Freddy and the French Fries #1:: Fries Alive! [Paperback]

Kids ages 8-12 will find an easy - and attractive - reader in David Baldacci's latest Freddy story, Freddy And The French Fries: Fries Alive!. Here a plan to win new business for the family Burgle castle results in a secret invention gone awry when Freddy's crazy creations wreck havoc. Another enthusiastically recommended Freddy story that presents zany easy reading adventures for children.

Young Freddy Funkhouser is having problems. First, his father, Alfred, a genius inventor, can't seem to make any of his inventions work well enough to make the family money. Second, his older sister, Nancy, loves to spout lines from Shakespeare and TV shows to anyone who will listen, hoping that her acting career will take off. How embarrassing!

Freddy is trying to help break his family out of their obscure rut by building an award winning float for the Pookesville Founder's Day Parade. If he can do it, perhaps their floundering family restaurant - that offers healthy food compared to the burger stand across the street owned by the Spanker family - might take off. A large task considering the Spankers ALWAYS win the float contest. But if Freddy has anything to say about it, they won't win this year! With the aid of Howie Kapowie, his one and only friend in town who seems solely to care about eating cheese cubes, they have very little chance. And with Adam Spanker (the town hooligan) always on their heels, things look even bleaker.

Can Freddy do it?

Not on his own. And he knows it. So he rigs up a contraption of nanotechnology mixed with super-secret potatoes, and an interesting accident occurs. When lightning strikes the potatoes, they turn into living, breathing, talking ...uh ...spuds. Fries alive! And now with Theodore, Wally, Curly, Si, and Meese, the town of Pookesville is in for an amazing surprise ...and so is the rival Spanker family. Can a misfit family use its brains to beat the brawn of the town?

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David Baldacci is normally known for his crime novels (Absolute Power, Hour Game, and the less enjoyable Split Second), but here he's dunked his hand into the children's literature cookie jar, perhaps hoping to come up with some tasty new treat for readers.

But no ...

Like so many other children's books and films, 'Freddy and the French Fries' treads over old themes and tries to put on a new face. Ever seen the film 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids'? If you have, you will undoubtedly see parallels to it in this book (i.e., a genius father, a smart family that's stunted because of their intellect, absurd obstacles that need to be overcome by using technology, and, in the end, triumph).

That being said, this book will probably appeal to the preteen because of its fast pace, outrageous names (Howie Kapowie, Patty Cakes, Nanny Boo-Boo, etc.), and its action scenes.

There's also some learning that takes place that will obviously make parents happy. Such as knowing the proper term for siamese twins (conjoined); the advantages - and disadvantages - of eating soy products rather than hamburgers; how to beat a bully using your brains and not your fists; and a very basic understanding of how nanotechnology might benefit us.

All in all I think this book's chapters might be enjoyed by kids at bedtime, but don't expect much originality.

David Baldacci, popular suspense novelist (Hour Game) tries his hand at writing for the younger crowd in Freddy and the French Fries: Fries Alive!

Nine-year-old science whiz Freddy Funkhouser is having a lousy time of it lately. His father, an inventor is on a losing streak; none of his inventions are making any money. On top of that, the family restaurant, the Burger Castle, is not making any money with their healthy food offerings. Bully Adam Spanker (his family owns the successful restaurant, Patty Cakes) continues to be Freddy's worst nightmare. And then there is the sister who wants to be an actress.

Freddy is determined to help his family by building a spectacular float for the Pookesville Founder's Day Parade. It might bring the family business out of obscurity and actually make it a money-making proposition. The problem is that the Spankers always win the contest.

But Freddie has some special ideas he's putting into play. And with the help of his only friend, Howie Kapowie, there just might be a way for Freddie to use his intellect and science to win the day. Can Freddy save the day? Not without his super-powered spuds!

Armchair Interviews says: Younger children will have a great deal of fun with Freddy, Howie Kapowie, and the super-powered spuds. It's an exciting story and just silly enough to grab their attention.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 8 reviews  3.9 out of 5 stars