I received this book via YA Book Central. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
Butler for Hire! by Tom Angleberger Illustrator: Heather Fox
Series: DJ Funkyfoot #1
Published by Amulet Books on 2021-03-30
Length: 112 pages
Reviewing Hardcover from YA Book Central
Rating:
A wacky spin-off chapter book series in the world of the Flytrap Files, from New York Times bestselling author Tom Angleberger
You’d think from his name that DJ Funkyfoot was a rad hip-hop star, but that’s just the name his parents gave him. DJ Funkyfoot is actually a dog who’s always dreamed of being a butler! He’s the butler-iest butler to have ever buttled, but finding a butler gig is hard these days! So DJ Funkyfoot takes on a job that’s almost like being a butler . . . He becomes a nanny for a baby—and not just any baby: ShrubBaby, an adorable baby shrub. ShrubBaby may seem cute and cuddly, but she’s got a taste for chaos, thrills, fertilizer, and fame! While a nanny might say “no” to this baby’s whims, a good butler says “yes.” So DJ Funkyfoot says “yes” to every single thing ShrubBaby wants to do. When adventure calls, ShrubBaby says, “Let’s go!” and DJ Funkyfoot says, “Very good, m’lady, I’ll fetch your stroller.” The books will take place in the same world as Inspector Flytrap and Didi Dodo, Future Spy, but do not require knowledge of the world.
What a cute story! Butler for Hire! by Tom Angleberger is the first book in a brand new, spin-off series about a chihuahua butler and his new job as a nanny to an adorable baby shrub. Fans of The Flytrap Files may recognize DJ Funkyfoot, the prim and proper former butler of Countess Zuzu Poodle-oo who is frequently misidentified as a hip-hop star. The story begins with Funkyfoot being mistakenly hired as a nanny. Hilarity ensues when Funkyfoot tries to explain the difference between a nanny and a butler to his precocious, inquisitive charge.
Adorable Shrubbaby is a handful and, for Funkyfoot a butler unable to say no, trouble. The trouble begins when Shrubbaby realizes that Funkyfoot must do whatever she wants, and so one misdeed after another lands them in stinky water. The story moves at a fast, fun pace. The illustrations are engaging and as outlandish as some of Shrubbaby’s antics. Children and adults will laugh out loud and enjoy the adventurous day the two have. I personally liked that the story also ended with a moral: sometimes getting what you want isn’t always what you need. This book is perfect for early independent readers with its short chapters and easy to understand language but would also be a fun read aloud. I highly recommend you add it to your own collection.
About Tom Angleberger
Tom Angleberger is the author of the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling Origami Yoda series, as well as Fake Mustache and Horton Halfpott, both Edgar Award nominees, and the Qwikpick Papers series. He is also the author of the transportation picture book McToad Mows Tiny Island. Tom lives with his wife, Cece Bell, in Christiansburg, Virginia.
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