Brainwashed!

Disaster Diaries #3

by R. McGeddon

Sitting Duck is good.

Questions are bad. Obedience is good.

This book is GOOD.

(Do you feel brainwashed yet?)

Sitting Duck is the kind of town where the mayor was vaporized by aliens, so there is a vacancy. Ravenous zombie hordes and swarms of power-hungry aliens are just some of the disasters that the town has faced, so this new mayor had better be good.

Now a new evil genius has arisen—and he’s running for mayor! Thanks to his homemade brainwashing device, he just might win the election and then move on to world domination. Are Sam, Arty, and Emmie brave enough to save the day? Or will they totally lose their minds?

Filled with funny illustrations and laugh-out-loud hijinks, Disaster Diaries: Brainwashed! will entertain young readers—or else! Plus it offers nifty tips and tricks on how to spot a hypno-trance or break into a secret base.

Genres: Humor

208 pages, Hardcover

First published July 3, 2014

Reviews

[Stacey Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sam, Arty nad Emmie are out to save Sitting Duck again. In a mayoral race Sam's father is up against Dr. Noah Goode. Dr. Goode s not so good. When a TV broadcast is shown Emmie isn't watching but it seems like everyone else was .....and was brainwashed. Emmie has to get Sam and Arty to listen to her and unwash their brains before Dr. Goode takes over the world. It's a race against time as Emmie does her best to fake being one of the brainwashed to help the others. A fun story with characters you can get behind and root for. Written with helpful, well not really....but fun, tips along the way. Humorous and exciting this book is full of goofiness, laughs and adventure in the strange town of Sitting Duck where nothing is really normal.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chapter book for grades 3-7. I think this would be a good read-aloud as it is written with a lot of dialogue and humor. I think it will be appealing to students. The illustrations convey the emotions and funny craziness.

[Octavia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so freaking much! It's adorable, and funny, but also sassy. So sad this is the last one....so far

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a book is written by an author with this particular name, readers should know they're in for a fun time. Having survived attacks from aliens and zombies, the small town of Sitting Duck now is in the middle of a mayoral campaign. But as its citizens start behaving alike and moving in lock step, it becomes apparent that they've been brainwashed. Naturally, a power mad genius who wants to use the town to launch his plans for world domination is behind all this odd behavior. It's up to Sam, Arty, and Emmie to save the day and figure out how to stop him. The book amused me, in particular its passages about the crush Jesse has that leads him to write bad love poetry for Priscilla Goode, the villain's fetching daughter who is as much a part of his plot as her father. There are various tips for dealing with tough situations included in the book, all of which add to the humor. Although I don't see this so much as a diary, I still was very amused as will be most middle grade readers.

[Pixelatedparent · Rating 4 out of 5]

A silly, fun, story about three friends who are constantly having to come to the rescue of their home town of Sitting Duck. The writing and illustrations are smart and witty, and perfect for confident readers of 8-11. My ten year old loved it and I suspect we shall be reading more of this series!