Once again, in the spirit of good-natured fun, we round up silly superlatives to spotlight books worthy of tongue-in-cheek recognition.
Punniest Title: A three-way tie: Sitting Duck by Jackie Urbanovic (HarperCollins/Harper); Noah's Bark by Stephen Krensky, illus. by Rogé (Lerner/Carolrhoda); and Change of a Dress by Maya Gold (launching the Cinderella Cleaners series) (Scholastic Paperbacks).
Least Laid-Back Nursery Rhyme:The Eensy Weensy Spider Freaks Out (Big Time) by Troy Cummings, in which this arachnid realizes she's washed out—but not washed up. (Random House)
Book Best Kept Hidden from Peace-Loving Parents:Bro-Jitsu: The Martial Art of Sibling Smackdown by Daniel H. Wilson, illus. by Les McClaine. (Bloomsbury)
Group That's Best Avoided at All Costs:The Barefooted, Bad-Tempered Baby Brigade by Deborah Diesen, illus. by Tracy Dockray. (Tricycle)
Least Likely Competitors: The eponymous combatants of Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton, illus. by Tom Lichtenheld, who go one-on-one in marshmallow toasting, bowling, and lemonade stand—running contests. (Little, Brown)
Most Disturbing—Yet Hilarious—Image:Barry the Fish with Fingers by Sue Hendra. As if the image of a fish with fingers wasn't bizarre enough, Barry's digits look like perfectly fried fish sticks. (Knopf)
Worst YA Novel to Read Before a Blind Date:Wolves, Boys, & Other Things That Might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler. (Viking)
Title Most Likely to Provoke Disagreement from Facebook Addicts:Friend Is Not a Verb by Daniel Ehrenhaft. (HarperTeen)
Book—Audio CD Package We'd Rather Read Than Hear (and for Which We're Grateful There's No Scratch-and-Sniff Component):The Fart Fairy by Bobbie Hinman, illus. by Mark Wayne Adams. (Best Fairy Books)
Title That Best Embodies the Subject It Covers:Mimi's Dada Catifesto by Shelley Jackson, about a cat that discovers Dadaism. (HMH/Clarion)
Story Most Likely to Make Kids Rethink Lawn Ornaments:Lawn to Lawn by Dan Yaccarino, which follows a garden gnome, jockey, pink flamingo, and plastic deer on an adventurous journey. (Knopf)
Most Eggstraordinary Plot:The Great Eggscape by Susan Glass, in which a cookie saves the day when two bad eggs wreak havoc in the fridge. (Star Bright)
