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Sep 07, 2015
Dav Pilkey has something big with his Captain Underpants series. Starting in 1997, 18 years later the books are still going strong. However, the 8th book in the series, Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People, has something different about it. For one, it was the last book by Dav before suffering Writer’s Block, resulting in a hiatus for the series for 6 years. But even with underlying themes and problems, this book is still a great addition to the series, proving that Dav doesn’t run out of ideas for his books. The book starts where the last one left off; The 2 main characters, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, have befriended a bionic hamster named Sulu and a pterodactyl named Crackers. However, due to events in the previous book, George, Harold, Sulu and Crackers are stuck in an alternate reality in which everything is opposite to their reality. For example, the school’s smartest kid Melvin Sneedly struggles to read, the villains from the previous books are now good, and the school is welcoming and fun. This is all contrary to their own reality, in which the school is a miserable cesspool filled with bullies, idiocy and overall resentment towards imagination. The problem begins when George and Harold encounter the evil Captain Underpants (Captain Blunderpants), as well as evil versions of themselves. What makes this book so great is exactly what makes the rest of the Captain Underpants books great. From start to finish, Dav makes sure to innovate and keep readers interested. Exploring the idea of an alternate reality is something most children’s books keep away from doing due to the surplus of information and head-wrapping needed to fully grasp a multiverse. While this was likely not Mr. Pilkey’s intention, this isn’t the only time Pilkey has referenced science in his books. Another welcome quality of the novel is the overall interesting alternate reality plot, the lack of oversaturating the same jokes, and the constant breaking of the 4th wall by George and Harold. Both George and Harold are well aware of their existence inside a book and make it known, which is bound to make children and adults chuckle. Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People was the last anybody saw of Captain Underpants for 6 years. But Pilkey’s consistent work has shown to hang with the test of time, as even today, this book is considered a great one. The beauty of the Captain Underpants books is that even with toilet humor, children’s jokes and the setting being an elementary school, the series can be enjoyed by anybody. The 7th book in the series is concrete proof of just that.