The Adventures of Captain Underpants
by Dav Pilkey
★ Top 5 book of 1997 · #4 on Best Books of 1997
George and Harold hypnotize their principal into believing he is the superhero Captain Underpants. Their silly scheme leads them to the lair of Dr. Diaper, where they must outwit his evil robot henchmen.
Best for: Young readers who like goofy humor, superheroes, and cheeky pranksters
The Adventures of Captain Underpants is #4 on BookWard's Best Books of 1997, out of 27 1997 books that cleared our data bar.
What The Adventures of Captain Underpants is about
George Beard and Harold Hutchins are fourth-graders at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School who spend their free time making comic books about a hero called Captain Underpants. When their principal, Mr. Krupp, catches them planning pranks on camera, he comes down hard with strict rules. George's way out is a 3-D Hypno-Ring ordered from the Li'l Wiseguy Novelty Company. The boys use it on Krupp, and soon the principal is running out of the school in a cape and underwear, ready to fight crime. Then comes a real villain, Dr. Diaper, who has a scheme involving the Moon. The boys also have to make sure Krupp never hears a snap of the fingers. Written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey, it is silly, quick and full of kid-sized rebellion against grown-up rules, a good fit for young readers who love jokes and comics.
The Adventures of Captain Underpants on the Best Books of 1997
The Adventures of Captain Underpants came out in 1997. Of the 27 books first published in 1997 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #4 on our Best Books of 1997 list.
Why it made the list: 814 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.3 out of 5 (67 ratings); 51 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
It earns Reader favorite.
Nearby on the 1997 list
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad Robert T. Kiyosaki, #2
- Guns, Germs, and Steel Jared Diamond, #3
- The Power of Now Eckhart Tolle, #5
- Into Thin Air Jon Krakauer, #6
See all Best Books of 1997 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 1996 Best Books of 1998.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 686 want to read it, 51 are reading it now and 77 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 4.3 out of 5 from 67 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 81 | 55% |
| Reader love | 93 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 81 | 20% |
Questions about The Adventures of Captain Underpants
When was The Adventures of Captain Underpants published?
The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey was first published in 1997.
Was The Adventures of Captain Underpants one of the best books of 1997?
The Adventures of Captain Underpants is #4 on BookWard's Best Books of 1997, out of 27 1997 books that cleared our data bar. 814 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.3 out of 5 (67 ratings); 51 are reading it right now.
Why is The Adventures of Captain Underpants on the Best Books of 1997 list?
814 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.3 out of 5 (67 ratings); 51 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 1997
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone J. K. Rowling, #1
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad Robert T. Kiyosaki, #2
- Guns, Germs, and Steel Jared Diamond, #3
- The Power of Now Eckhart Tolle, #5
- Into Thin Air Jon Krakauer, #6
- The God of Small Things Arundhati Roy, #7
See the full Best Books of 1997, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
Find your own best books
Add what you have read, rate it, and BookWard will recommend what to read next.
Free while in beta. No credit card needed.