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Judy Moody’s hilarious little brother is back and ready to take on corporate America. Stink is surprised by the true power of his pen, when his letter of complaint to the company that made the jawbreaker that didn’t break his jaw results in a conciliatory box of 21,280 jawbreakers! The seven year old decides to start a letter writing campaign in an attempt to get more free stuff. His efforts pay off…big time- and older sister Judy Moody is upset that her brother won’t share the toys, candy, and zoo passes that seem to arrive daily. That doesn’t bother Stink, but why is his best friend Webster so upset with him? An entertaining read aloud for first through fourth graders, young fans of Judy and Stink will laugh uncontrollably at things that just seem to pop out of Stink’s mouth as they follow the zany action of the silly story. This transitional chapter book has a great balance of larger-print text and clever black and white comic-book-style illustrations that allow the improving reader to recognize scenes from the storyline and interpret complex character emotions. Fans will be happy to have Stink back on the bookshelf and be glad to know that he has a lot to say. ( )

Stink is up to more irrepressible adventures in his second book. This time, he learns the power of complaining to big corporations. After he writes a disappointed letter to the candy company that creates jawbreakers - because the gobstopper did not, after all, break his jaw - he receives a note explaining that these candies are not intended to break jaws, and a whole box of candy samples for consolation. Stink is shocked, in a good way. He proceeds to write angry letters to other companies that peddle products he enjoys, like mini robots. He gets so caught up in his new-found power that he neglects other important things, like his friends. When his best friend Webster turns a cold shoulder, Stink has to figure out what he did wrong, and the lesson of what is more important in life, material possessions or relationships.

The story has a good moral, and is full of the humor present in the first book in the series. Stink is a great role model for young boys. He is intelligent and loves school, he is creative, he has a ton of fun adventures, and he has a friendly rivalry with his sister. In other words, he is an appealing character who nonetheless likes school and education. When he writes those letters, he doesn't think that he is doing anything wrong, simply that he found a clever trick that others don't know about. When his mom tells him no more letters, he stops. Also, the author continues to sneak educational material into her compelling stories. This book features idioms, as Stink and his friends are learning about them at school. Stink self-consciously speaks in idioms throughout the novel, and the author compiles a list of all the idioms used in the story at the end of the book. The other teaching point is letters, as Stink gets the idea to write a letter because they are studying letter format in their writing coursework at school. I continue to be impressed with this series, which is both entertaining and enlightening, and consider this book an excellent choice for young readers. ( )

Once Stink came and bought some jaw breakers and the jaw breakers will never melt. It took a lot of days to eat the jaw breaker. Even at breakfast, lunch, dinner, every time he does something he eats the jaw breakers and he thinks that the jaw breakers are good. ( )

The audio recording, narrated by Nancy Cartwright (i.e. the voice of Bart Simpson) was spot on and hilarious. When Judy Moody's little brother Stink buys a supergalactic jawbreaker, he's disappointed that the candy doesn't actually break his jaw, so he writes of his displeasure to the candy company. Lo and behold, they send him an entire box of jawbreakers! And Stink gets a wild idea. If companies will send him free products, Stink is going to start writing letters... a lot.

This is a great listen for families with young children. Every character voice is distinct and the book had me chuckling aloud at many points. Highly recommended. ( )