Poop Fountain!: The Qwikpick Papers by Tom Angleberger, first published in 2007, is the inaugural book in the Qwikpick Papers series. This middle-grade novel introduces readers to the trio of Lyle, Marilla, and Dave, best friends who find themselves in the middle of a peculiar adventure, turning the mundane into the extraordinary. The friends form the "Qwikpick Adventure Society," sparking a series of escapades that break the monotony of their small-town life in Crickenburg.
The plot centers around an old sewage plant in their town, home to a mechanism whimsically referred to as the "Poop Fountain." This machine periodically creates an impressive, albeit disgusting, geyser of waste. When the friends learn that modern technology will render the old plant obsolete, they set out to see the infamous Poop Fountain one last time before it ceases to exist.
Upon its release, Poop Fountain! garnered varied reactions. Despite the off-putting title and crude humor, many critics praised Angleberger for his uncanny ability to portray genuine camaraderie among the young characters and capture the spirit of childlike curiosity and adventure. Writes Kirkus Reviews of the novel: "[Angleberger] takes up too much space filling in backstory, but the trio's "adventure" is credibly worked out, engagingly related and, unsurprisingly, likely to be greeted with howls of laughter by second-graders of all ages."
