There's something of Mark Twain in Dr. Cuthbert Soup's middle-grade novel, A Whole Nother Story (Bloomsbury, Jan. 2010), a winking satire that grabs readers and pulls them along a swiftly narrated adventure. The action follows Mr. Cheeseman and his three unique children. On the lam in order to protect the time machine Mr. Cheeseman has created, they must elude an array of characters. The story line, however engaging, is not the selling point. What makes this one noteworthy is its joyful manipulation of language. Word play, circular arguments, unnecessary clarifications, tongue-in-cheek descriptions and aptly named characters will keep readers on their toes. To top it off, chapters of “unsolicited advice” provide enough satire to have readers laughing out loud. Booksellers and librarians will find this easy to put into the hands of middle-graders looking for funny stories with action and adventure. Young readers will enjoy Dr. Soup's voice, likening him to Lemony Snicket or Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus.