Ruff Ruffman, host of the game show Fetch!, has an elimination problem. He needs to go to the bathroom, but his toilet is broken, his plumber is unavailable, and he doesn't want to use his pal Blossom's litter box. What's a dog to do? Well, if that dog is Ruff, the answer is to borrow NASA's space toilet. Too bad said toilet has just blasted off. Includes an experiment at the end, in which children can build water filters from plastic bottles and a variety of filter materials.
While I love the concept of including science in novels for children, the execution here did not work for me. Other than the experiment at the end, the science was minimal, and so obscured by the confusing plot that it was difficult to tell what was factual and what was made up for the sake of the story. Also, the writing felt as if it were trying too hard to be funny, gearing mostly toward potty humor and ridiculous situations. The plot holes were difficult to ignore as well; for example, why wouldn't Ruff simply run next door to use a bathroom there? Or call a different plumber? Or, to fit the humor of the book, wear a diaper? Sometimes ludicrous plots can be fun, but even they have their limits. Finally, the book ended on a cliffhanger, with no resolution at all, which necessitates the purchase of at least the next volume -- and the one after that, if there's no resolution, and the one after that, ad nauseum.
EL -- OPTIONAL. Reviewer: Caryn
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