Chapter Book Review: New York City

New York City (Read-it! Chapter Books)
Written and illustrated by:  Lisa Thompson
Published by: Picture Window Books, 2006

* On one of their weekend trips to the library my husband found this book and thought my daughter would enjoy it.  My daughter read it on her own and then, because I was curious, I read the book.  I found this book to be a great mix of fiction and fact.  Ari and Tess are skateboarding, although I'm not sure you know here, when they receive their first mission.  They discover that they have been picked as special agents by the SWAT (Secret World Adventure Team) and must travel to New York City.  They have 24 hours to help a boy named TJ and his friends save their skate park.  Once they get to New York and meet TJ they get involved in a treasure hunt competition that, if they win, will give them enough money to save the skate park.  As the kids race around NYC lots of information about famous landmarks are given.  I also liked the use of real photographs interspersed with black and white "sketch" illustrations.  I don't think the skateboard theme was very appealing to my six year old daughter (who knows practically nothing about skateboarding and doesn't seem very interested in learning more!).  However, we live in the suburbs of NYC and she's been several times, so she was familiar with some of the landmarks mentioned.  Plus, she enjoys scavenger hunts.  She's already expressed interest in reading book #2 in the series Mission 002:  Sent to Sydney.  I'm also very curious to check it out.  Other missions take the reader to London, Tokyo, Africa, Spain, India, and Thailand. I think these books are a great way for children to learn more about the world around them! 

This book was borrowed from the library.

This book review is linked up at the:

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!

Chapter Book Review: Goofballs #1: The Crazy Case of Missing Thunder

Goofballs #1:  The Crazy Case of Missing Thunder
Written by:  Tony Abbott
Illustrated by:  Colleen Madden
Published by: Egmont, 2012
Ages: 7-9
101 pages

* I am always on the lookout for new chapter books to read with my daughter.  Many new series have been published since I stopped teaching 3rd grade over four years ago!  My daughter and I have had a long-time ritual of reading a chapter book together while we wait for the bus to come in the morning. Unfortunately, I end up getting way too many chapter books for us to read and there's not enough time for us to get through them.  Like this book for instance.  My daughter decided that she wanted to read it on her own this weekend when she had some "relaxing time."  Because I was really interested in checking it out I had to read it on my own.  :( 

This first book in the Goofball series follows four friends, Jeff, Mara, Brian, and Kelly, who dub themselves the Goofballs because......well, they are goofy!  They like to solve mysteries and take books out of the library to help them solve them.  The Goofballs became big in town when they solved "The Totally Incredible Pizza Disaster"(which has already happened before this story takes place, but we learn bits and pieces of it.).  A super-rich boy named Randall Crandall heard about the Goofballs from that incident and have hired them to find his missing horse, Thunder.  Using Jeff's clue book, making some observations, and looking at evidence, the group helps solve another mystery. 

This book definitely had some humor that had my eyes rolling, but my daughter enjoyed.  When I asked her how she liked it (before I had read it) she said, "It was funny.  He said, "Don't leaf me here" like L-E-A-F instead of leave me here.  Yes.....LOTS of puns are used in this book! 

There are lots of illustrations throughout the book.  I think it's a great new addition to the children's mystery genre.  Overall, we both enjoyed this book, although while my daughter reads the next one in the series, I'll sit that one out!

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.