Hunter Moran Saves the Universe (review)

After intercepting a cryptic phone call, fifth-grader Hunter Moran becomes convinced that the dastardly dentist down the street is planning to bomb his small town and only Hunter and his twin, Zack, can save Newfield from certain doom. Sure, Hunter only heard some static and a few vague references to agents, and absolutely zero references to bombs. It's summer vacation, though, and the brothers need something to occupy their time, so a few well-planned forays into bomb defusing, spy-catching, and general mischief are just the ticket. This is an amusing tale of an imagination gone wild, a affectionate tribute to a kid whose mischief is entirely warm-hearted and endearing. Hunter's voice is pitch-perfect as a boy who is completely unaware of the chaos he tends to cause, and his genuine surprise at finding himself in the middle of the hullabaloo is often as amusing as the hullabaloo itself. Quirky secondary characters round out the cast, with Hunter's chocolate-loving younger brother Steadman deserving of a book in his own right. While even youngsters with a penchant for pretend play will find Hunter's dentist/bomb scheme a bit unbelievable, they will certainly understand his need to create some excitement and will be happy to join him in doing so.