The heroes of these books, George and Harold, are hardly good kids, endlessly pulling pranks and annoying people. But when there is a problem, they do whatever it takes to set things right, whether or not they are at fault. They are very creative, they don't take things personally, and they are quite forgiving and good-hearted. George and Harold do love potty humor, which I know annoys a lot of parents. My daughter thinks it's hilarious, and who am I to tell her what is funny? We talked about what is appropriate to say around people, and what might make others uncomfortable. And while potty humor isn't my thing, there is enough humor for adults that I don't mind when she reads them to me, which she insists on doing fairly often. I get the feeling Dav Pilkey genuinely likes and understands children, and the "About the Author" section makes it sound like the books came from his own childhood imagination. With so many moralistic, sanitized children's books for sale, I thought it was a relief to find some that were purely for fun. I know a lot of parents give these books to reluctant readers, but enthusiastic readers also like them. They also invite kids to make up their own superheroes and villains, and to try drawing and writing stories. The violence is cartoony, but it is in there, and parents trying to minimize exposure to violent stories might want to give them a miss.

Disgusting. Not worth your time.

We laughed out loud together as we read this book.

If you want your kid to start making bathroom jokes at the table, buy this book. I really think it's closer to the iffy side than anything else. I had bought a couple of these for my son, but we read them together and I was so grossed out. When did it become acceptable for children to speak this way in society? When I was a child, we never learned to speak in such ways. We were taught it was socially unacceptable and rude, and as our mother always told us, nobody would ever invite us to their dinner table with mouths like that. There are so many better things for children to be reading than these.

Honestly, I never had any issues with these books. I never had a negative effect with them and often found myself crying with laughter over how funny these all are. I would say that any kid over 8 should be fine as long as they don't start getting mouthy or anything. It really is pretty dang funny XD

Most people have pointed out how uneducational and trashy this series can be, and I fully agree. With villains like Professor Poopypants and Wedgie Woman, toilet humour is inevitable in these books. However, it wouldn't matter if it was a graphic novel about Richard Simmons on a quest to find a magical talking leotard of wisdom and prosperity... if it's a gateway book to reading, it's a good thing, regardless of how immature it can be. And yes, it is immature, but it got a lot of kids hooked on reading when it came out (what do you expect kids to read in elementary school? Pride and Prejudice?), and not only that, but it's got those random moments on occasions that are just wildly hilarious-- to me, at least.

it is a good book but gross,like where do you get the ideas of a 3-d hypno ring that turns your grumpy princable to a super hero that saves the world and battles dr. diaper. And that is also violence. and there is bad messages played by the role models which make them bad. Like them changing the ad that was on the board to something gross. But most small kids will think is pretty funny even i think it is kinda funny. but it is a good book for 6+.

Well, James has always loved these books, but I find them awful. I wish he would move on to a different series already, but at least he can't stop reading!