The first chapter showed such humorous potential. I loved the hippie parents and the kooky island community. This book lost me at the big butt joke in which Mr. Bunny cannot get over referring to Madeline's humongous bottom. I get that it is supposed to be funny for the 11 year olds reading it, but it feels uncomfortable every time because I am so aware of how easily girls can be negatively affected by this kind of joking. My librarian recommended it and says she has kid's for whom this is their favorite book, but I am giving it only two stars and will skim through to the end guilt free. ( )

A very strange book. I liked it, but I think only becuase I'm partial to Horvath. ( )

I had high hopes for this book, but was disappointed.

The premise is cute: a young girl's parents are kidnapped by foxes, and she enlists the help of bunny detectives to find them.

There are some laugh-out-loud moments in this book, which is the only reason it gets two stars from me instead of just one. I read this to my nieces (ages 7 and 9) and they said it was "hilarious."

The biggest problem for me was that Horvath didn't seem to know which age group she was writing for. The illustrations are whimsical and appeal to younger children. The plot appeals to younger children. Yet, there are a ton of references that may be over the heads of even some middle schoolers, let alone younger kids. For example, Mr. Bunny goes off on a long tangent about why he doesn't like tipping waiters because their employers should be paying their wages; there's also talk about organically-sourced food and veganism (the girl's parents are hippies), why Prince Charles serves, even though he didn't ask for the honor, and many more instances that I simply can't remember right now. All of these things were clearly an attempt at cleverness and humor, but they fell flat and had absolutely zero to do with the plot. I got very frustrated with them.

On top of that, there was language used that I don't like seeing in children's books: crap, stupid, idiot, heck, shut up, God's name used in vain, and there was even talk of murder and "bodies buried in the basement." None of this is necessary in a children's book! I had to edit it on the fly while reading to my girls.

I would not recommend this book to anyone. ( )

Self-sufficient and practical Madeline must rescue her kidnapped parents when they go missing. She travels to her code-breaker Uncle Runyon, but he promptly falls into a coma, and Madeline receives help from an unlikely source: Mr. and Mrs. Bunny, who have just purchased fedoras and fancy themselves detectives. They are not especially good detectives, but they comfort Madeline, who isn't used to being taken care of, and unlike her hippie parents, they understand why her fifth-grade graduation ceremony is important and make sure she gets there in the end. Marmots and foxes are also involved.

Utterly bizarre - I'm not sure who this is FOR, really. I enjoyed it, but it requires a very particular sense of humor and a willingness to go with the flow. Not that talking animals with their own societies are so unusual in children's fiction, but this one is really unique.
Also, although I usually adore Sophie Blackall's illustrations, this is begging for Tony DiTerlizzi.

See also: Lemony Snicket

Quotes

"The richness of our lives depends on what we are willing to notice and what we are willing to believe." (243) ( )

I laughed all through the book. I hope children understand the parody and the references to marital life. They will enjoy the story no matter what. The language is crisp and clear, the story evenly paced. Children and grownups alike will enjoy this book. ( )