7 Ate 9: The Untold Story by Tara Lazar (review)

Before you finish that punchline, you should know that you might be framing an innocent man—er, number. The story behind the joke begins in Private I’s office, where 6 is begging for I’s help after hearing the rumor that 7 took a bite out of 9. I is on the case, tracking down potential witnesses and stopping at Café Uno to figure out who the real culprit could be after learning 7 has been on vacation (seeing the Seven Wonders of the World). Hmm, could 6 not be who he claims to be? The puns fly fast and furious here, and they are made even more amusing by I’s deadpan narration; eventually, though, the humor falls flat, with the joke getting relentlessly hammered through repetition. The expressive figures (ha) are a delight, though, with character given to each—8’s a snazzy gal with a neat belt (which she releases to camouflage herself as 0 when she hears 7 is on the loose), and I’s perpetually quirked eyebrow and snazzy bowler hat marks him as a classic gumshoe. For the kid who’s still building his joke repertoire, this will add some solid zaniness, and it might also land well with DiPucchio’s similarly punny Everyone Loves Cupcake (BCCB 9/16).