While the plot with the four characters is ongoing, chapters are inserted to provide the stories of the absent brothers: Frances, who is attending a military school, and Dewey, who is having his own adventures. Frances, the eldest brother, has a dilemma involving his overbearing Commandant Spangler and a game of billiards. Because Spangler thinks that Frances has been letting him win, he wants a fair contest, but the other cadets know that they will be in for major punishment if Frances wins. Dewey, the youngest brother, has been left at home with the grandmotherly Mrs. White. After Dewey calls 911 when Mrs. White collapses, he follows a balloon and goes on a series of adventures with a lady farmer in a tractor and migrant workers before finally being returned home by a motorcycle gang.

      The intended audience would enjoy the three subplots which are interspersed throughout the plot. The humour is juvenile but effective for middle years students. Periodically, Malcolm inserts a commentary in which he gives views about his life and events. The characters tend to be stereotypical of the age group with the parents being less than perfect role models for the boys. One possible concern with language occurs on page 43 where the mother says, "What is wrong with you two? Are you aborigines?"

      Naturally, those early adolescents who enjoy the television show will be attracted to the print version of the characters and their bickering antics. A title which can be recommended to reluctant readers as well as those students who enjoy slapstick humour.

Recommended.