Bully-Be-Gone (The Misadventures of Millicent Madding Series #1)

by Brian Tacang

Overview

As an inventor, Millicent knows this formula by heart. But a series of failures -- like the Ever-Juicy Gum Enhancer Pellet (a bit too juicy) and the Retractable Ponytail Holder (a hairy mess) -- have left her a few beakers short on faith. Even Millicent's best friends in The Wunderkind Club are ready to give up on her inventions.

Bully-Be-Gone, her latest creation, should be the breakthrough Millicent needs. After all, her formula for thwarting the enemies of overachievers everywhere is foolproof.

Almost foolproof.

Before long, Millicent has a disaster of monumental proportions on her hands. With only days to concoct an antidote, her friendships -- and her future as an inventor -- hang in the balance.

Brian Tacang's debut novel takes readers on a wild ride through the fantastic town of Masonville, where eccentric scientists and burly librarians, long-lost circus performers and bullies abound, and where science and miracles sometimes collide.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061966637
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	09/15/2009
Series:	Misadventures of Millicent Madding Series , #1
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
File size:	423 KB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Brian Tacang was a fashion designer for many years before becoming a writer. He lives in a haunted house made of dirt in El Prado, New Mexico. This is his second book.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 3-6-Millicent Madding, 12, is descended from a long line of scientists known for their amazing inventions. Six years ago, her parents disappeared while testing their new time machine and Millicent moved in with her absent-minded Uncle Phineas. His wife, a famous acrobat, was shot out of a forceful cannon 20 years ago and has not been seen since. Millicent is a member of the top-secret Wunderkind Club, a group of advanced students who, aided by a very special librarian, meet in a hidden room in the public library. It is at these gatherings that the young people unveil their latest inventions. Since the group is frequently the target of bullies, Millicent creates a fragrance called Bully-Be-Gone. The application of this supposed repellent goes awry like many of her inventions, causing the bullies to become infatuated with their former victims. Millicent's friends are furious with her and she works hard to create an antidote to reverse the effects. However, her uncle's reaction to the scent leads to an unexpected reunion. The book has zippy dialogue and brilliant use of alliteration, and the author shows a Dickensian talent for creating descriptive names. The eccentric characters are fun, and the silly but substantive plot will surely appeal to children.-B. Allison Gray, John Jermain Library, Sag Harbor, NY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Sixth-grader Millicent's best invention ever, a substance that softens the hearts of bullies, has unexpected side effects. Suddenly the bullies who had tormented her friends are following them around, declaring their undying love. And the odor carries over the Curmudgeonly Mountains to a homeless woman who wakes up and remembers her former life as a human cannonball in a circus and as Millicent's Uncle Phineas's wife. While Millicent tries desperately to invent a substance that will counteract Bully-Be-Gone, flouting Uncle Phineas's rule that inventions must improve people's lives, Aunt Felicity charms a bus station porter into getting her on a bus to Masonville, only to have the bus threatened by a blind bear hungry for an eight-person meal. Like the bus carrying the long-lost Aunt Felicity home, the humor in this story of invention-gone-awry teeters on the precipice of over-the-top, depending heavily on coincidence and amnesia. But young readers will giggle at names like Miss Dewey the librarian and Boris Hoggle the piggy-back racer wanna-be, sympathize with Millicent's friendship issues and cheer at the denouement. First in a new series, this will be an easy sell to middle-graders looking for light fare. (Fiction. 8-11)

Kirkus Reviews