Fart Quest by Aaron Reynolds (review)

Bartok, better known as Fart, is apprenticed to a powerful mage, but when what should be a simple battle with goblins results in their masters' getting vaporized, Fart and fellow apprentices Moxie and Pan decide to complete their quests on their own and prove themselves as heroes. The kids have a lot to learn about being heroes, such as the importance of trusting one another and the fact that picking spells based on their hilarious names isn't the best technique. That doesn't stop them from being hired by a wizard, The Great and Powerful Kevin, to find a golden llama and capture its gaseous output. As the title suggests, Reynolds happily embraces potty humor, which is sure to delight fans of Dav Pilkey and Jeff Kinney. Within all of the crassness, this is a story of friendship and belonging, where Fart and friends must work together to defeat all manner of evils and discover that, while they may have lost their masters and their families, they've managed to build a tribe of their own. Kendell's art adds a diary-esque flair, with a cartoonish twist. This is a happily silly introduction to the world of fantasy and tabletop gaming, and Fart is sure to fight his way into readers' hearts, especially with the promise of plenty more adventures.