short, sweet, and perfect

DRAGON BOOGIE is the seventh book in the Stone Rabbit series by Erik Craddock (Random House 2012). When the electricity goes out, our three heroes decide grudgingly to play a board game called Dragons and Stuff. Before long, magical dice have transported them into the game itself. Now the three must battle evil beings in order to survive. A wacky blend of D&D with GN format is sure to please tween readers. <323>




SADIE AND RATZ by Sonya Hartnett (Candlewick Press 2012) is about Hannah's hands. She has named them Sadie and Ratz. Her hands are incredibly talented, but they can also get her into trouble. Now that her little brother has figured out he can blame Sadie and Ratz for his misdoings, Sadie is not sure what to do. <324>




Jarrett Krosoczka brings back lunch lady in LUNCH LADY AND THE MUTANT MATHLETES (Knopf 2012). The Breakfast Bunch is forced to join the Mathlete Team. Faster than you can say "huh? Us, Mathletes?", there is a mystery afoot. They will join forces with Lunch Lady to try to determine why one school always wins the mathletics competitions. <325>

Squish Is Back!

Jenni and Matt Holm are back with SQUISH: THE POWER OF THE PARASITE, number 3 in the series of GNs featuring the amoeba named Squish (Random House 2012). It is summer time and Squish is consigned to swimming lessons while his best pals take classes in ballet instead. Squish does not want to learn to swim at all. Thankfully, there is someone else in the class who shares Squish's dislike of swim lessons. Basil is a Hydra and he becomes Squish's ally at swim class. However, there is something not quite right about Basil. Is he really a new friend? Can he be trusted? Fans of the series will be thrilled with this latest offering. Fun and science, who would have thought those two words might be used together? <307>

Seeing ghosts

Henry Winkler and Linn Oliver team up again for a new series, Ghost Buddy. Book #1: HERO TO ZERO (Scholastic, January 2012) introduces readers to Billy Broccoli as he and his family move to a new home and a new school. Billy now has a stepsister and while he might not exactly think of himself in a Cinderella situation, he is not exactly happy with the move. Add to the fears about a new school the fact that his bedroom in the new house is in shades of lavender and pink. One more complication: it comes equipped with a ghost named Hoover Porterhouse. Billy's problems are just beginning in this adventure, mystery, school story that is certain to please those readers who already love Hank Zipzer and welcome new fans as well. <664>





Capstone's imprint, Stone Arch, highlights short easy to read chapter books. BASEMENT OF THE UNDEAD by Jason Strange (Capstone 2011) features zombies living in the basement of the school, school bullies, and lots of chases. Jason Strange is the narrator and the "detective" who investigates strange occurrences in Raven's Pass. If there are monsters to be found, leave it to Jason Strange to come to the rescue in the nick of time. <665>

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Super Diaper Baby!

SUPER DIAPER BABY 2: THE INVASION OF THE POTTY SNATCHERS by Dav Pilkey(Scholastic 2011) features those mischievous kids from the Captain Underpants books, George and Harold, and their creation, Super Diaper Baby. As this story opens, George and Harold are being berated by their principal for writing a book all about Super Diaper Baby and a villain which is a giant piece of poop. George and Harold decide it is time for a new adventure and so create Dr. Dinkle who ends up as a giant ball of urine (don't ask). With a spot-on parody of HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, Dr. Dinkle steals the toilets of the town. It is up to Super Diaper Baby and his sidekick, Diaper Dog, to save the dog. Puns, jokes, pee: all the ingredients for a fabulously funny book. <549>

another new GN series

Welcome to the world of the FLYING BEAVER BROTHERS by Maxwell Eaton (Knopf, January 2012). My ARC was two books in one though they will be published separately. And they do stand alone as well. In THE FISHY BUSINESS, Ace and Bub, aka the Beaver Brothers, are sharing their home with two penguins. Bub and Ace uncover a new industry that is stripping the forest of its trees and polluting the environment to boot. It will be up to Ace, with the assistance of the penguins, to stop this dastardly plot. In THE EVIL PENGUIN PLAN, Ace's surfboard is stolen the night before a big competition. As Ace and Bub track down the stolen board, they uncover (you guessed it) a secret plan to turn their part of the ocean into a penguin pleasure spot. The recurring characters are broadly drawn and the plots are parallel from one book to another making this a perfect GN for newly emergeing readers. However, the humor extends beyond simple and will have older readers (like yours truly) snorting, too. <544> <545>

Graphic Series

Jarrett Krosoczka gives us another episode of his Lunch Lady series in LUNCH LADY AND THE FIELD TRIP FIASCO (Knopf 2011). Lunch Lady joins the Breakfast Bunch on a field trip to an art museum. When the kids suspect that all is not right, they begin to investigate. Lunch Lady, of course, is on hand to help foil the plans of the art thieves aided by her assistant Betty. I am still flummoxed how Krosoczka is able to accomplish storytelling with few colors on the palette B&W with touches of yellow) but his characters and the details we come to know and love about each of them add depth to the story as well. <521>



