Ask a Ninja Presents the Ninja Handbook: This Book Looks Forward to Killing You Soon

Sarine, Douglas & Kent Nichols. Ask Ninja Presents the Ninja Handbook. Three Rivers: Crown. Sept. 2008. c.336p. illus. pap. SOC SCI~Fans of the web skits and/or teenagers will no doubt enjoy chapter upon chapter of detailed ninja instruction, but anyone else will probably get tired of the repetitive jokes (basic premise: ninja does battle with weird mystical creature, then defeats it in a humorous way). Libraries with specific YA collections will get the most mileage out of this book. Otherwise, not recommended. Background Everyone knows that ninjas are supercool--this cannot be denied. But do ninjas write good books? It's debatable. Sarine and Nichols of Ask-A-Ninja fame, is an attempt to capitalize on the Internet celebrity of its authors. A bit of the endearing humor of the black-clad online ninjitsu instructor finds its way into the handbook, but not really enough to make it appealing to anyone not acquainted with the concept.--John Helling, Bloomfield-Eastern Greene Cty. P.L., IN.