#notebook novel

Ok, I am just going to do this now and get it out of the way: YES - there are passing similarities between Tom Angleberger's amazing new book, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid that go well beyond their shared publisher, the excellent Amulet Books. Both are set in middle school, both are first person narratives, both contain kids who exist on the fringes (and far, outer fringes) of popularity and both contain a healthy dose of illustrations done by the young characters in the books. However, the whole story arc of The Strange Case of Origami Yoda involves introspection, observation, self-examination and, in more than one instance, forgiveness and the story wraps up in one book that has a very satisfying ending. I guarantee you that, even if Angleberger can't wrangle a few more books out of his well formed characters, The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda will find itself hugely popular among young readers and have a very long shelf life. And, I am sure that, for years to come, thanks to the instructions in the back of the book and on the website, teachers will be confiscating origami Yodas from their students.

The unifying force (no pun intended, Star Wars fans) for The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda is frequent narrator, Tommy. But, from my perspective, the star of the book is the creator and mouthpiece for the origami Yoda, the oddball, outcast Dwight. While he claims never to have seen the Star Wars movies, Dwight finds his origami Yoda, when perched atop of his finger, is a master at dispensing somewhat cryptic, yet mysteriously pertinent, advice. Tommy is desperate to get to the bottom of this phenomenon because he has a burning question to ask Yoda - if Yoda really is a wise piece of paper and not another odd expression of Dwight's oddball personality. Some of Yoda's advice is spot on, like his suggestion that Kellen splash water all over his pants after a mishap in the boys bathroom with a wet sink. This larger splash will mask the smaller, original splash that made it look like Kellen had wet his pants. However, some of Yoda's advice is off the wall, like the day when the only advice he dispenses, regardless of the question, is, "The Twist you must learn." So, Tommy decides to compile a case file and have each person who asked origami Yoda a question tell his or her story about the incident, allowing Harvey, the skeptic in the group, to add his perspective at the end of each case file. In the process, Kellen, another friend in this group of middling outcasts, adds his doodles to each case file. In addition to this, the pages of the book are printed to look like real paper, creases and all, with tiny, yet accurate sketches of tie-fighters and x-wing fighters in the lower corners. This adds to the authentic diary/journal look of the book, which I think is a major selling point for Jeff Kinney's books, and only serves to enhance the genuine voices of the characters.

Tommy's question pertains to a girl he has a crush on, as do many of the other questions asked of origami Yoda, and this kind of romantic tension is an ongoing theme in the book, albeit one that is VERY low key. Tom Angleberger walks a fine line in terms of age appropriate plot and reading level with The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda. Set in a school, the drama of the book has to come from either a boy-girl situation, a bully or possibly a mean teacher. The more books I review, the more I see the map of children's literature and what terrain can be covered in any given reading level. Real life stories, school stories especially, usually only have a couple of options when it comes to creating dramatic tension that will propel a plot, and that tension is often dictated by the reading level that the book is written at. With books written in a fantasy genre, even those at a second grade reading level, the possibilities for tension and drama and really bad bad guys is much greater. When basing a story in reality, there are certain lines you have to color inside of to keep your story real. Tom Angleberger does this so well I find it very hard to believe that this is his first book for young readers. His writing, although markedly different, is on par with the master of real life kid stories, Andrew Clements, author of one of my favorites, The School Story, among many others.

Originally started as a web comic on Funbrain, where book one can still be read for free, and conceived as an adult nostalgia piece, Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a hugely popular series that has gotten kids, boys especially, reading. I almost didn't write this review because these books are so ubiquitous that I figured there were very few parents and kids who didn't know about them. However, after reading the first two in the series I thought that maybe I did have something of value to say about the series for those of you who are unfamiliar with it. *For an addendum to this review written after listening to an interview with Jeff Kinney in which he was asked some very pointed questions, see below. To listen to the interview before reading my review so that you can form an opinion of your own, click here.

