Mercy Watson: Something Wonky This Way Comes by Kate DiCamillo

Mercy Watson hits a pig and butter bonanza when Mr. and Mrs. Watson decide to take the family to the Bijou to see When Pigs Fly. Even though Mercy’s favorite food is toast with a great deal of butter on it, the Bijou offers real butter on their buckets of popcorn, and those buckets are bottomless.

Predictably, neighbors Baby and Eugenia Lincoln climb in the backseat, followed closely by neighborhood children Frank and Stella. Some familiar characters are already at the drive-in. Officer Tomilello is in attendance with his wife and former burglar Leroy Ninker is now a reformed thief and cowboy-in-training, gainfully employed selling bottomless buckets of real-buttered popcorn.

With a familiar cast of characters now set, the now familiar chaos that follows Mercy Watson arrives as well. Mr. Watson and Frank leave to get popcorn, but Mercy, the scent of butter in the air, leaves to investigate on her own. Finding a large bucket of popcorn in the hands of a little girl, she helps herself. The young girl’s buttery scream of distress draws the attention of Officer Tomilello, cowboy-in-training Leroy Ninker, and Animal Control Officer Francine Poulet, who is also in attendance. Soon readers’ favorite firefighters, Ned and Lorenzo, are called.

Let the chase begin.

Mercy chases more popcorn. Everyone else chases Mercy. The chaos at the drive-in is absolutely thrilling to Mercy who always has loved a good chase. Finally, as they have in previous Mercy Watson stories, Ned and Lorenzo save the day, and everyone enjoys some hot buttered toast.

Readers can expect to enjoy Something Wonky This Way Comes as much as Kate DiCamillo’s other Mercy Watson books. Probably as much as Mercy enjoys hot toast with a great deal of butter on it.