Secrets of Dripping Fang, Book One, The Onts

Secrets of Dripping Fang, Book One, The Onts

Author: Dan Greenburg

Plot Summary:

The Shluffmuffin twins, Wally and Cheyenne, became orphans after extremely tragic events did away with their father, mother, and grandmother...in the same week. They are only two of the many hopefuls at the Jolly Days orphanage waiting to be adopted and taken away to a nice home. But Wally’s stinky feet and Cheyenne’s plethora of allergies makes them believe that this will never happen. But when the Mandible sisters, Heddie and Dagmar, approach Hortance Jolly, the Jolly Days owner, asking for children with stinky feet and allergies it’s Wally and Cheyenne’s lucky day. Heddie and Dagmar take Wally and Cheyenne home and insist that they call them ‘Onts’. They immediately begin to collect Cheyenne’s sneeze tissues full of snot and Wally’s foot odor in a bottle, which sparks the Shluffmuffin twins as bizarre.

Little do the Shluffmuffins know that Mandible house is full of rules and mystery. After the Mandibles strictly tell them about the rules of the house, they feed Wally and Cheyenne a dinner of sweets. Wally thinks he witnesses that Heddie has more than one set of hands and this urges him to further explore Mandible house, disregarding the rules. When Wally finds out that in the house cellar, where he has sworn not to go, the Mandible sisters are growing a civilization of human-sized ants, he runs to tell Cheyenne what he has seen. But the Mandible sisters find out that Wally has broken the rules and they mention that they are growing these eggs so they can take over the planet. The ants require snot and foot smells in order to grow, which is why they have been collecting these things from Wally and Cheyenne. They also reveal that they themselves (the Mandibles) are giant ants and they will have to now kill Wally and Cheyenne because they know their secrets.

Terror sends Wally and Cheyenne running for their lives into the dangerous Dripping Fang Forest of Cincinnati, Ohio. Here they have to fight off a glowing slug, outwit a pack of wacky wolves, and seek shelter in the home of a doctor who is married to a giant spider. When they call Hortance Jolly she insists that they not mess things up with the Mandible sisters. Wally and Cheyenne have no where to turn to.

Ages: 8-12

Genre: Humor, Mystery

Other books in series:

▪ The Onts (#1)

▪ Treachery and Betrayal at Jolly Days (#2)

▪ The Vampire's Curse (#3)

▪ Fall of the House of Mandible (#4)

▪ The Shluffmuffin Boy is History (#5)

▪ Attack of the Giant Octopus (#6)

▪ Please Don't Eat the Children (#7)

▪ When Bad Snakes Attack Good Children (#8)

Character list:

Wally Shluffmuffin: Brother of Cheyenne who has terrible foot odor

Cheyenne Shluffmuffin: Sister of Wally who has terrible allergies

Heddie Mandible: Sister of Dagmar who is a giant ant. The meaner one.

Dagmar Mandible: Sister of Heddie who is a giant ant. The nicer one.

Hortance Jolly: Owner of Jolly Days orphanage where Wally and Cheyenne live before going with the Mandable sisters.

High interest annotation:

This book, although mysterious and serious at times, offers a great amount of humorous content. Dealing with personal imperfections such as stinky feet and allergies, this book is great for the reader who might be experiencing issues of similar relation. There are hilarious encounters with great characters who highlight the main characters’ search for acceptance and love.