THE MINISTRY OF S.U.I.T.S, by Paul Gamble

The story: Jack's curiosity is going to get him killed, Mom warns. But our hero never thought it would get him a job at the Ministry of S.U.I.T.s (Strange, Unusual & Impossible Things)...and yet, here he is. Operatives use The Speed--and other arcane techniques--to keep one step ahead of the world's biggest cache of pirates, all the dinosaurs that didn't go extinct, and a steampunk monster. And if you think THAT sounds funny, check out the narrator's footnotes!

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes PG (megalomaniac trying to take over the world); overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: I thought this book was hilarious--it had a bunch of laugh-out-loud moments, and I'm a grown up! Plus, there's the best use of footnotes since Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus series. Simply because of its size, it's better for good 5th grade readers, and up.