The Qwikpick Adventure Society (review)

It's a long, boring, celebration-free Christmas Day for three middle-school chums—Dave, who's Jewish; Marilla, who's a Jehovah's Witness; and Lyle, whose parents must work the day shift at the Qwikpick minimart, where the trio generally hang out. A quirky story in the local paper provides inspiration, though: the sewage plant is taking its decades-old sludge fountain off-line and replacing it with a new aeration system on the first of the year. Clearly a farewell visit to the "poop fountain" is in order, and the friends, having appropriately dissembled to their parents, are off. The fountain turns out to be even more impressive—and expansive—than they expected; having been splattered, and in Lyle's case soaked in sludge while trying to retrieve Marilla's lost camera, they are actually relieved when their break-in is discovered by a sympathetic plant worker, who gets them cleaned up, gives them a private tour and an invitation to return anytime, and even takes them home in the municipal truck. Lyle chronicles the event in alternating pages of manuscript and type, peppered with black-and-white snapshots of local landmarks (but not, alas, the poop fountain itself), and even several haiku written in tribute to the marvel of waste treatment. Although the grossout factor is in full play, there's also a genuine sweetness to Lyle's observations about his pals and their friendship, and the day-trip adventure has a ring of authenticity. Whether this is a series in the making isn't entirely clear, but readers who've beheld the wonders of the poop fountain would certainly sign on for ensuing adventures.