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In this twisted tale, a bomb follows a young boy home and causes chaos for the boy and his family. Readers also meet the boy’s eccentric neighbors, the Greenspans, who live a hermit-like life and threaten all who dare to tread on their lawn. Even though the boy’s parents emphasize to him that keeping a bomb requires a lot of responsibility, the boy insists that the bomb remains with the family—for about one day. Then, the boy realizes just how much attention owning a bomb requires. Soon, the boy and his family decide to give the bomb to the Greenspans, resulting in an explosive change of pace and lifestyle for everyone.
The motto for the stories in this shocking series is “There’s a moral in there somewhere.” For this particular book in the series, the moral lessons readers garner could range from “Be careful what you bring home” to “Be careful what gifts you give to others.” Given the tense relationship between the narrator’s family and the Greenspans, the moral lesson might also be “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” After all, the narrator reveals that the Greenspans violated property lines by planting bushes on the narrator’s family’s property. Of course, another lesson readers might understand is that sometimes revenge is best for everyone when it is not served whatsoever. Thus, perhaps the story is a warning about what happens when “tit for tat” spins out of control.
Other readers might see the book as a satirical warning about real-world pet ownership, which skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since people were home more and desired companionship, many people chose to adopt dogs and cats, not realizing the expenses associated with pet ownership. After employers passed return-to-office mandates, many pet owners decided owning a dog or a cat was no longer viable. Pet shelters across the US saw an influx of dogs and cats needing new homes. The trend made an uncomfortable revelation about America’s consumerist society—that pets were consumable objects, not living animals. Thus, the narrator’s experience with the bomb can be interpreted as a satire of American pet ownership. From there, the story has the potential to develop into a larger morality tale about consumerism and ownership in general. The conflict between the Greenspans and the narrator’s family about the plants the Greenspans planted also opens the conversation about private property and property rights. This is especially relevant as society evolves and more and more people lack the equity to engage in private ownership of land and other forms of real estate.
The author and illustrator’s knack for making something humorous and colorful from dark and twisted events truly shines in this work. Some readers will interpret the story superficially as a sordid, imaginary tale about a bomb that follows a boy home. Other readers will search for the moral hidden in the book’s plot and colorful illustrations and develop a unique interpretation influenced by their own interactions with the world around them. This book is filled with laugh-out-loud moments.