Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers: Captain Underpants, Book 9
By Sandie Angulo Chen,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Fun, clever time-travel plot mixes with usual potty jokes.

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Based on 3 parent reviews
Great book
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What's the Story?
George and Harold were last seen about to be arrested for robbing a bank (a crime actually committed by their evil twins) but were then \"rescued\" by villain Tippy Tinkletrousers, who'd travelled from the future. CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS AND THE TERRIFYING RETURN OF TIPPY TINKLETROUSERS introduces the idea of time-travel paradoxes and how changing just one thing (intervening in the bank robbery) can lead to the eventual end of the world as we know it. The time travel leads to an extended flashback that lasts the bulk of the book, involving the origins of George and Harold's friendship as new neighbors who meet in kindergarten and collaborate on comic books and defeat the school's ring of sixth-grade bullies.
Is It Any Good?
Dav Pilkey is a master of enticing young kids, particularly boys, to their elementary-school libraries by writing exactly at their level -- bathroom humor and all. Although some parents don't appreciate the series' potty jokes and the misspellings (the stories within the book are written by George, in this case a kindergartner!), it's obvious why kids (and adults who enjoy a finely crafted comic adventure filled with toilet and time-travel gags) would find Pilkey's books irresistible.
There's so much to delight readers, from the "Flip-o-Rama" pages to the little interruptions to explain something else pivotal to the story (like the "Banana Cream Pie Paradox"). The book is packed with clever jokes, funny illustrations, and an impressive array of vocabulary words. Finally, readers find out exactly how protagonists/partners George and Harold met as incoming kindergartners -- an epic literary friendship for the under-10 set. And for parents reading along, there are plenty of references that will make grown-ups laugh out loud, like the chapter titled "Break in Two: Electric Boogaloo." Captain Underpants might be silly, but it's also an ingenious way to get young kids to read for pleasure.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why the Captain Underpants series is considered good for reluctant readers. What about these books appeals to kids who otherwise aren't interested in reading?
Why are books that feature bathroom jokes so popular with kids? Do you think this series appeals equally to boys and girls? Why?
What do you think will happen in the final installment? Did all of the flashbacks and time travel get confusing?
Book Details
- Author: Dav Pilkey
- Illustrator: Dav Pilkey
- Genre: Humor
- Topics: Superheroes, Adventures, Friendship
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
- Publication date: August 28, 2012
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 7 - 11
- Number of pages: 304
- Available on: Paperback, Hardback
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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