The diary keeper of the title is Greg Heffley and he is on the verge of starting middle school, which, in his opinion is, "the dumbest idea ever invented. You got kids like me who haven't hit their growth spurt yet mixed in with these gorillas who need to shave twice a day. And they wonder why bullying is such a big problem in middle school." The diary, or JOURNAL, as Greg insists on calling it, was given to him by his mom and he is only writing in it for later when he is rich and famous and too busy to answer questions about his past. Greg has an older brother, Roderick, who is in high school and drives a van with his band's name painted on the side. The name of the band is Löded Diper, the correct spelling of which Greg is sure his brother is oblivious to. Roderick treats Greg pretty badly, which could be part of the reason he sees himself as a wimp. Roderick plays jokes on him constantly. Some are funny, moslty harmless jokes, like coming into Greg's room at 3 am (in the middle of the summer) dressed for school and telling Greg to hurry up and get ready for the first day of school. When his dad comes downstairs yelling at him for making so much noise at three in the morning as he eats his cereal, Greg gets the joke. Roderick covers his tracks and avoids punishment. There is definitely a trickle down effect going on as Greg repeats the jokes on his friend by default (as in, there is no one better around to play with), Rowley. Greg heads to Rowley's house to play video games whenever his dad makes him go outdoors to get exercise, despite the fact that Rowley's dad won't allow the boys to play games with fighting or violence in them. Greg finds a way around this rule by bringing his unacceptable games over to Rowley's hidden in the cases of his baby brother's educational games. Finally, there is Greg's baby brother Manny, who, to his deepest embarrassment, calls him "Bubby." Manny is both a burden Greg must tend to and a blabbermouth, telling their parents about some of Greg's transgressions.

There are some very funny, realistic parts of this book, like the whole story line with the "cheese touch," which involves an old piece of fossilized cheese on the blacktop of the playground that, when touched, gives you the "cheese touch" and ensures immediate ostracization for possessing said touch. Some of the events, though, can get a little uncomfortable and involve lying to adults and subjecting other kids to violence or frightening situations. So, of course, as a parent I have a different view of these kids and their antics than a young reader will. Greg is a character who makes his choices based on whatever is most convenient for him with little thought to others. Some of the plot points that caused me to cringe and have second thoughts about recommending this to younger kids are: The pay-per-view haunted house that Rowley and Greg set up. It turns out to be such a lame version of their original plan that they cut short the attraction after their first customer curls up in the fetal position and refuses to leave the "Hall of Screams." Then there is the time that Manny finds one of Roderick's contraband Heavy Metal magazines and brings a picture of a bikini-clad girl draped across the hood of a car for show and tell at preschool. Roderick's punishment is to answer in writing pointed questions posed by his mother regarding shame, being a better person and apologizing to all women for owning something of that nature. There is also the time when, disappointed with the Big Wheel Rowley gives him for Christmas, Greg finds a way to have fun with it by trying to bean Rowley in the head with a football as he rides by on it, causing him to crash and break his arm. Finally, there is the time when Greg takes Rowley's route on the safety patrol and chases a group of kindergartners with a worm on a stick, sending them screaming. Rowley is blamed for terrorizing the kids and Greg lets him take the fall. Greg loses his position on the safety patrol and Rowley's friendship (for a time) over that one. While I laughed and shared Greg's point of view once in a while, I was left with an uneasy feeling above all because of the humor at other people's expense that is a regular aspect of the book, as well as a continual disregard for others that exists in Greg and his brother Roderick. I think that these books are so widely popular, in part, because of the easy to read diary format, the cartoonish illustrations and the brightly colored covers. I think that this is also what attracts readers as young as seven or eight and what leads parents to believe that these books, about a seventh grader, are acceptable to give to a second or third grader. I have no doubt that there are younger readers who can consume this series without being aversely affected or acting out, however, because there is no moral presence in the books, I think that parents who read the books with their kids can provide that moral touchstone outside of the text by reading and talking to their kids about the stories.

