Fake Mustache

If the Origami Yoda books hint that Angleberger is just a kid at heart, this madcap adventure seals the deal. Set in the town of Hairsprinkle, it stars seventh-grader Lenny Flem Jr., whose life is upended when his best friend, Casper Bengue, buys a fancy suit and an expensive fake mustache: the Heidelberg Handlebar #7. Soon after, billion-dollar robberies start occurring in Hair-sprinkle, and a mysterious man named Fako Mustacho is quickly becoming a local celebrity—one with major political aspirations. Lenny is sure Casper is behind it all, but with the population under the spell of Fako Mustacho’s fabulous mustache, it’s up to Lenny and TV star Jodie O’Rodeo (think Hannah Montana crossed with Sandy the squirrel from SpongeBob SquarePants) to save the day. And, naturally, a crisis caused by a fake mustache can only be fixed with gag items like a Nasal Gun and an Ultra-Sticky-Stretchy Grabber Hand. There’s no twist too goofy or absurd as Angle-berger pulls out all the stops for this unabashedly silly story. Ages 8–12. Agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (May)