The Killer Underpants (Jiggy McCue) - Softcover

Lawrence, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1408304015 ISBN 13: 9781408304013

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton, 2012

Synopsis

The underpants from hell—that's what Jiggy calls his nemesis in his first wacky adenture, and not just because they look gross Jiggy McCue has a problem. His new underpants won't come off. Worse still, they have a mind of their own—an evil mind that seems to want to ruin his life. And they're succeeding!

About this title

About the Author:

Michael Lawrence is the author of Baby Christmas; Small Eternities; the Jiggy McCue series, which includes The Killer Underpants; and A Crack in the Line, which won the Michael L. Printz Award and the Georgia Peach Award, and was chosen by the ALA as one of the year's best books for 12-18 year olds.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-7-Jiggy McCue, protagonist of Lawrence's Poltergoose (Dutton, 2002), is back in this far-fetched adventure featuring-literally-the underpants from hell. The trouble begins when the boy's mom buys him a pair of wildly patterned briefs at the local flea market. The minute he dons the wacky pants, they cling to his form like Saran wrap. When he tries to remove them, they tighten their grasp with a spiteful persistence. The alarmed and embarrassed Jiggie turns to his friends Pete and Angie for help. Try as they may, they cannot remove the nasty knickers either. To make matters worse, Jiggy is suddenly overcome with an unbearable itchiness in his nether regions. He offhandedly tells Pete to "Go flush- [his] head down the toilet." Imagine his surprise when Pete does just that. Apparently, anyone in earshot must obey the wearer's commands during this itchy state, and Jiggy uses his new power to get revenge on various enemies, including a bully classmate. He finally tracks down the merchant who sold the bewitched briefs to his mother and the guy turns out to be Lucifer's kid brother, up to no good. Jiggy eventually figures out that the only antidote is heather, which he promptly stuffs down his pants with good result. In the end, poetic justice rules when the aforementioned bully steals the undies, unaware of the consequences. Aside from the ridiculous plot, constant references to and the preoccupation with Jiggie's unmentionables seem cheap and somewhat perverse. Stick to Dav Pilkey's "Captain Underpants" series (Scholastic) for more wholesome fun.
Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1408304015
• ISBN 13: 9781408304013
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160