Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder

Author Jo Nesbø's daughter wanted him to write her a story about a little girl, a boy who was shorter than her, a mad scientist and a dinosaur. Nesbø changed the dinosaur into an anaconda and added the plot about a farting powder, since he'd always wanted to write a children's book about farting.[1]

The first book in the series is about an eccentric professor in Oslo, Norway who is waiting for his big break. He is soon befriended by a mild-mannered girl named Lisa and her quirky friend Nilly, a short redheaded boy, who has a pet snake. Most of Doctor Proctor's inventions are of little use, but Lisa and Nilly become obsessed with his latest invention, a powder which makes the user fart odorless farts. Doctor Proctor builds upon this invention and creates the "Fartronaut Powder," a powder that makes the user fart so powerfully they blast off into space. The kids sell the Fart Powder to their peers at school and become popular. One day Nilly gives the Fartronaut Powder to the school bullies Truls and Trym Trane to get revenge on them for being mistreated by them, which makes them fart up into a tree. But then their dad falsely reports Doctor Proctor and Nilly to the police, and they are incarcerated the next day. Mr. Trane wants to use the Fart Powder for his own nefarious purposes to ruin Norwegian Independence Day, and so they must break out of jail and reunite with Lisa in time to stop him.

The series received generally positive reviews. One critic described the books as Roald Dahl-esque, and said that they can help to increase a child's creativity and imagination while doing so in a hilarious way.[2] Another described Nesbø's humor as zany, yet also farcical and matter-of-fact.[3] James Patterson also praised the original book, saying that "this terrific book will make you laugh, and cherish your friends, and value fair play."[4]

Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder was shortlisted for Ark’s Children’s Book Award (Arks barnebokpris) for ‘Best Children’s Book’ 2007 and was selected for The Richard and Judy Children’s Book Club in 2011.[5]

In March 2014, the first book in the series had a live-action film adaptation directed by Arild Fröhlich.[6] It is only available in Norwegian, although an unofficial English dub was made in October 2014.[7] The film received mostly poor reviews.[8] However it was given some positive reviews, with one critic stating that "(it's) a wonderful and subversive kids movie where parents are good-hearted but wholly absent and the children have to rely on their own wit and ingenuity to bail themselves from sticky situations. The film recalls the best made-for-kids movies of the 80’s and I do not believe it’s a happy accident that the absent minded Doctor Proctor bears a striking resemblance to Back To The Future’s Doc Brown. It’s the type of production that would be animated if it were an American film, yet it works so wonderfully as a live action movie."[9] A sequel, Doktor Proktors tidsbadekar (Bubbles in The Bathtub), was released in 2015.