I have to confess that I am a book snob. I sometimes shudder when I think about what I am required to place on the shelves and sell at the bookstore where I work. I am also somewhat reformed in my snobbery. Several years ago I volunteered as a reading coach at the elementary school my son was attending. Twice a week I went to second and fifth grade classrooms and read with a handful of kids, mostly boys. What I learned from working with those kids is that a book has intrinsic value if it inspires a child to pick it up and read it, regardless of the plot or content (within reason, of course.) I learned to appreciate Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants and even RL Stine's Goosebumps books. So, while I definitely value the way that Jeff Kinney and his books have inspired reluctant and non-readers to crack a spine on a book for a change, I do have one small reservation about these books. They remind me a bit of the television show The Simpsons, which has definite kid appeal in the character of Bart, but also plays on a very adult level, dropping in adult references and themes from time to time. Probably most kids don't pick up on it and it remains benign. But, seems like one thing to watch Bart Simpson misbehave and disregard others on television for twenty-one minutes at a time and a whole other thing to read about it over and over in a book series. Some kids pick up on this stuff, get ideas and do or say things that are inappropriate. Some don't. I am not in any way advocating censorship, however. Instead, I hope to provide parents with a useful tool for determining whether or not these books are well suited for their child. I have talked to some parents who have told me that reading Junie B Jones led to undesired behaviors in their kids and I suspect that the Wimpy Kid series could have the same effect on a small number of readers, especially the younger ones, as well, and I know that kids as young as third grade are reading this series.

Renaissance Learning, a company that produces computer based comprehension tests on children's books that schools use to monitor and encourage students' reading, rates the Wimpy Kid books at a 5th grade reading level. The Lexile framework for reading, which is used more by academics, ranks the third book in the series at a 970L. According to Lexile, The Last Straw is comparable with Philip Pullman's book The Golden Compass, a very complex book with foreign names and words, which Renaissance Learning ranks as a 7th grade reading level book. Confusing as this is, I want to make the point that, while many third graders and younger are reading this series, they are, in most cases, probably too young for it, whether due to maturity or ability. I think young kids are drawn in by the very funny, entertaining comic illustrations and jokes and gags in the books and end up reading about a kid who is in middle school and has a teenage brother who throws parties while their parents are out of town.

In a perfect world of books, reluctant readers would be drawn to a series with more redeeming qualities and less general meanness than the Wimpy Kid book. But, in a perfect world of books everyone would grow into adults who like to read Shakespeare, Jhumpa Lahiri, Henry James and Walt Whitman. Nothing is perfect, reading is important and all things require some give and take since we are all different with different tastes. Diary of a Wimpy Kid certainly isn't the worst book on the shelf by any means. I just think it needs to be read with a sense of distance on the part of the reader and caution on the part of the parents. And, for all I know, maybe over the course of this series Greg develops the conscience and sense of responsibility we all hope our children will acquire as they mature. I have only read the first two books in the series. But, as a friend and co-worker said when we were discussing the possible merits of reading this book, "Why don't kids just read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?"

Marissa Moss, author of the Amelia's Notebooks series, first published in 1995, featured in the American Girl Magazine and now totaling more than twenty titles, brings us the boy version, sort of. As Max himself says, "There's a girl in my class who keeps a notebook about EVERYTHING in her life. SUPER BORING!" Max's notebook, which he found mysteriously tucked under his pillow one morning, is "perfect for writing scientific stuff in... I have so many great ideas, I need a place to record them. I don't want to forget ANY of my cool inventions or experiments. My mom and dad are real scientists and I'm going to be one, too." A combination of Alien Eraser comic strips, drawings, photographs, experiments and inventions, Max's notebook also weaves multiple plot threads throughout the story. The main plot line in Max Disaster #1, Alien Eraser to the Rescue, involves the escalating fights between Max's parents that result in their separation and Dad moving into his own apartment by the end of the book. Max's feelings about this and his attempts to make sense of it are is a subtle theme that carries on into Book #2 and, I suspect will do so for the course of the series.

At first I was thrown by this development. On the surface, this book seemed to be about a boy who likes to draw comics and explode marshmallows in the microwave under the guise of the term "science experiment." And, because the main character is a boy and we all know that boys do not experience emotions or notice the emotions of others, I expected this to be a straightforwardly funny story with the typical gross things like boogers or farts thrown in here and there. The dissolution of a marriage and how it effects the children seemed to be wildly out of place, both for the target age target gender of the book. But, I do know, boy do I know after parenting two very sensitive, emotional boys, that boys do feel as well as think and they are concerned about the welfare of others, even if it is generally most often in direct proportion to how someone else's happiness will affect their own state of well being. And, based of the books I have read in an effort to expand my horizonal experience of the world of children's literature, books with boys as main characters can be well written, entertaining and thoughtful AND sell well - all at the same time! The first that comes to mind, written at a slightly lower reading level, is Megan McDonald's excellent series, Stink, now up to book #4 and published by Candlewick Press, who also brings us the Max Disaster series, among other great books.

