback children's series dot the shelves of bookstores and libraries today that sometimes it's difficult to tell which books are worthwhile reading, while others remain wasted paper. In the case of Dan Danko and Tom Mason's endlessly clever, "Sidekicks" series, however, it's clear that the scale falls to the "worthwhile reading" side. In this, the fifth book of the series, our hero Speedy (aka Guy Martin) faces the greatest threat to the human race ever dreamt of. Evil no good babysitters. It all begins when Speedy's superhero sponsor, Pumpkin Pete, accidentally blows up the League of Big Justice where all the superheroes usually hang out. Speedy's mom graciously invites everyone to come and stay at their home, a fact that mortifies the usually stoic Speedy. Worse still, the superheroes and their sidekicks aren't in the house for more than a couple hours when an evil force levitates the building off of the ground and floats it to a remote tropical island where the Brotherhood of Rotten Babysitters awaits. The sidekicks, separated from their superhero sponsors, must fight the Brotherhood on their own or face the catastrophic repercussions. Danko and Mason's book is a self-referential tract, chock full of topical humor, and surprisingly sophisticated gags. Though it's bound to age badly (jokes about third season "Alias" and Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction come to mind), at this moment in time the book is one of the sharpest young reader series out there today. Kids that learned to love reading through such books as "Captain Underpants" will have no problem slipping into the "Sidekicks" world. And though a knowledge of the previous books in the series is not strictly necessary, some background knowledge of the characters would probably make for smoother reading. All in all, "Sidekicks" is a delightful surprise. A beautiful little book disguised as schlocky entertainment. Highly recommended.