Buub to the Rescue is unlike anything out there today. In it, Jay Pepie takes us to a fictional world...it may in fact be our own...where Penny Vaguely is on the hunt for a missing holy icon relic 'thing.' If only she could avoid the mysterious Maaf'i-aaarrggh who are following her and attempting to thwart her every move.

I'm a big fan of puns and word play, and Pepie is a dab hand at all of the above. While some of the banter and jokes went above even my well-read head, I still found many an opportunity to laugh. Sometimes bordering on the absurd, this story is one that you shouldn't take at face value, as you may end up thoroughly turned around and lost. The best way that I found to read Buub to the Rescue is to take it one sentence at a time and really appreciate how Pepie chose to string the words together.

In terms of appearance, I really did like the illustrations throughout the book. It wasn't really a kids' book, but I know the illustrations will tend to have people classifying it as such. Instead, the illustrations serve to give an additional voice to the already quirky lines of the narration and prose. Will you laugh? Well, possibly...especially if you like awkward hilarity. Will you cry? I doubt it...when was the last time a book made you cry? Still, in the end, reading Buub to the Rescue will brighten countless days and bring smiles to many faces.

Buub to the Rescue by Jay Pepie is set against a background of a small African nation with a population of just above a hundred thousand very disgruntled citizens. The country has lost its past glory under the leadership of the current president, whose priorities are completely messed up. The country's current status is just a recipe for disaster. Imagine the kind of place where the presidential security detail forgets the day of his return to the country and the driver ends up picking him up with no security; but first the president has to wait alone at the airport because said driver is running late. A place where the president schedules multiple televised public apologies as part of his day-to-day schedule and people can throw dung and eggs at him at will. That is the current status of the once prestigious Republic of Lunitunia. The citizens' anger is then fueled further by a recent five-year ban of their national soccer team by FIFA and the president is desperate to find a solution to the nation's mounting dissatisfaction with his administration.

Buub to the Rescue by Jay Pepie is an enormously hilarious political satire that portrays a decaying nation characterized by all forms of social issues including poverty, confusion, corruption, theft, kidnapping and substance abuse among others; survival for the sneakiest is the order of the day. At the head of the nation is an equally confused president. This is the kind of book that you read with a permanent grin on your face from the first page to the very last, often laughing out loud. The underlying humor throughout the story is well portrayed in the setting, the characters, the different titles used and in the general wording of the novel, plus the equally comical illustrations. It is a very hilarious story and lovers of political satire will find it a worthy read

I really enjoyed the skilfully wrought satire and the compounding humour in the word plays. The illustrations added to the narrative beautifully. This is a work to be treasured.