Have you ever: 'cut the cheese,' or 'let it rip,' experienced the 'silent but deadly,' or laughed out loud at the idiotic college ritual of 'lighting a match' to it, been prompted to 'pull my finger' or have accidentally 'stepped on a duck?'
You must have, since you are an earthly lifeform and having been a kid at least once in your lifespan, Jo Nesbø's 'Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder' Series will certainly stimulate those memories of first time discoveries and newness, of the importance of being silly and laughing about it. I recently took that road back in time buddying up with my son and his reading list. It was quite a gas!
Doctor Proctor, an aging, eccentric ( synonym for zany, wacko, crazy, mad, lunatic) professor given to spending his time alone in his laboratory: befriends eleven year old Nilly and Lisa, or at least they befriend him. Singularly, they're loners but team up for the daunting task to help Doctor Proctor figure out the most effective use for his marvelous invention, this magnanimous contribution to global natural resources - the industrial-strength 'Fart Powder.'
The drama that explodes on Canon Drive reverberates far above the fantastic level, involving a mad-cap chase through the sewer system of Oslo, where rats and Animals You Wished Never Existed like anacondas (Anna Conda) hide, to inescapable prisons and NASA. There are more serious issues at the bottom of the story than the mere gaseous exchanges of human beings: bullying, corruption, and the illegal distribution of unknown powdery substances to children are implied.
More importantly, the hero, Nilly - diminutive in size, is a giant in integrity, intelligence and bravery. With the sharp witted dialogue fans have come to enjoy of his crime novels, Nesbø's imagination soars high with a wonderful motley set of characters in a rollicking adventure, a brief history lesson of Oslo, a bit of silliness for the young and not -so -young. This delightful children's book is not just for children, but childish adults too. If you're either of the two, you'll enjoy this.
'Doctor Proctor Fart' Powder is the first in the series of what is surely scentsational children's reading, one I'm sure to be indulging in once in a while, with or without my kid's reading list.
(Illustrations from the Kindle version of the book)
Plus-
There's a movie!