Mooses with Bazookas by S. D. Smith

Mooses with Bazookas is a light-hearted, funny romp through humorous letters and stories; they remind us not to take ourselves too seriously!

Mooses With Bazookas and Other Stories Children Should Never Read by S. D. Smith and illustrated by Joe Hox. Best Medicine Books, 2023. 160 pages.

• Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 8-10
• Recommended For: Ages 8 and up

#1: I love that S. D. Smith put the word “impactful” in quotations, indicating that it’s not a real word. Thank you, Sam! I 100% agree.

#2: The first letter in this hilarious compendium is from one Wally Warmbottom. Wally is writing from a deserted island (not a “desert island”) and has found a bunch of peaches. Does this sound familiar? It should, if you participated in our 2020 Hope on the Horizon summer reading program! Sam wrote the first “message in a bottle” our readers received that summer, and it was the very same funny letter. I remember telling my kids how funny it was, and how glad I was that we had some humor sprinkled in. Fast forward to my reading of Mooses with Bazookas…. Wait a minute! I emailed Sam to confirm: yep. Wally Warmbottom made his first appearance in our summer reading program! Hooray!

#3: If the title hasn’t indicated the range of humor in this volume enough, please go check out the advance reviews and “press” regarding this book. My teenagers cackled ….

#4: If you’re looking for a family read aloud that’s funny and reminds readers not to take themselves too seriously, this is the book for you. Wally Warmbottom is writing silly-but-pretending-to-be-serious letters from his island, casting them adrift in one of the many jugs he’s found (curiously, but helpfully, he also found an enormous stack of paper and writing utensils). Sam is poking obvious fun at our popular “message in a bottle” and “desert island” tropes that are assumed culture-wide. Wally’s also found a Cave of Stories, and occasionally sends one of them along in the jug (the title story is one of these). Perfect for those who laugh over I’m Just No Good at Rhyming. And remember: don’t take this book too seriously, either. Let your hair down. Snort when you laugh. After all, laughter is the best medicine.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

• Worldview/Moral Rating: 4 out of 5
• Literary/Artistic Rating: 4 out of 5

Read more about our ratings here. I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Recommended Reading at Redeemed Reader

• Book Review: I’m Just No Good at Rhyming by Chris Harris and Lane Smith is another favorite of ours.
• Book Review: A very different type of book from Sam Smith (and his son!) that we also really enjoyed is Jack Zulu.
• Resource: Browse all our books tagged “humor”: funny stories, serious stories with funny bits, and more!
• Resource: Did you know we had an entire issue of the Redeemed Reader Quarterly focused on humor in 2023? That issue will re-appear occasionally at our annual RRQ sale (around Black Friday), but check out the range of themed-issues we’ve printed. All Golden Key members receive the Quarterly.

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