Maria Semple. WHERE'D YOU GO BERNADETTE

I ADORED this book! It's wickedly funny. First of all, here is your quickie synopsis:

When Bee aces her report card she claims her reward, which is a trip to Antarctica, but her mother, Bernadette, disappears due to her intensifying allergy to Seattle and people in general, which has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands and Bee uses emails, invoices, school memos, private correspondence, and other evidence to try and understand why her mother has left.

The format is unique and captured my interest right away. It begins with Bea describing how she got her parents to agree to a family vacation in Antartica, then it jumps write into an email from Bernadette to her virtual assistant in India. Of course, you don't know this at first, so it's a bit curious. You think that maybe it's her actual secretary, in real life. Anyway, right away, you know this book was different because this is when you begin to glean the crazy-goodness that is Bernadette.

The book continues in emails and letters from various people to various other people like Bernadette's neighbor, a parent-teacher organization guru, police reports, hospital bills, etc. There is crazy-goodness from all directions! Really the only pretty normal characters are Bee and her father. But they are fabulous, rich characters too.

I adored this book because it is so uniquely funny and moving. There is so much more than I can describe here. If you like satire and wickedness sprinkled with a little unexpected warmth and truth, you'll love this!

In closing, the author's website is a sight to behold. For real. You must check it out for it's unique-ness. I promise, you've never seen anything else like it, ever. Go HERE.

This book is an Alex Award winner for 2013, meaning it's an adult book that has special appeal for teens.

Alan Bradley. A RED HERRING WITHOUT MUSTARD

Flavia de Luce is one the most curious, charming characters I've had the pleasure of spending time with in a while.

I love this introduction to the series from Alan Bradley's website:

Picture an ancient country house somewhere in England. The year is 1950. 

Picture a girl who lives there with her most unusual family. Her name is Flavia de Luce—and she’s almost eleven. 

Picture a long-abandoned Victorian chemistry laboratory; no one ever goes there but Flavia.

Put them all together and you’ll have a new kind of detective fiction . . .

Flavia de Luce lives spends a lot of time in her chemistry lab, which was originally occupied by a distant relative whom she looks up to because of his science acumen. Although Flavia herself is becoming quite the scientist herself; She has a particular passion for poison. She also has a problem leaving any mystery unsolved. So when an attempted murder happens on her own property, she's the first one to begin the investigation. The local Inspector is not thrilled having a precocious, but accurate, eleven-year-old showing him up with clues and theories, but he begrudgingly takes her help.

This is a delightful mystery! Flavia will capture your heart early on and you'll be sad when the book ends. Not only is Flavia a delightful, snappy character but the dialogue is to die for. The tone of this series is part gumshoe detective, part proper British mystery. It's sharp, witty and seriously funny.

Alan Bradley has written several Flavia de Luce novels, but you don't need to read them in order. There are six so far and this is the third one. The series has its own website here. Check it out and pick one to begin the adventure.

John C. Ford. THE MORGUE AND ME

The summer after graduating as valedictorian, one might find Christopher Newell's choice for a summer job a bit unexpected. He decides to work in the morgue. He figures it fits into his master plan of becoming a spy. Surely working as a janitor in the morgue will afford him the chance to glean some details about forensic science. That's the plan anyway.

But Christopher ends up with way more than a few factoids about dead bodies. When they finally do get a dead body in the morgue, it's declared a suicide by the medical examiner. But when Christopher gets a closeup look at the body, he has a hunch that it's not a suicide at all, but a murder.

Christopher ends up working with at hungry newspaper reporter looking to get her big break. After a few more clues pop up, they decide the story is worth investigating.

This is a fast paced, murder mystery with a fun bunch of characters. Christopher is smart, brave and great at piecing together the many puzzles in the mystery. Tina McIntyre feels like your stereotypical tough as nails, jaded newspaper reporter at first, but then she develops into a full fledged unique character. Christopher's little brother, Daniel, is my favorite character of all. He's sharp as a tack and so witty. Trust me, you'll wish he was your little brother!

THE MORGUE AND ME has a wonderful old-fashioned mystery tone. I felt like I was reading Dashiell Hammett a little bit along the way. I really loved it! I hope John C. Ford writes a lot more mysteries! I feel we're lacking good mysteries in the YA field right now.

