Two New Early Reader Series

Last year we moved all of the series that are between a first grade an end of second grade reading level to a special section in the library. Since then, we have been watching the circulation to see if some of the titles need to be weeded out. Many of them are old and sort of dated and the kids just aren't reading them. Still popular are the Magic Tree House, Cam Jansen, Junie B. Jones, and Geronimo Stilton among others. Not so popular are The Secrets of Droon, the Olsen Twins and some Berenstein Bear chapter books. So I've been looking for some new series to replace them and I've found Roscoe Riley and Ivy and Bean two that have been flying off the shelves and have the kids, all ages, asking for more.

Recently I've found two more that I really like and have on order at Cover to Cover, my favorite bookstore.

The first is Andy Shane by Jennifer Richard Jacobson and there are four titles to date. Andy puts up with his friend Delores who is bossy and very smart. The most recent title is called Andy Shane is Not in Love. When a new girl moves into the class, Delores is hoping to get to be her assigned buddy, but instead Andy gets the call. Andy and Lark Alice Bell hit it off immediately and when Andy finds out Lark's dog has puppies, he wants one bad. The puppies are golden labs, and they are all Andy can think of, to the point that he writes LAB inside of a heart on his notebook. Delores thinks they are Lark's initials, and is very jealous. The chapters move along quickly and the vocabulary is perfect for first or early second graders. I've read two in the series and like both.
The second series only has one title out and the second is coming this summer but promises to be a lot of fun for kids. Calvin Coconut: Trouble Magnet takes place in Hawaii where the author Graham Salisbury grew up. Calvin and his friends are just regular kids living on the islands, but trouble seems to find them. They just happen to be across the street when an older bully character gets in trouble for shop lifting and Calvin can't keep his mouth shut about it so he becomes the target. Calvin's single mom agrees to allow her friend's daughter live with them, so Calvin has to give up his room and move to the storage room in the garage. Calvin's father is a singer who left the family after one hit song and legally changes their last name to Coconut. Lots of action and great characters, including an Army veteran who is Calvin's very cool teacher. I really like the multicultural themes in this book, especially when the new kid moves in and doesn't know anything about the local food like kimchi and shave ice. This book could easily serve as a jumping off point for some research into the Hawaiian culture. I can't wait for Calvin Coconut: The Zippy Fix this summer. I found this cool video with author Graham Salisbury addressing the children of Hawaii about his new books.

The 39 Clues: Maze of Bones

It's book fair time again, and I'm looking for "that" book, like Swindle last year, that will capture the kids' imaginations and fly off of the shelves. My first read from the fair is The 39 Clues: Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan.

For those of you who have been living under a rock, like me, and are totally unfamiliar with concept of The 39 Clues, a brief explanation based on my limited research. There are 10 books planned for the series, all written by different children's authors. Book two comes out in December and is written by Gordon Korman, so they are using quality talent to create this series.

There are a couple of commercial tie ins that at first made me nervous, but after looking at them I've changed my mind. First there are decks of collector cards, each book at the book fair comes with six included. They puzzles, background info on characters, spy devices and other fun things. In addition, each has a code number that can be entered on a website, which brings me to the second feature of the series. Readers can log onto The 39 Clues website, set up an account and begin collecting the cards on line. It appears that some of them will cause things to happen on the site and help readers solve even more puzzles. After my initial unease with these two features, I came to the realization that meeting kids as readers in their comfort zone just might work! After all, isn't that what we as teachers strive for? Finding things that will get kids interested in reading? This series does that a so many levels. I was able to log onto the site and create an account. Loads of fun activities, some that involve reading, others that are just game type things, but all entertaining and designed to get the kids into the books. It reminded me a lot of the old Carmen Sandiego game, only updated and more sophisticated.

As for the book, I liked it. I've not read any other Rick Riordan stuff before this, so I have nothing of his to compare it to, but the plot is catchy and the action non-stop. It involves the orphaned Cahills, Amy and Dan. When their grandmother, Grace Cahill, dies, they discover that they are part of the Cahill family that can trace its ancestry to just about every great, historical figure in the history of the world. This book revolves around their famous relative, Ben Franklin. After the funeral, many of the existing Cahills are invited to the reading of the will. Each member is given the choice of taking a million dollars, or going on an elaborate scavenger hunt of 39 clues (hence the title) to discover the thing that made the Cahills the most important family in the history of the world. Of course, Amy and Dan take the challenge, and along with their reluctant au pair, the begin an around the world challenge. I was reminded of the National Treasure movies which have been very popular recently.

