Gr 2–5—Though Dog Man takes a backseat in this 13th installment, the perennially bestselling series does not suffer from his absence. Rather, the colorful ensemble cast of familiar Supa Buddies and side characters, this time led by the effusively optimistic Big Jim (alias Captain Cupcake), only enhances the series' wild appeal. In this volume, we learn about Big Jim's unlikely origin story, as told to his roommate in "Cat Jail," Grampa, who humorously serves as Jim's cantankerous counterpart. Readers may remember Grampa as a villain in previous volumes, but here he reluctantly dons a pink sparkle unitard and joins Captain Cupcake in battle against the "Space Cuties from Space"—a species of adorable aliens who lure all of the heroes in with promises of free cake only to use their laser beams to transform everything into cuteness. Captain Cupcake, who only eats CUPcakes, steps up to save the day. Through Pilkey's trademark absurdist humor, imaginative characters, and entertaining flip-o-ramas, readers will find depth in a very poignant backstory about the loss of Jim's parents and a hopeful message inspired by Fred Rogers's famous reminder to "look for the helpers." VERDICT A must buy for school libraries; kids will be clamoring for the continuation of Big Jim's story.—Catherine Cote