The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Squirrel Meets World by: Shannon Hale & Dean Hale

The world needs Squirrel Girl as its newest super hero!  Authors Shannon Hale and Dean Hale have written a fun book that anyone who loves super heroes will enjoy The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Squirrel Meets World.

Doreen Green is the new girl at her school in New Jersey.  It is always hard being the new kid at school but when you have to hide your big bushy squirrel tale in your pants all day it can be very difficult.  She also has all the super skills of squirrels which she tries to hide from the world.  Doreen tries to make friends at school but her first friend is a squirrel named Tippy-Toe.  Ana Sofia becomes her first friend at school and together they have an amazing first adventure.

The city is experiencing a crime spree along with traps being set all over town to catch squirrels.  Strange microphones emit a sound that drives all the dogs crazy.  Just what is going on in this new town?

Doreen has always kept her "squirrel" side a secret but when she sees that someone needs saving she just cannot help herself.  Soon she is getting a super hero reputation as Squirrel Girl.  Her parents don't think she is ready to be a hero and they try to stop her but that doesn't work.  She is soon facing Micro-Manager a new villain.  Will she be able to stop him and his evil plan?  Nobody, not even super heroes, can always do hard things alone.  Squirrel Girl is lucky she has the Squirrels and Ana Sofia to help her.

I loved this book and I will now be looking for the Squirrel Girl Comic Books to read more about this amazing girl.

Happy Daily Reading
Deanna

Going Wild by: Lisa McMann

One month from today on September 27, 2016, I high recommend that you go to a bookstore and buy this book!  I was lucky enough to receive an Advanced Readers Edition and I know you will enjoy this new book series from author Lisa McMann.  Going Wild is the first of trilogy which will keep you up late at night turning page after page to see what happens next.  This is one exciting adventure.

Charlie and her family move from Chicago Illinois to Navarro Junction Arizona right before the beginning of a new school year.  Charlie isn't sure that this small town will be as much fun as Chicago was because in Chicago she had friends and soccer.  On the day of the move an anonymous package arrives that says "Charlie, you will know what to do".  Charlie just throws the package into the moving van with the rest of her things and doesn't think about it until unpacking a few days later.  When she opens the package she finds a strange looking bracelet.  She wears the bracelet and when she tries out for the school soccer team she is suddenly running VERY fast.  She isn't sure why she was able to run so fast but is thrilled when she makes the team and makes new friends.

One day running into class just a bit late she notices increased strength.  She cannot explain what is happening and she cannot remove the bracelet either.  As she goes through the first few months of  school a few different things begin to happen to her, once when she is angry she accidentally damages a school bathroom!  Her new friends try to help her remove the bracelet and to try to figure out why Charlie has these super powers that seem to be out of control.  Charlie is never sure when the powers will begin to work.  As her friends help her she begins to see the patterns that help her use the bracelet to her advantage.

Her powers are noticed by the wrong people and when a friend is kidnapped she is soon on the chase to rescue him.  As he is rescued a handful of other bracelets are found.  Her friends are excited to see what these other bracelets will do and it looks like Charlie's family is in danger.  Will she be able to help her family?

This is a great story that will keep your interest from the very first page.  There are lots of soccer references as Charlie is a good player with or without the bracelet.  Many of Charlie's school experiences are those that we all face in school.  We are also entertained by comics and superheroes throughout the story.  I am sure all readers grades 4 and up will love this new series. I don't want to give away too much information but after you read this book I would recommend a visit to your local zoo.

Happy Daily Reading
Deanna

the Misadventures of Max Crumbly Locker Hero by: Rachel Renee Russell

From the wonderfully creative author, Rachel Renee Russell we have the first book in her new series The Misadventures of Max Crumbly Locker hero.  Readers who enjoy Dork Diaries or Diary of a Wimpy Kid will love Max Crumbly!

Max is headed off to middle school after being home schooled by his grandmother for all of his life.  Life at the middle school isn't what he expected and even though he tries to be a super hero just like those he reads about in comic books he really isn't any kind of super hero.

The school bully keeps locking Max inside Max's school locker!  He is saved by Erin, the best looking girl in the school, early in the day but when he finds himself locked inside his locker after school nobody is there to save him.  It is a three day weekend and he begins to panic!

