Excellent young reader book, full of outstanding character traits and energy. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one, at the behest of my eldest (8 yo, 3rd grader). Having spent a significant amount of time in the Cincinnati region alone made me grin at certain pieces of the settings. This is very much a book that eggs the young readers on to the rest of the series, and for the push to continue reading, that along earns it three stars. The key to kids wanting to read seems to be making it approachable, engaging, and entertaining for young readers; this is definitely a success in all three areas. ( )

Ages 8-12
Orphans Wally and chyeene are the Shluffmuffin twins Cheyenne has allergies and is allergic and Wally has smelly feet. Picked out of the by the mandible

Dan Greenburg's story about twin orphans being adopted by giant ants that want to use their odors and "snot" to breed ants to take over the world is a little bit over the top and wacky, however it will appeal to fans of this genre who like the silly language and situations, as evidenced by the fact that my 9-year-old son is working his way through all six volumes! The illustrations accompanying this book are black and white and are sufficiently creepy that they work well with the plot. The cliff hanger at the end will get fans wanting to read the next volumes. ( )

Ten year old twins Wally and Cheyenne Shlufmuffin have a lot of problems. When they were seven they lost their parents and grandmother in a few short days due to tragic accidents involving a Porta Potti, angry bunnies, and a nearsighted eagle. Ever since then they have lived in the Jolly Days Orphanage which is anything but jolly. Both would like to be adopted but they each have a major flaw: Cheyenne is allergic to everything you can be allergic to and Wally's feet stink. Both had given up hope that they'd ever be adopted and are pleasantly surprised when sisters Dagmar and Hedy Mandible want to adopt them. Wally, who always sees the bad side of things, is suspicious of the "Onts" (as they wish to be called), but Cheyenne, who always sees the bright side is thrilled. Turns out that Wally is right to be suspicious because the Onts aren't what they seem to be. Soon Wally and Cheyenne have to deal with giant ants, a haunted forest, giant slugs, killer wolfs, and life-size spiders. The Jolly Days Orphanage is starting to look like a good place to live after all!

"The Onts", the first book in the "Secrets of Dripping Fang" series is one of the funniest children's books that I've ever read. Author Dan Greenburg starts the humor by turning the tradition of having orphans as heroes/heroines on its head by having Wally and Cheyenne's parents die truly bizarre deaths. Greenburg basically takes what is the worst thing a child can imagine and uses it in the book in humorous ways. For example, the kids are treated like they are in the army while in the orphanage. Anything bad that happens to the children - the "Onts", the giant slug, and the wolves - is played for laughs rather than horror. Nothing is subtle in the book, the "rules" that the Onts have is a perfect example: (Rule Number 3: any and all unusual noises or odors that we may notice in Mandible House are none of our business and are never to be asked about). Cheyenne's ability to always look on the bright side is also very funny, especially her reaction when she finds out the truth about the Onts. The Onts are also funny rather than truly scary, I loved Hedy's loving nicknames for Wally and Cheyenne even as she was threatening them. Children will love the grosser parts of the story, like when Hedy and Dagmar collect Cheyenne's snotty tissues. Scott Fischer's illustrations are wonderful and add much to the story. Even the descriptions of the author and illustrator at the back of the book are funny.

Well done! ( )

Dan Greenburg’s children’s novel “Secrets of Dripping Fang: Book One – The Onts” is part of a series of books outlining the adventures of the Shluffmuffin orphans. The story starts out with Wally (who has incredibly stinky feet) and Cheyenne (who is allergic to EVERYTHING) who are twins and living in the Jolly Days Orphanage… which is not very jolly at all. After multiple failed attempts at being adopted, the Mandible sisters decided to take the twins home. Everything seemed normal at first until they saw where the sister’s lived. Dripping Fang Forest is a scary place. And there are bars on the window and what’s with all the house rules!? Wally and Cheyanne are in for the adventure of a lifetime…

I am not usually a huge fan of children’s novels, especially series novels, but I didn’t mind this one so much. It reminded me a lot of Lemony Snicket’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events.” The story featured simplistic language appropriate for children’s literature but enough action to keep the reader engaged for the most part. There were illustrations scattered here and there throughout the novel which added support to the text and was not distracting to the reader. This is the first book in the series and Greenburg used a lot of time (about half of the book) setting the stage, giving details of characterization and introducing key players in the ongoing storyline. Without giving away too much detail, I will say that the ‘ending’ or what would be the ending is very much a cliff-hanger. We’re taken out of the story at a critical moment making the reader curious to what will happen and wanting more. I could see children running to their parent(s) after finishing this book and asking to go back to the library right away to get the next in the series. ( )