Anyway, here's the author's website, if you'd like to learn more about him.

John Green. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

John Green always writes such vibrant, spunky characters. My heart is full of joy while spending time with his characters. Even though the subject matter is heavier here, I still finished the book with feelings of great pleasure at having spent time with Hazel and Augustus.

Hazel and Augustus are quite the pair. Hazel has terminal cancer that affects her breathing, so she carries an oxygen tank. Augustus is in remission from cancer that caused the loss of his leg. Hazel is afraid to let Augustus get to know her or love her, because she's afraid that she'll die leaving him surrounded in grenade-like destruction.

Augustus can't help himself and charms her into a relationship. Hazel ends up a very willing participant. They both become obsessed with a book that ends rather suddenly. The character has cancer, so they assume that the author made some literary choice to end the book so suddenly, with so many unanswered questions, to symbolize her death. Together they ponder visiting the author in Amsterdam where they will convince him to divulge all the secrets of the characters.

They ponder a variety of subjects. They have such witty, smart and thoughtful conversations. They also deal with tragic events. The humor balances the tragedy beautifully.

All I can really do to convey the beauty of the book is to show you a quote:

While Hazel and her dad are discussing what he believes. He says,

"I believe the universe wants to be noticed. I think the universe is improbably biased toward consciousness, that it rewards intelligence in part because the universe enjoys its elegance being observed. And who am I, living in the middle of history, to tell the universe that it - or my observation of it- is temporary."

I was burning up my Nook with so many highlights! I could give you more, but then I would spoil too much of the plot. Read it yourself, trust me!

It's about love, pain, and living your life in spite of everything. The trailer doesn't give a lot away about the book, but it's beautiful, so I'm posting it anyway. Check out John Green in all his glory here.

David Macinnis Gill. SOUL ENCHILADA

I'm not sure if I've ever read a book with a more curious combination of characters and events. Eunice "Bug" Smoot is an eighteen-year-old living on her own and making a modest living delivering pizzas in El Paso, Texas. We join her at a time when her biggest problem is finding a new job after being fired.

But that problem seems minor shortly thereafter when she finds a demon sitting next in the passenger seat of her car. She discovers that her late grandfather, Papa C, made a deal with the devil for that classic Cadillac she now drives. It seems that Papa C was supposed to give his soul to this demon when he died. But Papa C gave him the slip, so now the demon, called Beals, is there to take the Cadillac instead - oh, and her soul too.

Bug is not alone in dealing with this quandary. Her friend Pesto works for demon immigration, so he knows a thing or two that may help her. Pesto's mom is helpful with seances and other non-traditional solutions. Finally, we have the attorney, E. Figg, who represents Bug when dealing with Beals and another more well known demon, Lucifer. Between all of them, surely someone can work something out to save Bug's soul.

This was a barrel of fun. It's a modern, hysterical twist on the "making a deal with the devil" theme. The characters really bring it to life. I dare say that Bug may be the feistiest female I've come across in a long time. The El Paso setting brought a richness to the book. I felt like I was there with Bug and Pesto walking the streets during the Día de los Muertos celebration.

Read more about David Macinnis Gill here. This is is first YA novel. He has another one out now called BLACK HOLE SUN. I've heard great things about it!
To get a feel for the book, enjoy out the trailer for SOUL ENCHILADA:

Sarah Mlynowski. TEN THINGS WE DID (and probably shouldn't have)

This is one of those books that feels like a girls night out. It feels like you're hanging out with some girlfriends and you're all telling funny stories and enjoying yourself immensely. I really had a great time reading it! It also took me back to high school and some of the things that I did and shouldn't have, which I'll refrain from posting here to the public domain to protect the innocent. :)

The story begins with April becoming the luckiest teen on the planet. Her mom lives in Paris with her new husband and April's brother. April lives with her dad and his new wife. However, her dad gets a job promotion in Ohio. April doesn't want to move to Ohio in the middle of her junior year. She has a lot of friends and a great boyfriend. So, she begs her father to let her stay with her long-time friend, Vi. After some tricky negotiations, her father reluctantly agrees. Little does he know that Vi's mom will be traveling for a few months starring in the play version of Mary Poppins. So...that leaves Vi and April living alone as teens.

