Now that Wally Shluffmuffin has helped (accidentally, of course) kill Dagmar Mandible and hundreds of ant babies, he is a marked man - the Ont Queen wants him killed. In order to do this Hedy Mandible commissions an assassin known as The Jackal to kill him. Unaware of all this, the usually pessimistic Wally has decided to become an optimist, even though he is concerned because his twin sister Cheyenne has been acting oddly. As if that wasn't enough, when Cheyenne becomes very sick, Vampire Dad makes a bargain that will give the twins to the Spydelle's if she recovers. Now he's not so sure he wants to fulfill his part of the bargain and Wally and Cheyenne aren't sure they want him to either. Who will Wally and Cheyenne end up living with? Will The Jackal succeed in killing Wally? Why is Cheyenne acting so oddly and going into the woods late at night? Why does everyone in Cincinnati have the flu?

"The Shluffmuffin Boy is History" is the fifth book in Dan Greenburg's Secrets of Dripping Fang series and it is as enjoyable and fun to read as the other books in the series. While the series is aimed for ages 8 - 12, readers of all ages will enjoy the book. Kids will love things like having a vampire for a dad, the concept of giant ants taking over the world, a troll doctor, giant spiders, gnomes, wolves, and slugs. Adults will appreciate the humor that children may not quite get - the hired assassin, The Jackal, is in fact a real jackal and the scene where Hedy hires him is hilarious; the ease in which Vampire Dad buys a gun; trolls as doctors and store clerks; and Vampire Dad trying to call 911, as well as the chapter titles. While there are some suspenseful moments, some seemingly involving death, none of the elements are too scary for children as the vampires, trolls, wolves, etc. are all played for laughs. Scott Fischer's wonderful illustrations also add much to the humor in the book. Since this is part of an ongoing series, the book doesn't wrap everything up. The teaser for the sixth book in the series, "Attack of the Giant Octopus" is also very funny.

"The Shluffmuffin Boy is History" is fun reading for young and old alike. ( )