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Crystal (USA: FL) (2023/06/13):
Summary--Arthur is a disappointment to his family. The Whipples are record breakers, but there’s nothing much unusual about Arthur, although he tries to add to his family’s 49,521 broken records, which include the “Highest Hamster-Piloted Model Rocket Launch Ever Recorded.” The Whipples remain at the forefront of doing things longer, faster, and better until the Goldwin family moves to town, and, as it turns out, the newcomers have mad skills in the record-breaking department. That leads to an interfamily competition of epic proportions. Arthur, who finds a kindred spirit in Ruby Goldwin, continues to try to make his mark, but there’s the matter of the curse on the Whipples as well as two evil clowns—one a giant, one a dwarf. Well, it’s always something. The book’s attempts at an amusing narrative seem forced at times, but Arthur makes an appealing, determined hero, and lots of kids will find the over-the-top competitions enjoyable; an appendix lists an astounding array from the author’s invented “World Record Archives.” Grades 4-6. --Ilene Cooper
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