Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Brainy twins fight evil onstage in silly, fun sequel.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Now 13, twins John and Abigail Templeton are just settling in on the campus of TAPAS (the Technical Academy for the Performing Arts and Sciences), whose administrators hope Professor Templeton's latest invention will restore the college's fortunes. Alas, the villainous Dean brothers, who caused so much mayhem in The Templeton Twins Have an Idea, are back with more evil plots. As John and Abigail, their dog Cassie, and their nanny Manny try to help the professor and save the day, the Narrator continues to obscure the story with a steady stream of wisecracks, complaints, footnotes on foreign words, pop quizzes, and a recipe for coleslaw.
Is It Any Good?
If the Narrator -- whiny, wisecracking, self-promotional, and prone to distraction -- drove you insane in the first Templeton Twins book, you're in for more of the same in this one. Here's an example, midway through a guacamole recipe vaguely related to the story: "This whole topic is becoming somewhat annoying. I've decided I don't want to talk about guacamole. It upsets me. Instead I'm going to teach you how to make coleslaw." On the plus side, if the Narrator's shenanigans had you in stitches, you'll be in heaven.
Still, both the Narrator and the other, much-eclipsed characters have benefited from the first volume's scene-setting and are making themselves at home in the emerging formula, which takes the Templetons and their "ridiculous dog" to a new campus and new adventures with each volume. As Jeremy Holmes' intricate, hilarious illustrations prove, the fact that the whole thing is cartoonish adds to the fun.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the Narrator. Do you like stories wherein the narrator is constantly calling attention to himself, or do you wish he'd just get on with the story?
Do you think it would be fun to live on a different college campus every year? What would you like about it?
Do you think the professor's advice -- to figure out what problem you're trying to solve -- is something you'd find useful in real life? Or do you prefer the coleslaw recipe?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Jeremy Holmes
- Genre : Humor
- Topics : Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Chronicle Books
- Publication date : October 15, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 261
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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