Ah, A VERY BABYMOUSE CHRISTMAS by Jennifer and Matthew Holm (Random House 2011) is a perfect way to celebrate the holiday season to come (though Target and other stories think it nearer). Parodies of A NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS and A CHRISTMAS CAROL are just two of the humorous elements of the story as BabyMouse covets the newest electronic gadget for her Christmas gift. The Whizbang does it all including folding laundry and doing homework (if the ads are to be believed). What makes BabyMouse tick is that though rodent she reflects so much of the exuberant though misguided kids we all know and love. The best gift for Christmas? More BabyMouse. <522>

dog, or cat, days of summer

I am nearing 400 books read for 2011. At this pace, I will meet and, I hope, exceed last year's numbers. Not a contest (there are foks who read more, I know) but a way to keep pushing myself to read more and to read daily. Sunday, I managed to read this before we headed off to church. One of the nice things about short GNs, they read quite quickly.




THE MALTESE MUMMY by Trina Robbins and illustrated by Tyler Page (Lerner Graphic Universe 2011) is the second book in the Chicagoland Detective Agency series. Raf and Megan and Bradley (the taloking dog) set out in search of a missing mummy. It appears as though the new teenage heartthrob Sun D'Arc might be involved in some way. Plenty of humor, action, adventure, and a more than subtle nod toward the film (you know which one, right?), this is a quick read that will appeal to tweens and young teens, too. <371>

in a pickle about Frankie

During the August #titletalk, a monthly Twitter chat hosted by @Donalynbooks and @MrPaulWHankins, guest "speaker" @MrSchuReads mentioned the Frankie Pickle series. I immediately pulled one from the newly arrived box of books from Somon and Schuster to bring home to read. During the triple digit afternoon, I read Frankie (and a few other books). I LOVE FRANKIE PICKLE. In FRANKIE PICKLE AND THE MATHEMATICAL MENACE by Eric Wright (Simon and Schuster 2011), Frankie fails a math quiz. He spends time doodling monsters from the numbers and not solving the problems. His teacher, bless her, offers to let Frankie retake the test Monday. He has the weekend to study. Time flies and Frankie does not get in the studying he had intended. Instead he has helped his Dad cook and done other activities that, lo and behold, are hekping him "get" math. Great read aloud for math teachers, here. <368>

new middle grade series for girls

Marissa Moss' new series, DAPHNE'S DAIRY OF DAILY DISASTERS (Simon and Schuster 2011), could be labeled as the female counterpart of DIARY OF A WIMPY KID. But they are not derivative in the least. Meet Daphne, sister to five year old twins indistinguishable only because one has a constant snot bubble, brand new 4th grader, and victim of daily disasters. In her journal she recounts an awful disaster. In THE NAME GAME, her new teacher mistakenly calls her Daffy on the first day and, predictably, the nickname sticks. In THE VAMPIRE DARE, Daphne's attempts to come to school on Halloween as a cool vampire backfire. The books are short and funny and, more importantly, so in touch with what it is like to be a kid who is trying to be cool and fit on and does not always succeed. And did I mention that, like her Amelia Rye series, the books resemble diaries? <366 and 367>

Red Glove

I finished listening to RED GLOVE by Holly Black (Books on Tape 2011) read by Jesse Eisenberg on the drive in this morning. Sequels are a dicey business, but Holly Black draws readers in once more. As the final music faded on the last CD I began immediately wanting the next book in The Curseworkers series (the first book was WHITE CAT). Eisenberg delivers a solid performance as a reader. He does an almost unvoiced reading, something that works well with this novel. <357>

Cassel Sharpe is back at school but his life is soon disrupted by two things: the arrival of Lila, the daughter of a crime boss and a young woman who has been worked by Cassel's mother to be entirely devoted to him. Then, Cassel's brother Philip is murdered: the only clue is a videotape of a woman leaving the apartment wearing red gloves. The Feds want Cassel to help them solve this murder and to work for them on other cases. Cassel knows this will place him in great danger. The story is a dandy mystery with plenty of red herrings. It is also a story of romance and relationships and family and trust and betrayal. Black will leave readers/listeners wanting more.

Knights of the Lunch Table, book 3

I like this middle grade GN series, KNIGHTS OF THE LUNCH TABLE, and here is book #3: THE BATTLING BANDS by Frank Cammuso (Scholastic/Graphix 2011). The three friends search Camelot Middle School for the singing sword, the only object that will prevent Principal Dagger from shutting down the annual Battle of the Bands program. Artie, Wayne, and Percy are determined to show Dagger and their arch nemesis--Joe--that they can play and win. <353>

Lots of broad humor, some slapstick, and some language play make this a GN that will appeal to a range of readers. Of course, the references to Arthur and the Round Table and Excalibur are all here as well. High school teachers might want to share this with students in advance of a discussion of the Arthurian legend.