Septina Nash's sister, Sexta, is missing, and Septina is willing to face mad scientists, ninjas, the need to learn skateboarding, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, penguins, and much more in order to find her--if only her teachers would understand! Subtitled 'from the Desk of Septina Nash,' this epistolary book is a long series of letters that either describe a real, weird, zany adventure, or show just how far one grade-school girl will go to explain why her homework isn't done and she had to skip certain classes.

That this works at all is a tribute to Greg Fishbone's ability to write a central character at once relentlessly likeable and so committed to her way of seeing the world that nothing will stand in her way. It's appeal isn't quite so broad as that of his Galaxy Games--it's bright, high-speed whimsy is more suited to tweens than teens or adults. (Though there were some bits that cracked this 42-year-old up, nonetheless.) That said, it's a great fantasy book for that age group--I'm planning on getting a copy for my niece when she's a bit older. ( )

Reviewed by Natalie Tsang for TeensReadToo.com

Greg R. Fishbone's THE PENGUINS OF DOOM is a wacky, zany trip.

It's a series of letters by Septina Nash, our purple haired protagonist, as she tries to find her missing triplet sister, Sexta.

At first glance, Septina just seems to have an over-reactive imagination. In her letters to the Vice Principal, math teacher, gym teacher, school counselor, and Lieutenant Donna Morse, she describes her adventures of being an extra in music videos, becoming an Olympic freestyle skateboarder, stalker penguins, and having a mortal enemy named Doctor Fignizzi.

But low and behold, when her triplet brother starts backing up her story, we start to wonder if she really is telling the truth. Each reader will have to decide if Septina is a fibber of epic proportions or if she is just endowed with magical experiences. With helpful illustrations, Septina describes her extraordinary life in hilarious terms.

Remember, every number in the world can be made by a combination of 7s and 3s (1=7-3-3, 2=3x3-7, etc), and since Septina is both a seventh child and triplet, that means she can do anything!

Told in a cheerful and unique voice, this is a fun, quick read! ( )