Here are a few highlights of the "ten things" they did and probably shouldn't have:

#4 Bought a hot tub
#8 Threw a crazy party
#9 Hosted the Mr Teen Universe contest

As you can imagine, they have a lot of fun. But they also learn a lot. April realizes that Vi has been dealing with a lot more adult responsibilities than a teen should. Does April want to take that stuff on? Or does she wish she could just live with her parents again an enjoy being a teen a while longer? In the meantime, they adopt an adorable cat, hang out in a hot tub called Hula and have a few parties.

This is laugh out loud funny, a little bittersweet, and has a ton of memorable characters! You won't want to miss this one.

I wasn't too surprised that I would have so much fun reading this when I realized what other books I had read by Sarah Mlynowski. Click here to see them. She has a knack for coming up with unique ideas. GIMME A CALL was completely unique and brilliant, while HOW TO BE BAD is one of my all-time fun-fests!
Check out more about this fabulous author here.

Louise Rennison. WITHERING TIGHTS

The best way to describe this is what a HOOT!! (No pun intended with the owl on the cover!) You've probably heard of Louise Rennison and her Georgia Nicholson books, with ANGUS, THONGS AND FULL-FRONTAL SNOGGING being the first one, and a Printz Honor Book!
 
This new character created by Rennison is hysterical! Although, she's really not trying to be. The story is set in Yorkshire, England where Tallulah Casey is attending summer drama school to avoid camping with her brother. She  is hoping to discover her artistic abilities, meet some new friends and maybe even have a go at romance (or at the very least, experience her first kiss.)


This is a witty, laugh out loud story about Tallulah and a quirky cast of characters that you won't soon forget! The setting is completely new to me. The school is located in the English countryside. I mean - country! There is a funny scene on Tallulah's first day when she tells the local girl, Ruby, that she's going to check out the shops. Well, she returns in about five minutes, because there are no shops. It's literally a one-horse town! But Ruby didn't say anything, she just sent her off on her way.

Another thing new for me was the Yorkshire dialect that the local people used. I could hear the British accent and inflection the entire time, but sometimes the dialect of the locals confused me. But normally, I was fine. I love the airy, breezy inflection in most of the speech. For example, doesn't "I'll pop around after school"  sound so much more fun than "I'll meet you after school." And doesn't "Oh, just give it a go" make anything sound way easier than it probably is? Finally, my favorite has to be, "Do you fancy a ride in my car?"

Overall, the dialogue and story is hysterically funny! I ask you - where else would a character break into Irish Dancing when she's nervous?? Nowhere else but in a Louise Rennison novel.

You will enjoy this, but be warned. Don't be in a quiet place, because you will giggle loudly!

Sloane Tanen. ARE YOU GOING TO KISS ME NOW? **GIVEAWAY**

Francesca Manning, secret tabloid addict, is thrilled about winning a contest to go hang out with celebrities in Africa for a charity event. However, things go awry when the plane crashes on a deserted island. At first, she's not exactly depressed that she's with some super famous, not to mention gorgeous people. But as she gets to know them, she discovers that some of them are pretty clueless and self-absorbed. In fact, she may never read another tabloid again after this!

What a hilarious mix of tabloid fodder and reality TV! The six celebrities end up being mostly useless. After all, one of them was the pilot of the plane that crashed! Then end up fighting and pouring out their insecurities and issues. Francesca ends up texting it all to her best friend, even though she doesn't have a signal. It comforts her to feel like she's talking to someone normal.

Tanen is hilarious! She doesn't hold back in her acerbic ribs! For example, one character uses this barb against a celeb who obviously wasn't very studious, "You gotta love Hollywood... Where else does a preschool education pay the bills." Ouch.

She's wonderful at creating just the right phrase! When trying to get Chaz, the TMZ reporter stranded with the celebs, to help with a manly task, he says, "But I'm not strong. I know it's deceptive, but trust me, there is no muscle under all this fat. There's just layer upon layer of fluffy nougat. Imagine a human 3 Musketeers bar if you will."

Photo credit gemb1

This is side-splitting funny! Even though these are merely fictional celebrities, you feel as if you're getting to see what it would be like stranded with real celebrities. This would make a hysterical movie!

CONTEST!!! If you'd like to win a copy of the book, read more!