The other wonderfully creative thread in the fabric of this already very creative story is the Alien Eraser himself. The front and end pages of each book feature comics in which the Alien Eraser is an independent being who has come to earth on a mission to, as he puts it, "find an unsuspecting host - someone who will think that he's invented me and will draw stories about me... someone I can use to recount my glorious deeds." Alien Eraser comes Max's and slips a notebook under his pillow as he sleeps. Within the pages of the notebook are comics that Max writes and illustrates about Alien Eraser after he and his best friend Omar decorate dozens of pencil topping erasers to look like people, villagers fleeing a volcano eruption (this during a moment of boredom at having to perform the same old vinegar and baking soda experiment again in class), military guys and aliens. Max even makes a happy family of erasers that he wishes would replace his arguing parents and mean older brother.

The experiments and inventions included in the book are very do-able for a kid with some adult supervision and actually seem pretty cool. In Book #1, Invention #4 is a glitter jar and Experiment #4 is a look at how how hot water and cold water react to each other. I have never seen this one before and plan to try it out as soon as I can find two empty jars in my cupboards. Book #2, Alien Eraser Unravels the Mystery of the Pyramids is even better because Experiment #2 is a recipe for a modern version of an ancient love potion (which Max hopes will make his parents change their minds about separating.) If my son has not already concocted something like this (but not for the same reasons...) without my knowledge, I am sure he will be stirring up the toenail clippings, honey and birthday candle as soon as he reads this book. I especially like Book #2, in which Max and Omar team up to do a school report on Ancient Egypt because Moss includes facts about Egypt that I never knew and avoids the typical type of information found in kid's books. I also loved the scene in the beginning of the book when Max hurts his mother's feelings by calling his Dad to ask him about pyramid power instead of asking her. Max confides in his notebook, "Here's why I didn't ask Mom: As soon as she heard I was studying Egypt she gave me a HUGE pile of books. The whole point of asking a parent a question is so that you don't have to slog through so many books to find the answer yourself." As a mom who has been known to throw a book at any assignment/problem my kids bring to me, I had to laugh. Thank you, Marissa Moss, for cluing me in as to why my kids are so secretive about their school work these days!!

Actually, I had lots of laugh-out-loud moments and even more snickering-to-myself moments when reading these two remarkable books. Marissa Moss first wrote about Max in 2003, but I could not find out where or in what format. He may have made an appearance in one of Amelia's Notebooks. Either way, I think the time is ripe for his reappearance. With the rising popularity of graphic novels and manga in general, as well as the phenomenal success of Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, a very funny journal of middle schooler Greg Heffley, the shelves at the book store definitely have room for a book series that is rich visually, humorous and thoughtful. Bravo Marissa Moss!

The Max Disaster books will not be available for purchase until May 12, but, when they are published they will be sold simultaneously in hardcover (for $15.99) and in paperback (for the very reasonable, considering all of the color illustrations, $6.99). I think that, in a time when books for young readers like The Magic Tree House and Junie B Jones, which were previously released initially in paperback for a reasonable $3.99 and are now coming out exclusively in hardcover for $11.99, this is a bold and smart move on the part of the publisher.

If your reader enjoyed these books, I suggest:

Stink series by Megan McDonald with illustrations by the superb Peter H Reynolds.

The Fog Mound Trilogy brilliantly written and illustrated by Susan Schade and Jon Buller.

Originally started as a web comic on Funbrain, where book one can still be read for free, and conceived as an adult nostalgia piece, Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a hugely popular series that has gotten kids, boys especially, reading. I almost didn't write this review because these books are so ubiquitous that I figured there were very few parents and kids who didn't know about them. However, after reading the first two in the series I thought that maybe I did have something of value to say about the series for those of you who are unfamiliar with it. *For an addendum to this review written after listening to an interview with Jeff Kinney in which he was asked some very pointed questions, see below. To listen to the interview before reading my review so that you can form an opinion of your own, click here.

