SNOODLES IN SPACE (A Snoodle, the Zoodle Kidoodles, and One Happy Schmoodle) by Steven Joseph is the second story in what the author describes as the “Snoodleverse”, a world that is dominated by the wonderful inventions of Herbie Snoodleman (the first book is Snoodles, Kidoodles, Poodles and Lots and Lots of Noodles). The premise is delightfully daft. In the future, technology is run on noodles. Vehicles invented by Snoodleman get their power from “Ramenoleum”; the intrepid inventor branches out into cellular phones with his “Snoodmob”; even sculptures in art galleries are made out of spaghetti. Before long, the evil Zoodles kidnap the parents of the book’s heroes, Briana Brainy and Ricky Rockadoodle, who go into space to rescue them. The book is lively illustrated by Andy Case with full-page illustrations throughout, and dialog is rendered in a combination of narration and speech bubbles.
A drawback to the story is that there are so many ideas flying around that it becomes difficult to discern a coherent throughline. Early on, the rivalry between Snoodleman and his brother Sour (a rival inventor) is established. Shortly afterward, we learn that Briana and Ricky are the source of frustration for their parents, who would rather they carry on the family baking business than pursue their passions (brain surgery and rocket science respectively – both come in handy later in the story). And the Zoodles kidnap the children’s parents because they got so used to belittling their society’s great thinkers that no-one wanted to pursue intellectual occupations any more, leaving their people short of knowledge.
There are important moral lessons here, but the resolutions are a little rushed. Readers never see or understand why the two inventors reconcile – in fact, Sour segues from anticipating revenge to palling up with his estranged brother at the end without any sort of explanation, except the promise of being a hero if he pulls off the rescue. Moreover, the children’s parents never show understanding that their children are uninterested in the family business. Action is, of course, all-important in children’s fiction, and there is plenty of this in the story; but too are character motivations, and these are not always well communicated to the reader. Ultimately, the snag here may have more to do with length than with plot. SNOODLES IN SPACE is brimming with ideas – too many, perhaps, for such a short book. At 62 pages, it struggles to cover the ground it wants to cover, and a two-volume story might have been a better bet. But the Snoodleverse is a wacky and wild place, and exploring it will keep children suitably entertained.
Replete with wacky inventions and glorious illustrations (with some important lessons thrown in for good measure), Steven Joseph’s SNOODLES IN SPACE offers a diverting introduction into the author’s wild and wacky “Snoodleverse”.
~Craig Jones for IndieReader