If you were stranded on a desert island, what ONE book would you take with you. No, you can't take your Kindle with a bunch of books on it. Select ONE book you would bring. Okay, let's make it more fun. Select one celebrity you would take with you, in addition to that one book. 


Post your two choices (book & celeb) in the comments by Friday, May 20th, and I'll randomly select the winner! The winner will get a free copy of the book! YAY!

Melissa Kantor. THE DARLINGS ARE FOREVER

I loved Melissa Kantor's previous books, so I was excited to read this one. The Darlings are Victoria, Natalya and Jane - three best friends. They've known each other forever, having gone to the same K-8th school together. But now the girls are freshman in high school going to three different schools. Jane is an actress and got accepted to the performing arts school. Natalya earned an academic scholarship at a rigorous prep school. Victoria is attending a private school where she is trying to live up to her older sister's reputation.

The girls have their own challenges to deal with: Victoria's dad is running for political office, so the entire family is under scrutiny, Natalya is finding the girls at her school challenging, and Jane is having trouble in love. So, the fact that they aren't getting to see each other very much is difficult because they need each other, but when they do see each other, they notice that they are growing and changing. They each have their own fears to overcome. It helps them to remember that they agreed to live by Jane's grandmother's yearly toast to them, "May you always do what you're afraid of doing.

This is a wonderful new series filled with romance, adventure, humor and friendship. The characters are smart, sweet and funny! I loved it & look forward to the next book!

Keith McGowan. THE WITCH'S GUIDE TO COOKING WITH CHILDREN

The title alone would've grabbed me, if I haven't been alerted to this book because it's on next year's Bluebonnet List. When I read the title, I knew I needed to read it right away!

When the first words from the witch's diary say this:

"I love children. Eating them, that is.
I've eaten quite a few children over the centuries. You may wonder where I get them all."

You know it's gonna be good! But that really isn't enough to make a whole book. So then we're introduced to two wonderful children. Eleven-year-old Sol and eight-year-old Connie are siblings. They're unaware of the bizarre situation their parents are in, which is why they aren't curious when their dad drops them off and leaves them in town. However, they're smart kids and are able to figure out some mysteries on their own.

I don't want to give any more away. But you will absolutely love it! The tone reminds me a lot of SCHOOL OF FEAR - with the matter of fact voice and the old-fashioned feel. I loved that tone in Gitty Daneshavari's writing, as well. (LOVE her). But what made me keep reading was the hysterical beginning. What starts out as a sort of re-telling of Hansel & Gretel but ends up way more delicious!

The illustrations by Yoko Tanaka (SPARROW GIRL) give it the old-fashioned, but creepy feel the story deserves! They're perfect!

Gitty Daneshvari. SCHOOL OF FEAR: CLASS IS NOT DISMISSED!

This sequel to SCHOOL OF FEAR is just as wonderful as the first book. Mrs. Wellington requests the presence of Madeline, Theo, Lulu and Garrison for another summer at School of Fear. She discovered that each of them has secretly regressed and need a follow up session.

The students are disappointed to learn that a fifth student will be joining them. The young girl's name is Hyacinth, and she brings her pet ferret, Celery, with her to the mansion. Hyacinth's fear is being alone, which causes her to be very clingy. Once she grabs someone's hand, she does not let go. Plus, she creates annoying nicknames for everyone and professes that they are all Bff's or "besties."

But that really is a minor challenge to some of the other fun times that ensue at Summerstone for the second session of School of Fear. Without giving too much of the plot away and spoiling the fun, I will just say that this summer the big challenge is saving the school or their phobias will never be cured!

This was just as hilarious as the first one, maybe more in some ways. I'm in total awe of Gitty Daneshvari's writing. She does witty humor better than anyone! (She's right up there with Adam Selzer in my book - and he's downright hysterical!). I cannot count how many times I woke up my husband laughing out loud through this book.

I will be first in line to buy her next book.
Check her out here

Gitty Daneshvari. SCHOOL OF FEAR

SCHOOL OF FEAR is bizarre, witty and so much fun! Four kids with irrational fears are sent to this highly secretive school that professes to be able to cure kids of their phobias. Madeline is so terrified of bugs that she wears a veil and carries bug spray everywhere. Theo is so afraid of dying that he can spout off random safety statistics. Lulu is afraid of confined spaces, while Garrison is great at all sports, except water sports, because he's deathly afraid of bodies of water.

