The Clan of the Scorpion

Originally published in the U.K., this first book in the Ninja Meerkats series introduces Jet Flashfeet, Chuck Cobracrusher, Donnie Dragonjab, and Bruce Willowhammer, four wisecracking meerkats trained in the martial arts. Comparisons to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are both obvious and apt—this crew also has a tendency toward making pun-centric bad jokes, and they have both a Splinteresque sensei and an archrival in the form of the Ringmaster and his two bumbling henchmen. Finlayson’s clean cartoon spot illustrations add to the carnival atmosphere (literally), as the meerkats attempt to recover a rare stolen tiger. Equal parts silliness and action. Available simultaneously: The Eye of the Monkey. Ages 7–9. (Jan.)