The diary keeper of the title is Greg Heffley and he is on the verge of starting middle school, which, in his opinion is, "the dumbest idea ever invented. You got kids like me who haven't hit their growth spurt yet mixed in with these gorillas who need to shave twice a day. And they wonder why bullying is such a big problem in middle school." The diary, or JOURNAL, as Greg insists on calling it, was given to him by his mom and he is only writing in it for later when he is rich and famous and too busy to answer questions about his past. Greg has an older brother, Roderick, who is in high school and drives a van with his band's name painted on the side. The name of the band is Löded Diper, the correct spelling of which Greg is sure his brother is oblivious to. Roderick treats Greg pretty badly, which could be part of the reason he sees himself as a wimp. Roderick plays jokes on him constantly. Some are funny, moslty harmless jokes, like coming into Greg's room at 3 am (in the middle of the summer) dressed for school and telling Greg to hurry up and get ready for the first day of school. When his dad comes downstairs yelling at him for making so much noise at three in the morning as he eats his cereal, Greg gets the joke. Roderick covers his tracks and avoids punishment. There is definitely a trickle down effect going on as Greg repeats the jokes on his friend by default (as in, there is no one better around to play with), Rowley. Greg heads to Rowley's house to play video games whenever his dad makes him go outdoors to get exercise, despite the fact that Rowley's dad won't allow the boys to play games with fighting or violence in them. Greg finds a way around this rule by bringing his unacceptable games over to Rowley's hidden in the cases of his baby brother's educational games. Finally, there is Greg's baby brother Manny, who, to his deepest embarrassment, calls him "Bubby." Manny is both a burden Greg must tend to and a blabbermouth, telling their parents about some of Greg's transgressions.

There are some very funny, realistic parts of this book, like the whole story line with the "cheese touch," which involves an old piece of fossilized cheese on the blacktop of the playground that, when touched, gives you the "cheese touch" and ensures immediate ostracization for possessing said touch. Some of the events, though, can get a little uncomfortable and involve lying to adults and subjecting other kids to violence or frightening situations. So, of course, as a parent I have a different view of these kids and their antics than a young reader will. Greg is a character who makes his choices based on whatever is most convenient for him with little thought to others. Some of the plot points that caused me to cringe and have second thoughts about recommending this to younger kids are: The pay-per-view haunted house that Rowley and Greg set up. It turns out to be such a lame version of their original plan that they cut short the attraction after their first customer curls up in the fetal position and refuses to leave the "Hall of Screams." Then there is the time that Manny finds one of Roderick's contraband Heavy Metal magazines and brings a picture of a bikini-clad girl draped across the hood of a car for show and tell at preschool. Roderick's punishment is to answer in writing pointed questions posed by his mother regarding shame, being a better person and apologizing to all women for owning something of that nature. There is also the time when, disappointed with the Big Wheel Rowley gives him for Christmas, Greg finds a way to have fun with it by trying to bean Rowley in the head with a football as he rides by on it, causing him to crash and break his arm. Finally, there is the time when Greg takes Rowley's route on the safety patrol and chases a group of kindergartners with a worm on a stick, sending them screaming. Rowley is blamed for terrorizing the kids and Greg lets him take the fall. Greg loses his position on the safety patrol and Rowley's friendship (for a time) over that one. While I laughed and shared Greg's point of view once in a while, I was left with an uneasy feeling above all because of the humor at other people's expense that is a regular aspect of the book, as well as a continual disregard for others that exists in Greg and his brother Roderick. I think that these books are so widely popular, in part, because of the easy to read diary format, the cartoonish illustrations and the brightly colored covers. I think that this is also what attracts readers as young as seven or eight and what leads parents to believe that these books, about a seventh grader, are acceptable to give to a second or third grader. I have no doubt that there are younger readers who can consume this series without being aversely affected or acting out, however, because there is no moral presence in the books, I think that parents who read the books with their kids can provide that moral touchstone outside of the text by reading and talking to their kids about the stories.

