Masters of Disaster by Gary Paulsen
112 p. Random House Children's Books, August, 2010.
Henry announces to his two best buds, Riley and Reed, that their lives are boring and he has a plan for bringing some adventure to spice things up. His first plan involves the Guinness Book of World Records, a bike, a neighbor's steeply pitched roof and somersaults. Since Henry is the brains of the operation and Riley's recording skills are needed to, well, record the event, that leaves Reed to be the stunt man. He's not too happy about this as evidenced by the fact that Henry has to pry Reeds fingers from the banister of the stairs leading up to the roof. Reed is not too worry though. Henry has gathered tons of safety equipment and is tying Reed's hands to the bike's handlebars so that he won't fall off. What ensues is a funny, don't-try-this-at-home stunt involving poopy diapers. Too bad there were no other witnesses to Reed's feat. Henry vows to videotape their next adventure.
The chapters that follow are episodic, really. Each is a self-contained story in which Henry hatches a new plan for "Becoming Men of Action!" Riley records and Reed performs. To say that it never ends well for Reed is an understatement. Encounters with solid waste were never so creatively described. If the schemes seem over the top and the executions strains credulity, just let it go and enjoy. This is definitely one to hand to boys and reluctant readers.