The four kids arrive at school of fear to discover that they are the only four kids enrolled. They expected it to be more like summer camp, with lots of kids. They also didn't expect a former beauty queen has-been to be their "teacher."
Lulu questions Mrs. Wellington by asking her about her credentials. Mrs. Wellington goes on and on about her resume that includes various titles to all types of beauty pageants.

    So Lulu interrupts and says, "I meant your credentials to teach us!"
    "Oh, you silly girl! Teachers don't need credentials. That's an old wives' tale."
    "So you have absolutely no credentials to teach us about fears?" Madeline says in shock.
And here is where the kids begin to get a glimpse into who they are dealing with when Mrs. Wellington replies
    "I assure you that one doesn't need credentials for fears when one has a Fearnasium."

The kids' anxiety grows when they learn about the school's library, which doesn't contain books at all. But of course, it's a Library of Smelly Foods! The school and their teacher grow more and more bizarre, and the kids really begin to question the validity of the whole experience. They wonder how this teacher can cure them when half the time she doesn't even make sense.They wonder why she continues to call them "contestants," why learning good posture has anything to do with fears and finally, why does their food taste so bad!

Two additional characters add to the mystery. Schmidty serves as Mrs. Wellington's butler and an English bulldog named Macaroni is treated very much like a person and gets to eat at the dinner table with everyone else.

The ending is unexpected and enjoyable. Really, you must enroll in the School of Fear! You won't be disappointed!

Jon Scieszka. SPACEHEADZ

I adore every single one of  Jon Scieszka's picture books (MATH CURSE, THE TRUE STORY OF THE 3 LITTLE PIGS, ETC). ALL OF THEM!! He's the best! So, when I saw this chapter book of his, I jumped on it instantly. Now I'm sure I had most of you at Jon Scieszka, but for the remaining few, here's the summary:

The book is called Spaceheadz. It's the first day of school for Michael K. and it's not going so well. He's new and he gets grouped with two other very unusual new students. He thinks they're off their rocker and doesn't want to be associated with them. Here are some of the things that he noticed right away:
1. The new girl had eaten half of his only pencil
2. The new boy had just told him they were Spaceheadz from another planet.

It only gets worse as the kids recite commercial jingles throughout the day like: I'm Lovin' it, Just Do it, and Get Ready to RRRRUMBLE!!
They explain to Michael, I'm sorry, I mean their hamster explains to Michael that they are from another planet and they have to recruit 3.4 million earth people to be Spaceheadz or the planet Earth will be turned off. So, you can imagine that Michael was a little flummoxed after hearing this news.
There is another interesting character. Mr. Umber is an agent for AAA (the anti-alien agency) and he's sort of the bad guy, in a fumbling idiot kind of way.

Anyway, you'll love it. AND it's going to be a series! The next one comes out in December. Here's the cover for that:

There are also several awesome websites that go along with the book:

SPHDZ.COM  (go ahead! Sign up to be a Spaceheadz!)**

Anti-Alien Agency (AAA)

And of course, you should check out Jon Scieszka's website here.

**You can get your own Spaceheadz name! Mine is
Instant Margarine-SPHDZ.PH

Adam Selzer. I KISSED A ZOMBIE, AND I LIKED IT

What a hoot!! I've loved all of Adam Selzer's books so far, and this one is no exception. His sense of humor is unique and surprising.

This is another book set in the fictional suburb called Cornersville Trace. (I think all his books are set there, and I find this fascinating and totally something I would do if I was an author). Alley the main character is a smart, witty girl who would never date a guy her age, because they're all idiots. She hangs out with a group called the Vicious Circle. They all write for the school newspaper (actually an online blog). It's called the vicious circle because they make fun of people in brilliant and witty ways. Oh, and they now live in the post-human era. There are still humans, of course. But now all the vampires have come out of the closet, or "coffin" so to speak. It all happened after the Megamart created a bunch of zombies to work as slaves for them. It became such a big deal that the vampires advocated for them and in the process made themselves known, along with the werewolves.

