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Summary
Summary
Meet Clarence, a rickety old truck who goes from average to awesome when an unexpected trip through a mysterious truck wash transforms him.
With pumped-up tires, a revved-up engine, and a squeaky-clean exterior, Clarence becomes a town hero! In his first adventure, Clarence--aka "Mighty Truck"--pulls a friend from the mud, rescues a kitten, and stops a loose beam from destroying Axleburg.
Fans of Disney's Cars and Thomas the Tank Engine will love this action-packed picture book, illustrated by Troy Cummings and written by bestselling author Chris Barton (of Shark vs. Train)!
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Clarence is an ordinary, dusty four-wheeler, until a truck wash during a lightning storm transforms him into an extraordinary, "really, wheely powerful" superhero. No one recognizes this glistening, "shiny-clean stranger" who comes to the aid of those in need. With a turbo-charged push, he gets his friend Bruno out of a mud jam. He revs his engine and rescues a kitten stuck in a tree, and he even scales tall buildings with his inflated tires and saves the town from impending doom by welding a falling steel girder with his headlight laser beams. Back down on the ground, covered in dirt again, Clarence doesn't reveal his alter ego, content in knowing that transformation is "only a wash away." Cummings's bright cartoons are full of energy and excitement, and the monster vehicle's emotions are written all over his windshield. VERDICT Here's hoping there are more adventures to come for this Mighty Truck champion.-Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
After he stops at a car wash to get clean, truck Clarence is transformed into Mighty Truck and performs acts of superpowered heroism. This book will thrill the truck- and superhero-besotted; what's more, with its secret-identity twist--Clarence's boss doesn't recognize him as Mighty Truck--it's ripe for a sequel. Cummings infuses his sleek, chunky digital illustrations with an improbable amount of heart. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
An adventure-loving truck discovers an alter ego when his boss demands a trip through the car wash. Clarence is an old-fashioned-looking pickup truck with wooden rails, but his most obvious characteristic is that he's filthy. Even an imminent thunderstorm won't clean him off, but a lightning strike may have something to do with his transformationwhen he drives away, he is gleaming, feeling "really wheely powerful," and unrecognizable to his co-workers. Indeed, the shiny red monster truck with "MT" emblazoned on the side and huge tires is a far cry from the dirty pickup of the beginning. But truck lovers won't care, as underdog Clarence proceeds to rescue truck-friend Bruno from the mud, a cat from a tree, and a line of traffic from a beam teetering on a high-rise under construction, each daring superhero feat cementing his new identity as Mighty Truck. By the end, he's dirty again, but he won't share his secretwho wants to miss all the fun that comes with getting dirty when getting clean is "only a wash away"? Cummings' Photoshop illustrations emphasize textures: dirt in all its formsthe dirt covering the trucks, the dirt in the tire treads, mudthe sheen of windows and chrome, the roughness of asphalt. Readers may remark on the unfairness of Clarence's having to wash when Bruno is just as dirty, though. Truck enthusiasts will wheely groove on this story of a truck Superman. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Disney's Cars meets Superman in this cheery tale of a little pickup truck that gets super souped-up powers. Clarence the truck works at a construction site, where he can't help getting really wheely dirty. As a result, Clarence's steamroller boss orders him to visit a truck wash. In the midst of getting thoroughly sudsed, lightning strikes, and Clarence is transformed into a powerful monster truck. He uses his new powers for good: aiding his buddy the cement mixer, who gets stuck; rescuing a cat from a tree; and even revving up and zooming to the top of a building under construction, where he stops a beam from falling. The digital illustrations are vibrant and filled with movement; the vehicles have facial expressiveness thanks to the illustrator using windshield wipers as eyebrows and front grilles for grins and grimaces. A high-octane adventure for car-crazy kids. Readers will also want to check out Stephen Savage's Supertruck (2015) and Barton's Shark vs. Train (2010).--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2016 Booklist