Fashion Kitty and the B.O.Y.S. (Ball of Yellow String)

Fashion Kitty and the B.O.Y.S. (Ball of Yellow String) by Charise Mericle Harper (NY: Disney Hyperion, 2011). Reviewed from e-galley provided by publisher via netgalley.com.

In this exciting installment of the Fashion Kitty series, Kiki Kittie's superhero alias Fashion Kitty attracts the jealous wrath of the mean-spirited Leon Lambaster the III, who hatches a vicious plan to entrap her. Kiki is transformed into her superhero alterego after a stack of fashion magazines knocks her unconscious on her birthday. Suddenly she can sense fashion emergencies and must fly off to save the unwitting victims. Leon knows her modus operandi and uses it to lay his trap. He's from a family of inventors of yellow objects, most of which don't work very well. One of them is a ball of slimy yellow string that sticks to anyone who handles it unless that person is wearing special gloves. The idea is to spray the string with special supersticky spray, tie it in a not, then spray it with 6-hour spray that will keep the knot in place for six hours. Unfortunately, the spray lasts six days, so it's no good....until Leon decides to use it to make a net to catch Fashion Kitty. He's mad because all the other kitties like Fashion Kitty so much. His own family has constructed a statue of Fashion Kitty out of marshmallows. Leon decides to hide the t-shirts for the t-shirt fashion show at school. This gets Fashion Kitty's attention and she flies in to save the day but gets caught in the slimy net. Luckily, Leon's nice twin Lester realizes the danger Fashion Kitty is in and distracts Leon, who then gets tangled in the string himself and can't spray the net. Fashion Kitty uses her x-ray vision to melt Leon under a pile of marshmallows, then the net dissolves and she escapes. Hurray!

I love Fashion Kitty, and so do lower elementary students, especially girls. Fashion Kitty packs the power of fashion with a fun story and cute graphic novel elements that entice even the most reluctant readers. Highly recommended for ages 6 & up.