Attack of the Mole Master: Sidekicks #3    by Dan Danko & Barry Gott Order:  USA  Can Little, Brown & Co., 2004 (2004) Paperback Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Sidekicks (kids with odd talents, sponsored by super-egoistic superheroes) are back with more supreme silliness in The Attack of the Mole Master. It begins with the usual bean counting at the Sidekick Clubhouse, sidetracked by a pizza outing, and a family picnic made especially absurd by the use of 'Identity Containment Apparatus' disguises for parents. Guy/Speedy (he runs super fast) still has a crush on Prudence Cane, who's all eyes for Mandrake/Charisma Kid, leading to Speedy's realization that 'Sometimes being a Sidekick sucks, but being a teenager always sucks.' Just after Guy, crazed by his crush on Prudence (if she were a banana split 'she'd be four blond scoops of vanilla with a bucket of hot fudge and a mountain of nuts'), speeds his way onto the football team, the latest attack erupts, literally, from under the ground. It's the two feet tall, pink-nosed Mole Master on a worm 'about the size of a 747' (has someone been watching Dune?), preparing to take over the neighborhood. As usual, the superheroes are all busy elsewhere and the worm starts swallowing Sidekicks, including a wannabe named Commander Farto (guess what he's good at!). As always, Speedy ends up alone against evil - but what's that 'brown bolt' in the background? Sadly, poor Speedy is stuck with Pumpkin Pete as his superhero sponsor, and Pete always runs away from trouble and towards glory after his Sidekick has disposed of the villains. But Speedy's been helped more than once by 'the man in brown', whom he learns a little more about this time, including the fact that 'The Strike' disappeared twelve years before. Looks like a touch of mystery will enliven future Sidekicks antics. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews