“Bobby” Series by Lisa Yee

1. Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally)
2. Bobby the Brave (Sometimes)

Fun stories about a fourth-grade boy.

Recommended age: 8 – 10; 10 – 12.

In the first book, Bobby is in fourth grade and has always been friends with Holly.   She has always been his friend, but, now, she is becoming (gasp) a girl – wearing dresses and painting her nails and hanging around with Jillian — who is no friend of Bobby’s!   What is he going to do?  In the second book, Bobby deals with having a famous football father when he is no good at football.

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Bird & Squirrel by James Burks

Graphic Novel

A very funny story about a timid squirrel and a carefree bird being chased by a hungry and angry cat.

Recommended age: 8 – 10; 10 – 12; 12 – 14

Bird is footloose and carefree, staying late up north because he is having so much fun.   Squirrel is busy getting ready for winter and trying to get Bird to leave him alone.   When Squirrel sacrifices his winter food supply to save bird from getting eaten by the Cat, Squirrel decides to try to go south with Bird rather than risk starvation in the north.   But, an uptight fearful Squirrel, a foolish carefree Bird, and an angry hungry cat make for some fun reading.

TO SEE THE FULL REVIEW: 

• If you are reading this in your e-mail, please be sure to click on the link at the top of the page to go to the Reading With Wisdom website.
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“Hatfords and Malloys” Series; also known as the “Boys vs. Girls” Series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

1. The Boys Start the War (1992)
2. The Girls Get Even (1993)
3. Boys Against Girls (1994)
4. The Girls’ Revenge (1998)
5. A Traitor Among the Boys (1999)
6. A Spy Among the Girls (2000)
7. The Boys Return (2001)
8. The Girls Take Over (2002)
9. Boys in Control (2003)
10. Girls Rule! (2004)
11. Boys Rock! (2005)
12. Who Won the War? (2006)

A fun series of a long-running boys vs. girls feud — based on the Hatfields and McCoys feud.

Recommended age: 10 – 12; 12 – 14.

The four Hatford boys were sad that their friends and neighbors, the Bensons — who had five boys — had moved away.   Worse, the family that is renting the Bensons’ house, the Malloys, have three girls.   The boys decide that if they can drive the girls away, then maybe the Bensons might need to return to their house.  The girls, meanwhile, decide that they are going to get back at the boys who are spying on them.   In the process, war is declared.   Sometimes the boys get the upper hand, and sometimes the girls do — but usually, each side’s schemes get turned around to the other side’s advantage.

TO SEE THE FULL REVIEW: 

• If you are reading this in your e-mail, please be sure to click on the link at the top of the page to go to the Reading With Wisdom website.
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Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies by Andrea Beaty

A fun parody of alien attack/fear-based type movies.

Recommended age: 8 – 10; 10 – 12; 12 – 14

Kevin and Joules are spending the week at Camp Whatsitooya while their parents compete at the International SPAMathon Dessert competition.   Unknown to Kevin and Joules, fierce Fluffy Bunnies — refugees from a far-away planet — have landed in the woods nearby and intend to take over the world and eat everyone.

Click on the link READ ALL REVIEWS on the right-hand side of this page to see the complete review for this book.

Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger

A nonsensical, fun story about a mesmerizing mustache and the fight to save the world.

Recommended age: 8 – 10; 10 – 12

Lenny is a nice kid.   He has a friend, Casper.   He likes Casper, but Casper has a plan to take over the world — a plan which involves buying a hypnotic mustache.   Casper does, in fact, succeed in taking over the United States.   But Lenny is intent on thwarting his friend’s plan.   With the help of Jodie O’Rodeo (a former TV Show star) and a very sticky toy hand, Lenny gives it his best shot.

Click on the link READ ALL REVIEWS on the right-hand side of this page to see the complete review for this book.

“The Adventures of Arnie the Doughnut” series by Laurie Keller

1. Arnie the Doughnut (Not reviewed).
2. Arnie the Doughnut – Bowling Alley Bandit

A fun and silly story about a talking doughnut.

Recommended ages: 8 – 10; 10 – 12.

Arnie is a talking and singing doughnut, and he rescues his friend’s bowling ball who had been kidnapped.

Click on the link READ ALL REVIEWS on the right-hand side of this page to see the complete review for this book.

“Alcatraz” series by Brandon Sanderson

1. Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians.
2. Alcatraz versus the Scrivener’s Bones.
3. Alcatraz versus the Knights of Crystallia.
4. Alcatraz versus the Shattered Lens.

A very fun and humorous adventure series.  Our whole family laughed our way through it.

Recommended age:  10 – 12; 12 – 14; 14 – 16

The Evil Librarians control our world, restricting access to truth.   Alcatraz is really from the Free Kingdoms where the Evil Librarians have no control.   Alcatraz leads the fight against the Evil Librarians using his talents — which can help him or hurt him.   He tends to break things (good when it is the enemy’s gun, bad when it is the plane he is flying in).  His grandfather’s talent is that he is always late (so that he is often late for bullets which have been fired at him).

Click on the link READ ALL REVIEWS on the right-hand side of this page to see the complete review for this series.