Obviously, all the girls would die to date a vampire or zombie. It's a major status symbol. Alley thinks it's all so stupid...until she meets one herself. She doesn't realize that Doug is a zombie at first. (And I guess this would be a spoiler, if the title didn't already give it away). But after she's already fallen hard for him, she realizes the truth and doesn't care. She even begins considering wildly different options for her life than she had planned all along - all for love.Will she come to her senses or will she be like all the other girls who lose themselves for a guy?

This is a hilarious satirical look at the huge popularity of the undead out there including vampires, werewolves, zombies, etc. I found it to be the perfect combination of sweet romance and funky paranormal. Alley is an intriguing character. And the jokes and funny lines! I could go on and on. But you should just read it for yourself!

For more on Selzer, go here for his website. And be sure to check out this website for more about the book (and tons of funny bits). And go here to see all the books I've reviewed by Selzer, which should be all of his books. I think I've read them all; someone let me know if I've missed one!

Gary Paulsen. MUDSHARK

When I think of Gary Paulsen, I think about the outdoors as in HATCHET or his Iditarod books. But Mr. Paulsen has quite the funny bone too. Exhibit #1: MUDSHARK. This is a terribly funny book! I love it!

Mudshark (or properly Lyle Williams) is a talented twelve-year-old. He can find anything. If a kid lost his homework, Mudshark can remember exactly where the kid was 3 days before and what he was doing and therefore place exactly what the kid did with said homework. He's known as the local detective, but Mudshark simply pays attention - way more than anyone else, so he remembers everything. All the kids come to him to find their missing balls, pets, a parent's car, etc.

But when an even bigger mystery begins to develop in the school, the principal himself has to enlist Mudshark's help. Will Mudshark come through on his biggest case yet?

There are so many hysterical aspects in this book, I'm not sure where to begin. Let me just say that among the smarty-pants parrot, the multiplying crayfish, the hidden art connoisseur, the mysterious faculty bathroom and triplet sisters of Mudshark, you will find much to laugh at!

Entertaining and unique! Highly Recommended!

Go here for more about the talented and amazing Gary Paulsen.

Maureen Johnson. SCARLETT FEVER

“Monday arrived just like it always did, creeping in during the night like the neighbor’s cat, come to illicitly drop dead mice by the bedside.” *

Yeah, that’s why I adore Maureen Johnson.
Phrases like that.
Also, she creates the best characters. Scarlett is a wonderful main character in her own right, but Spencer her brother – wow, he’s something else altogether - so talented and witty. Mrs. Amberson, Scarlett’s boss is the embodiment of old Hollywood excessiveness, but in a totally charming way. Max is a new character in this book that I can’t wait to continue getting to know in the next book. And don’t get me started on the dog called Murray!

Oh and I also love her chapter titles. Here are a few examples:
Safety for the Stupid
Lies Everyone Knows
Lunch is for Suckers
Dinner is also for Suckers
Dawn of the Desperate

In case you didn’t know – SCARLETT FEVER is the sequel to SUITE SCARLETT, which I also adored completely. (see review here). You must read that one first.
On to my quick summary/teaser....The Hamlet production in the lobby of the Hopewell has just ended. The excitement has died down a little, and Spencer is looking for work. Scarlett is still working for Mrs. Amberson, especially after the show closing and the number of hotel guests dwindling. Scarlett is also depressed about breaking up with Eric. Mrs. Amberson decides to take on an additional client, a Broadway star named Chelsea who has an annoying brother, Max. Scarlett’s “job” is to keep an eye on him, and after objecting she realizes that he becomes intriguing. Then wonderful things happen for Spencer while simultaneously making him New York City’s public enemy #1.  Big news for Lola and Marlene continues to puzzle Scarlett. Bottom line = another great adventure with the Martin family. I really feel at home in their world. It also makes me want to like in New York City or at least visit for a while.
Read it. You’ll love it too. Now I want the sequel.

*Normally, I'd put a page number there, but Kindle doesn't use page #s. So, I give you location number 3413.

