The Killer Underpants (Orchard Red Apple) - Hardcover

Michael Lawrence

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1860398375 ISBN 13: 9781860398377

Publisher: Orchard Books, 2000

Synopsis

Jiggy's new underpants won't come off. As if that wasn't enough, they seem to give him a peculiar sort of power over people, in this second hilarious adventure starring Jiggy McCue.

About this title

About the Author:

Michael Lawrence trained as a graphic designer and photographer at art school in London. He worked in a wide range of jobs before becoming a children's author: freelance photographer; TV script reader; grammar checker for a PR consultant in Paris; limbo dancer; press officer; abbatoir scout for a travelling circus; art and antique dealer; painter and sculptor. He lives in Cambridgeshire. The Killer Underpants won the Stockport/Stockton Book Award and The Poltergoose, another title in the Jiggy McCue series, was shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Award.

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: Orchard Books
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 1860398375
• ISBN 13: 9781860398377
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 144