THE CUT-UPS CRACK UP

Irrepressible "cut-ups" Spud and Joe abandon their game of car crash to try to get a video of themselves in old enemy Principal Lamar J. Spurgle's new red convertible. The car's burglar alarm resounds with a siren and mechanical cries for help; frantically trying to turn it off, the kids accidentally start the car. After a wild ride, they finally find the brakes; and in a grand finale, the school board brings Spurgle to his knees while prigs Charles Andrew and Mary Frances get blamed for taking the car and the cut-ups wisely slip away. Kids may not be aware of just how deft and economical Marshall's plotting is here, but they sure to be delighted with the lively events and wryly comical illustrations in this fifth in a popular series. (Picture book. 4-8)