Hot Dog and Bob and the Seriously Scary Attack of the Evil Alien Pizza Person

Copiously illustrated with wacky cartoons, the debut Hot Dog and Bob caper introduces a normal kid named Bob, who discovers a talking hot dog in his lunchbox. The wiener explains that he is from the planet Dogzalot, where Big Bun commands superhero hot dogs, dispatching them on missions "whenever there's big alien trouble on another planet." Because his memory is murky, Hot Dog needs a partner and tells Bob he's the boy for the job. Before Hot Dog can explain his mission on earth, Bob's teacher morphs into Cheese Face, an "evil mutant alien pizza person" (oozing melted mozzarella from every pore). After she turns most of the students into walking, talking pizza slices, Hot Dog flies out of Bob's lunchbox to save the day but can't remember "the plan" and has forgotten that he neglected to relay it to Bob. Pushing buttons on his bun, Hot Dog emits streams of mustard and other condiments, drowning Cheese Face in a "sick sea of slime." But—gasp!—she resurfaces, only to be defeated in a fittingly kooky finale. Those who relish the zaniest sort of slapstick will eat this up and dig into the second helping—Hot Dog and Bob and the Particularly Pesky Attack of the Pencil People (ISBN 0-8118-4464-1)—due the same month. Ages 6-10. (Aug.)