Andy Griffiths. TREASURE FEVER

Do you like silly funny? Do you like Jim Carrey? (and by Jim Carrey I mean Dumb & Dumber Jim Carrey, not so much The Cable Guy Jim Carrey). Do you like it when people resemble their names? For example: Mrs. Cross, Mrs. Chalkboard, Fiona McBrain, Gretel Armstrong and Grant Gadget? If so, then you will adore TREASURE FEVER.
It all begins when Henry gets sent to the principal’s office at Northwest Southeast Central School. During the conversation about what Henry did wrong, Principal Greenbeard tells Henry a story about how he played pirates when he was a boy at the school. He and his friends buried a treasure and it was found and stolen by a rival pirates. To this day, the principal has yet to find the treasure. Of course, this gets Henry and his friends on the hunt for buried treasure on the school grounds. (who doesn’t love a good treasure hunt!)
This is one in a series called SCHOOLING AROUND by Andy Griffiths. He also is known for his THE DAY MY BUTT WENT PSYCHO series, as well as several other goofy books. These are silly fun books. They’re great for reluctant readers as well as kids who just want a fun read! (your Captain Underpants readers will love these books!)

Check out the author’s website here. I'm real curious about his new one coming out next year called THE VERY BAD BOOK: click on the book for more...

Dan Gutman. MRS. DOLE IS OUT OF CONTROL

This is the first in a new series by Dan Gutman. It continues the adventures of the kids at Ella Mentry School from the MY WEIRD SCHOOL SERIES. In this book they graduate from 2nd grade into third. Normally you don’t graduate from second grade, but the new PTA president is the mom of one of the kids and she makes a huge deal about it (hence the title) and goes completely overboard.
I love this series! It’s totally relatable to kids. Like this:

Mrs. Dole says “Remember your first day of Kindergarten? My little baby Ryan was so scared to go to school that he peed in his pants. I remember it like it was yesterday.”
“You peed in your pants yesterday?” I asked Ryan.

It’s hysterical! There are many other quirky, funny parts that I won’t divulge here, so you can discover them for yourself. These are great for boys! Although girls will also enjoy them.
This series has 5 more books in it, some haven’t been published yet.

Dan Gutman has a great site to find out more about this series and all his other great books.

Lauren Child. UTTERLY ME, CLARICE BEAN

Wow. I could kick myself for not reading Clarice Bean sooner! I remember seeing Lauren Child's illustrations. And I had read CHARLIE & LOLA, but I think I never got to read Clarice because I was more focused on middle grade books. Well, she is now my absolute favorite book character for young readers. I would have been obsessed as a child (and truthfully, I am a little now as an adult). Plus I love the artwork so much, I want to post all of it here, but I’ll just post a few & send you to Lauren Child’s website for the rest. This is one of those examples where without the illustrations you truly lose the entire mood, theme, and essence of Clarice Bean and her world. I think the creative placement of the text on the page is helpful too. Also, I’d like to point out that Clarice comes in picture book format as well as chapter books. I love them both.

So, about the book. This one is called Utterly Me. A trophy is stolen at school. The bad boy is blamed, since he usually does everything anyway. But Clarice doesn’t think he stole it. So, she emulates her favorite book character Ruby Redfort, secret agent, to solve the mystery.
Clarice is an imaginative, funny daydreamer. I enjoyed spending time with her and look forward to her other chapter books.

A few adorable picture books that I loved!



More on Clarice Bean & her awesome creator, Lauren Child.

Lenore Look. ALVIN HO: ALLERGIC TO GIRLS, SCHOOL, AND OTHER SCARY THINGS

Alvin Ho is entering second grade with a PDK (a personal disaster kit). He’s afraid of everything, except explosions. He loves explosions. Before he started school, he was a superhero – Firecracker Man. (and he still dons the Firecracker Man hat from time to time). But even though he is a superhero, he is very scared of school. He never says a word at school. This makes it difficult to make friends, which he wants to do badly. So he ends up sitting with the only student who understands him: A girl named Flea. He’s disappointed, yet surprised by the book that she’s complied which turns out to be a dictionary of all of his facial expressions. Plus, the fact that she wears an eye patch makes sort of like a pirate. Maybe she will turn out to be OK after all.

Alvin is a refreshingly original character with a wild imagination. He's adorable! I enjoyed going on all of his journeys. I laughed out loud many times. Plus, the story is enriched with the most spectacular illustrations by Leuyen Pham. The facial expressions have uncanny resemblances to some of my favorite Dr. Suess characters.
Highly Recommended!