Amazingly he is able to break out of his locker finding himself in an old boiler room with no way out.  He finds the cover for the ventilation system and he is soon crawling all over the school through the vents.  He overhears three men who plan on stealing the school's new computers.  He is sure he can stop them, but soon they are chasing him!  As Max tries to get away from these not-so-smart thieves he finds himself in some crazy situations.  Can Max save the school computers?  Will he ever get out of the school?  Will he remain the superhero of the ventilation system?  You will be surprised how he finds a way to move about quickly in the vents.

I found myself giggling at Max and cheering for him all at the same time.  I know that kids of all ages will love Max Crumbly, Rachel Renee Russell is an author that seems to really get middle schoolers.

After reading this book make a commitment to never bully anyone!

Happy Daily Reading
Deanna

The Astounding Broccoli Boy by: Frank Cottrell Boyce

This is a wonderful adventure with humor and a great lesson of friendship.  We all have talents and are here for a purpose we need to find out what that purpose is and use it to make the world a better place.  Even turning green, broccoli green, can have its purpose.

Happy Daily Reading
Deanna

Three books written by author Greg Trine

This past week I had the opportunity to host a school assembly featuring author Greg Trine.  My second, third and fourth graders were excited to meet this author of chapter books about super heroes that has comic style drawings as well as words.  These are just right books for children making the jump from picture books to chapter books.  These books are funny and will have even reluctant readers turning each page waiting to see how the story ends.

The first series of books written by Greg Trine is the Melvin Beederman Superhero series.  Melvin is a young boy that is sent to a Superhero Academy where he learns how to be a superhero.  He cannot control his x-ray vision, stop trains or even fly on the first try, but he is determined to learn all he can to be a great superhero.  When he completes his classes at the Academy he is assigned to guard the city of Los Angeles.  He finds a perfect side kick in, Candace, an elementary school girl he meets in book one.  In Invasion From Plant Dork Marvin sees that aliens are headed toward Los Angeles.  He is concerned about being able to handle the case with just Candace so he gets fellow Academy graduates, Margaret and James to help him keep Los Angeles safe.  Unfortunately the aliens kidnap Marvin and his friends.  The aliens, Monkey Wrench, Elbow and Shoe need to take earthlings back to the planet Dork for their science class.  Will the superheroes escape this strange planet?  Read this book to find out!  I know you will enjoy reading this book.  One thing I love about this book is how the "narrator" talks to the reader.  At one point the waves are so good at the beach in Los Angeles the narrator takes a break to surf.

The second series written by Greg Trine is the Adventures of Jo Schmo.  In the first book Dinos Are Forever Jo needs to stop the evil Dr. Dastardly from bringing the dinosaurs back to life and destroying their city.
Jo is a young girl who has had many superheroes in her family.  She is feeling bad because she doesn't believe she has any superpowers.  However, when a package arrives for her that has a cape and a book of instructions all that changes.  Her cape is too long so she rips off some and puts a cape on her dog Raymond who becomes her trusty sidekick.  Since she cannot drive she creates a super high speed scooter to help her stop crime.  Her grandpa Joe helps her to learn the skills needed and he texts her when he hears of crimes on his police scanner.  She usually has to leave her classroom to stop crimes, her first big case is stopping a bank robbery.  She succeeds but her teacher wonders why she left the classroom for so long?  This is another funny and wonderful adventure story.

Greg Trine's latest book is Willy Maykit in Space.  Willy and his mom have not heard from dad for a couple of years.  He is an explorer and the last they heard he was in the amazon jungle.  Willy misses his dad but he also wants to be an explorer.  Willy's fourth grade class has the opportunity to visit the newest planet discovered (Planet Ed) on a class field trip.  Willy is so excited he can finally be an explorer just like his dad.  However, will mom let him attend the field trip?    Willy soon finds himself and his classmates on a space ship driven by an android named Max, and Willy cannot wait to land on Planet Ed.  Once the ship has landed he goes off exploring and is separated from his classmates.  When a big storm hits he is left behind his teacher, classmates and Max are flying away in the spaceship.  Willy believes that he is alone but he soon finds another classmate who did not get back on the space ship.  They try to figure out what to eat, where to live and what to do on this new planet.  They meet an alien from yet another planet who shows them around the place.  Monsters are discovered on Planet Ed and these monsters are not nice.  Can they find a way back home?  Will the monsters get them?   This is a fast paced adventure story that you are sure to love.  The author talks to the reader in this story which is something that I really enjoy.  The good news is that Willy's dad is alive but he is being held captive by the foot hunters of the amazon.  Will the family be reunited?  Read this funny story to find out!

After reading any of these books go and share some jokes with a friend.

Happy Daily Reading
Deanna