I have to confess that I am a book snob. I sometimes shudder when I think about what I am required to place on the shelves and sell at the bookstore where I work. I am also somewhat reformed in my snobbery. Several years ago I volunteered as a reading coach at the elementary school my son was attending. Twice a week I went to second and fifth grade classrooms and read with a handful of kids, mostly boys. What I learned from working with those kids is that a book has intrinsic value if it inspires a child to pick it up and read it, regardless of the plot or content (within reason, of course.) I learned to appreciate Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants and even RL Stine's Goosebumps books. So, while I definitely value the way that Jeff Kinney and his books have inspired reluctant and non-readers to crack a spine on a book for a change, I do have one small reservation about these books. They remind me a bit of the television show The Simpsons, which has definite kid appeal in the character of Bart, but also plays on a very adult level, dropping in adult references and themes from time to time. Probably most kids don't pick up on it and it remains benign. But, seems like one thing to watch Bart Simpson misbehave and disregard others on television for twenty-one minutes at a time and a whole other thing to read about it over and over in a book series. Some kids pick up on this stuff, get ideas and do or say things that are inappropriate. Some don't. I am not in any way advocating censorship, however. Instead, I hope to provide parents with a useful tool for determining whether or not these books are well suited for their child. I have talked to some parents who have told me that reading Junie B Jones led to undesired behaviors in their kids and I suspect that the Wimpy Kid series could have the same effect on a small number of readers, especially the younger ones, as well, and I know that kids as young as third grade are reading this series.

Renaissance Learning, a company that produces computer based comprehension tests on children's books that schools use to monitor and encourage students' reading, rates the Wimpy Kid books at a 5th grade reading level. The Lexile framework for reading, which is used more by academics, ranks the third book in the series at a 970L. According to Lexile, The Last Straw is comparable with Philip Pullman's book The Golden Compass, a very complex book with foreign names and words, which Renaissance Learning ranks as a 7th grade reading level book. Confusing as this is, I want to make the point that, while many third graders and younger are reading this series, they are, in most cases, probably too young for it, whether due to maturity or ability. I think young kids are drawn in by the very funny, entertaining comic illustrations and jokes and gags in the books and end up reading about a kid who is in middle school and has a teenage brother who throws parties while their parents are out of town.

In a perfect world of books, reluctant readers would be drawn to a series with more redeeming qualities and less general meanness than the Wimpy Kid book. But, in a perfect world of books everyone would grow into adults who like to read Shakespeare, Jhumpa Lahiri, Henry James and Walt Whitman. Nothing is perfect, reading is important and all things require some give and take since we are all different with different tastes. Diary of a Wimpy Kid certainly isn't the worst book on the shelf by any means. I just think it needs to be read with a sense of distance on the part of the reader and caution on the part of the parents. And, for all I know, maybe over the course of this series Greg develops the conscience and sense of responsibility we all hope our children will acquire as they mature. I have only read the first two books in the series. But, as a friend and co-worker said when we were discussing the possible merits of reading this book, "Why don't kids just read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?"

Marissa Moss, author of the Amelia's Notebooks series, first published in 1995, featured in the American Girl Magazine and now totaling more than twenty titles, brings us the boy version, sort of. As Max himself says, "There's a girl in my class who keeps a notebook about EVERYTHING in her life. SUPER BORING!" Max's notebook, which he found mysteriously tucked under his pillow one morning, is "perfect for writing scientific stuff in... I have so many great ideas, I need a place to record them. I don't want to forget ANY of my cool inventions or experiments. My mom and dad are real scientists and I'm going to be one, too." A combination of Alien Eraser comic strips, drawings, photographs, experiments and inventions, Max's notebook also weaves multiple plot threads throughout the story. The main plot line in Max Disaster #1, Alien Eraser to the Rescue, involves the escalating fights between Max's parents that result in their separation and Dad moving into his own apartment by the end of the book. Max's feelings about this and his attempts to make sense of it are is a subtle theme that carries on into Book #2 and, I suspect will do so for the course of the series.

