The 26-story treehouse

Review by Booklist Review

Having added 13 more stories to the dream mansion described in The 13-Story Treehouse (2013), Andy and Terry attempt to complete another manuscript by relating the backstory of their lives, but their work is interrupted by a visit from a pirate from the past. This zany sequel, as much cartoon illustration as text, is an almost nonstop adventure involving self-inflating underpants, fish with bad breath, sharks with zippered bellies, 78 flavors of ice cream, and several disasters, before its explosive finish. Mr. Big Nose, the publisher, is impatient for more. Can the 52-story model be far behind?--Isaacs, Kathleen Copyright 2014 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Twice the treehouse, twice the fun? You bet. Griffiths and Denton follow the uproarious The 13-Story Treehouse with another cartoon-laden carnival of slapstick and self-referential humor-this time, with pirates. It isn't just best buddies Andy and Terry's treehouse that's grown: this book is about 100 pages longer than its predecessor, extra space that lets Griffiths and Denton devote six pages to the 78 flavors of ice cream at the treehouse's ice-cream parlor, more than 20 pages to a pirate-themed nursery rhyme, and dozens more to the stories-within-the-story that Andy, Terry, their friend Jill, and the dread pirate Captain Woodenhead recount. Whether it's Jill and her menagerie of animals stacked precariously on a tiny iceberg or a giant, smelly fish head orbiting the Earth (it's an important plot point), Denton's furiously scrawled line drawings milk the silly, gross-out gags for everything they're worth. Kids should be flipping pages faster than a pair of inflatable underpants can skyrocket the young heroes to safety (it's also an important plot point). Best of all, Terry and Andy leave readers with a blueprint for a 39-story sequel. Ages 8-12. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-6-Andy and Terry, introduced in The 13-Story Treehouse (Feiwel & Friends, 2013), have expanded their incredible arboreal residence by adding several exciting features, including a robot-controlled ice-cream parlor, a mud-fighting arena, an ATM (Automatic Tattoo Machine), and the Maze of Doom. Their publisher, Mr. Bignose, is demanding their next book, so the friends attempt to tell stories about how they met and how they first built their treehouse. They also have to cope with a tank of sick, underwear-eating sharks and a pack of invading buccaneers. Similar in design to Jeff Kinney's "Diary Of A Wimpy Kid" series (Abrams), these 13 wacky, interconnected stories integrate print and graphic elements, with comic-book-style panels, word balloons, and text blocks, which blend together seamlessly. Different font styles help distinguish the storytelling sections from the main action. The conversational, matter-of-fact narration is a delightful contrast to the off-the-wall story line. Wildly humorous without being smart-alecky or sarcastic, this is a top choice for middle-grade readers.-Elaine E. Knight, formerly at Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Horn Book Review

Author friends Andy and Terry (The 13-Story Treehouse) have expanded their treehouse with floors that include a robot-run ice cream shop, skate ramp with crocodile pit, and an antigravity chamber. The tale of how they met and these adventures become the stories in their next book. Humorous illustrations fill the pages. Fans will rejoice: a concluding blueprint shows plans for another thirteen floors. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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CHAPTER 1 THE 26-STORY TREEHOUSE Hi, my name is Andy. This is my friend Terry. We live in a tree. Well, when I say "tree," I mean treehouse. And when I say "treehouse," I don't just mean any old treehouse--I mean a 26- story treehouse! (It used to be a 13-story treehouse, but we've added another 13 stories.) So, what are you waiting for? Come on up! We've added a bumper car rink, a skate ramp (with a crocodile-pit hazard), a mud-fighting arena, an ice-skating pond (with real, live ice-skating penguins), a recording studio, a mechanical bull called Kevin, an ATM (that's an Automatic Tattoo Machine, in case you didn't know), an ice-cream parlor with seventy-eight flavors, run by an ice cream-serving robot called Edward Scooperhands, and the Maze of Doom--a maze so complicated that nobody who has gone in has ever come out again. As well as being our home, the treehouse is also where we make books together. I write the words and Terry draws the pictures. As you can see, we've been doing this for quite a while now. Sure, Terry can be a bit annoying at times ... but mostly, we get on pretty well. CHAPTER 2 THE STORY OF HOW WE MET If you're like most of our readers, you're probably wondering how Terry and I met. Well, it's a long story, but it's a pretty exciting one and it starts like this.... RING! RING! RING! RING! RING! RING! Excuse me for a minute. That's our video phone. I'd better answer it. It's probably Mr. Big Nose, our publisher. Yep, I was right. It's Mr. Big Nose. Nobody else in the world has a nose that big. "What took you so long?" he says. "I'm a busy man, you know!" "But it was only six rings," I say. "Don't argue!" he says. "I'm a busy man--I don't have time to argue. How's the new book going?" "So far, so good," I say. "I'm telling the story of how Terry and I met." "Great idea!" says Mr. Big Nose. "How did you two clowns meet, anyway?" "Well, it's a long story," I say, "but it's a pretty exciting one, and--" "I don't have time to listen to long stories," says Mr. Big Nose. "Save it for the book. Just make sure it's on my desk by next Friday!" The screen goes blank. Friday? But that's only next week! That doesn't leave much time. I'd better get moving. Now, where was I? Let me see ... "Andy!" says Terry, bursting into the kitchen. "We've got a problem!" "What sort of problem?" I say. "The sharks are sick!" "What's the matter with them?" "They ate my underpants!" Text copyright © 2012 by Backyard Stories Pty Ltd. Illustrations copyright © 2012 by Terry Denton Excerpted from The 26-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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