Because Amy and Dan are most closely related to Grace, the other dastardly villains try to follow them and eliminate them from the challenge. The threats are real, but the kids manage to escape every time with only minor injuries. For an adult reading it, the book takes some far fetched turns, and reality must be suspended at times, but for kids it will be a fun exciting read. I'm excited for some of my students to start the challenge and keep me up to date on what happens on the website when they enter their codes and solve the puzzles. Frankly I can't wait until December to read the next one. This series should be the next big hit.

Check out Franki's "simulblog" at A Year of Reading.

Phineas L. MacGuire Series for Boys

I love Clementine, Junie B. Jones and Moxy Maxwell. I laugh out loud at all of their adventures. I recommend them to all of my first through third grade readers, and also to my older readers who just like a quick, fun read. Now, I have a series that I can recommend that features a boy character.

Phineas Listerman MacGuire, Mac, Big Mac, Phin, or Phineas, but never Listerman is a fourth grade science freak! He loves science, all kinds of science, and raises slime mold in his bedroom. His best friends are Aretha, an over achiever, class president who has dreams of being the best Girl Scout ever in the history of their school and Ben, the gifted artist who creates comics and in this episode, a video.

In the third installment Phineas is obsessed with going to Space Camp and is looking for ways to make money. The first opportunity involves walking Lemon Drop, the biggest yellow lab in the history of the world. Phineas is amazed at the amount of drool that a dog creates and his scientific mind begins to race. Ben video tapes as Phin and Aretha collect dog saliva for a series of experiments. Author Francis O'Roark Dowell (Shooting the Moon) creates fun characters and puts them in some hilarious situations.

One of my favorite characters is Mrs. McClosky, Lemon Drop's owner. According to Phineas she is approximately eight thousand years old but still has a pretty good arm for throwing a slobbery tennis ball. I love the interaction between her and the children. Mrs. McClosky calls them all by the wrong names, names that are close in sound to the real thing, but never quite right. The children NEVER correct her! I love that they accept that this is part of her and we don't have precocious children correcting her in a disrespectful tone.

I'm very excited to have a series for the younger readers that features a boy, and I'm even more excited that it's written by a quality author like Francis O'Roark Dowell. If you have not read Shooting the Moon yet, I strongly encourage you to move it to the top of your pile, you won't be disappointed, and if you are looking for a "boy"series, pick up Phineas L. MacGuire, you won't be disappointed there either.

New Series: The Sherlock Files

I'm always excited to find a new series to add to our shelves. I've found that kids really like a good series and the way that the characters continue to grow. On a recent trip to my local library, I picked up the first in Tracy Barrett's new series, The Sherlock Files. The first installment is call The 100 Year-Old Secret.

The story is based on two main characters, Xena and Xander Holmes, a sister and brother who are distant grandchildren of the famous detective. Tracy Barrett does a great job of developing the two characters, Xena, the older sister likes to make lists and is a little less likely to take a chance than her little brother. She is very good at working puzzles and deductive thinking like her famous relative. Fortunately for the Holmes siblings Xena is an excellent climber. Xander has a photographic memory and is always recalling facts and definitions, which sometimes annoys his older sister. Xander is an athlete and constantly tries to move the duo forward on the mystery, even when they may not quite be ready.

The two find themselves in England for a year while their father is a guest music teacher in London. During the first week the two are playing their favorite game in which they try to identify what passers by are all about based only on appearances. The game has been passed down the generations beginning with their many greats grandfather. In the midst of the game they are handed a note which leads them to a meeting of Holmes and Watson relatives. The children are presented with a book that is a collection of Sherlock Holmes' unsolved cases.

Xena and Xander decide to work on the case of a missing painting that should be part of an exhibition close to their London apartment. This is where the fun begins! Kids like mysteries they can solve like a puzzle, Cam Jansen, Encyclopedia Brown come to mind. Barrett does an excellent job of creating one of those that younger readers, second or third grade, can get into and solve. The clues are there, not completely obvious, but enough that if a reader is paying attention they can solve this mystery.

The tricky part of writing like this is to keep the reader going after they think they have it solved it. Tracey Barrett does that by adding characters the interact with the Holmes kids and keep the other plot interesting. In this book it's a distant relative of Sherlock's sidekick Dr. Watson, Andrew. Andrew is about the age of the Xena and Xander, and very obnoxious! He seems to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder because his famous relative has been overshadowed by Sherlock Holmes. Andrew keeps coming back in the story and creates tension every time so that the reader wants to keep with the story to find out what his deal is!

I'm very excited about this series and plan on adding it to the library this year. It will be good to have another option for that group of mystery readers that have finished all of the Encyclopedia Browns and aren't ready for the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew.

Some other reviews at Becky's Book Reviews, and SLJ.

Books 2 is slated for May 2009 and book 3, 2010.