At first I was thrown by this development. On the surface, this book seemed to be about a boy who likes to draw comics and explode marshmallows in the microwave under the guise of the term "science experiment." And, because the main character is a boy and we all know that boys do not experience emotions or notice the emotions of others, I expected this to be a straightforwardly funny story with the typical gross things like boogers or farts thrown in here and there. The dissolution of a marriage and how it effects the children seemed to be wildly out of place, both for the target age target gender of the book. But, I do know, boy do I know after parenting two very sensitive, emotional boys, that boys do feel as well as think and they are concerned about the welfare of others, even if it is generally most often in direct proportion to how someone else's happiness will affect their own state of well being. And, based of the books I have read in an effort to expand my horizonal experience of the world of children's literature, books with boys as main characters can be well written, entertaining and thoughtful AND sell well - all at the same time! The first that comes to mind, written at a slightly lower reading level, is Megan McDonald's excellent series, Stink, now up to book #4 and published by Candlewick Press, who also brings us the Max Disaster series, among other great books.

The other wonderfully creative thread in the fabric of this already very creative story is the Alien Eraser himself. The front and end pages of each book feature comics in which the Alien Eraser is an independent being who has come to earth on a mission to, as he puts it, "find an unsuspecting host - someone who will think that he's invented me and will draw stories about me... someone I can use to recount my glorious deeds." Alien Eraser comes Max's and slips a notebook under his pillow as he sleeps. Within the pages of the notebook are comics that Max writes and illustrates about Alien Eraser after he and his best friend Omar decorate dozens of pencil topping erasers to look like people, villagers fleeing a volcano eruption (this during a moment of boredom at having to perform the same old vinegar and baking soda experiment again in class), military guys and aliens. Max even makes a happy family of erasers that he wishes would replace his arguing parents and mean older brother.

The experiments and inventions included in the book are very do-able for a kid with some adult supervision and actually seem pretty cool. In Book #1, Invention #4 is a glitter jar and Experiment #4 is a look at how how hot water and cold water react to each other. I have never seen this one before and plan to try it out as soon as I can find two empty jars in my cupboards. Book #2, Alien Eraser Unravels the Mystery of the Pyramids is even better because Experiment #2 is a recipe for a modern version of an ancient love potion (which Max hopes will make his parents change their minds about separating.) If my son has not already concocted something like this (but not for the same reasons...) without my knowledge, I am sure he will be stirring up the toenail clippings, honey and birthday candle as soon as he reads this book. I especially like Book #2, in which Max and Omar team up to do a school report on Ancient Egypt because Moss includes facts about Egypt that I never knew and avoids the typical type of information found in kid's books. I also loved the scene in the beginning of the book when Max hurts his mother's feelings by calling his Dad to ask him about pyramid power instead of asking her. Max confides in his notebook, "Here's why I didn't ask Mom: As soon as she heard I was studying Egypt she gave me a HUGE pile of books. The whole point of asking a parent a question is so that you don't have to slog through so many books to find the answer yourself." As a mom who has been known to throw a book at any assignment/problem my kids bring to me, I had to laugh. Thank you, Marissa Moss, for cluing me in as to why my kids are so secretive about their school work these days!!

Actually, I had lots of laugh-out-loud moments and even more snickering-to-myself moments when reading these two remarkable books. Marissa Moss first wrote about Max in 2003, but I could not find out where or in what format. He may have made an appearance in one of Amelia's Notebooks. Either way, I think the time is ripe for his reappearance. With the rising popularity of graphic novels and manga in general, as well as the phenomenal success of Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, a very funny journal of middle schooler Greg Heffley, the shelves at the book store definitely have room for a book series that is rich visually, humorous and thoughtful. Bravo Marissa Moss!

The Max Disaster books will not be available for purchase until May 12, but, when they are published they will be sold simultaneously in hardcover (for $15.99) and in paperback (for the very reasonable, considering all of the color illustrations, $6.99). I think that, in a time when books for young readers like The Magic Tree House and Junie B Jones, which were previously released initially in paperback for a reasonable $3.99 and are now coming out exclusively in hardcover for $11.99, this is a bold and smart move on the part of the publisher.

If your reader enjoyed these books, I suggest:

Stink series by Megan McDonald with illustrations by the superb Peter H Reynolds.

The Fog Mound Trilogy brilliantly written and illustrated by Susan Schade and Jon Buller.