Sharon Salluzzo (Children's Literature)
Fans of the first book will be thrilled to discover this new adventure “brought to you by the power of GERMO” and the remarkable imagination of Mini Grey. After an adventurous day of play for Traction Man and his faithful pet Scrubbing Brush that included climbing the compost heap and falling into the mud, the little boy takes his toys inside. While he is asleep on the sofa, his parents throw Scrubbing Brush into the garbage bin. They leave a new toy: the battery-operated, robotic Turbodog, which always seems to talk at the wrong time. Traction Man goes in search of Scrubbing Brush. Wearing the appropriate attire and armed with a bottle of Super Strong GERMO with ammonia, he goes into the Bin. “No one has ever returned alive from the Bin before.” But this is Traction Man! Full of tongue-in-cheek humor, a subtle lesson about the power of imaginative play, and expressive illustrations that are a perfect match with the story, readers will return over and over again. Just as Traction Man and Scrubbing Brush are poised for their next rousing adventure at the end of this book, so, too, the reader eagerly awaits. 2008, Alfred A Knopf, $16.99. Ages 4 to 8.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2008 (Vol. 76, No. 16))
Anyone who has read Traction Man Is Here (2005) knows that the toy action-figure's beloved pet Scrubbing Brush could never, ever be replaced by the battery-operated "generic robotic hound" TurbodogÖ. No, Traction Man needs Scrubbing Brush. Turbodog can't even cross the wastes of the Sandpit without gumming up his works or sneak up on Tiddles the cat without blurting "STOP INTRUDER!" Where is Scrubbing Brush, anyway? The muck-ridden brush has been jettisoned into the Dark and Terrible Underworld of the Bin, from whence nothing has ever returned alive. Traction Man, hearing a cry from said Bin, braves angry fries and spaghetti with eyes ("Ssssstay with usssss") to save him. "No one smothers my brave pet with vegetable peel!" Traction Man proclaims protectively, and almost everyone lives happily ever after. Comic-bookûstyle frames with captions on torn-out bits of graph paper can only loosely contain the ebulliently superheroic adventures of one boy's toys. Hilarious details lurk throughout, and readers won't want to miss even one. 2008, Knopf, 32p, $16.99. Category: Picture book. Ages 6 to 9. Starred Review. © 2008 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Deborah Stevenson (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, October 2008 (Vol. 62, No. 2))
It’s the return of Traction Man (from Traction Man Is Here!, BCCB 5/05), boys and girls! Previously, Traction Man, an action figure belonging to a young boy, thwarted his archenemies with the help of his faithful companion, Scrubbing Brush; in this outing, the boy’s parents, offended by the mucky state of Scrubbing Brush, brazenly toss him into the garbage. This leaves Traction Man stuck with the boy’s new TurboDog™ as his sidekick, but T-Dog proves a dismal failure as a boon companion for an adventurer, so Traction Man embarks on a dangerous mission to find and save his trusty discarded chum. Once again, Traction Man embraces his adventure with an endearing blend of doughtiness and flair, and the text is more affectionate homage to adventure serial than satire of it, while there’s genuine pathos in the near-doom of poor Scrubbing Brush. The imaginative reclassification of the household objects as strange creatures in a terrifying world (the underside of the sofa is a Western plain with cowboy dustmice and a Lone Sock, the sofa cushions meet at Grand Sofa Canyon) is clever and inclusive rather than patronizing, and the celebration of creative play over expensive gizmos will please traditionalists. Illustratively, Grey reprises the same style, her bouquet of colors in slightly subdued tones lending a certain dignity to the high-action comic panels; atmospherically, she’s raised the stakes, with the world inside the garbage can (“No one has ever returned alive from the Bin before”) a freaky habitat of sinister, animated rotting food emitting Gollumesque hisses. Whether old fans of Traction Man or newcomers to his heroic exploits, readers will revel in his triumph over both adult misunderstanding and nefarious opposition Review Code: R* -- Recommended. A book of special distinction. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2008, Knopf, 32p., $19.99 and $16.99. Grades 2-4.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2009)
After ascending Mt. Compost Heap, Scrubbing Brush is tossed into the trash by a conniving villain. Our hero Traction Man (Traction Man Is Here!) is stuck instead with new sidekick Turbodog, whose outbursts don't lend themselves to stealth. Grey extends the first book's irreverent wit and affection for its characters, as the cartoon art follows Traction Man on his quirky expeditions. Category: Picture Books. 2008, Knopf, 32pp, 16.99, 19.99. Ages 4 to 9. Rating: 1: Outstanding, noteworthy in style, content, and/or illustration.