• Reading level: Ages 9-12
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Peachtree Publishers (March 1, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 156145527X
• Source: Publisher

In Chatterton’s second book featuring Theophilus Nero Hercule Sherlock Wimsey Father Brown Marlowe Spade Christie Edgar Allen Brain (aka The Brain) and his sidekick Sheldon McGlone, the two young detectives begin an investigation to find out the cause of the missing holes in their swiss cheese.  In the midst of their investigation, they meet an alluring young blonde whose father is missing, as well as a host of interesting other characters including a two-headed butler from another dimension. In this book, The Brain and Sheldon are now step-brothers living in Switzerland. 

Just like his previous book, The Brain Finds a Leg, Chatterton portrays a hilarious cast of characters in a crazy and humorous storyline.  The wit and humor his main characters exude will leave the reader crying with laughter. The Sherlock Holmes-like investigation will keep young readers engaged and interested.  My boys loved to read the names of the characters, the wacky names they have made reading the story aloud hilarious. We highly recommend this one! We can’t wait to read more from this zany & talented author!

Check back later for a giveaway of both of Chatterton’s books, The Brain Finds a Leg and The Brain Full of Holes!

Mini Review: The Brain Full of Holes by Martin Chatterton is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

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Today John and I are reviewing Alison Dare, Little Miss Adventures, written by J. Torres, illustrated by J. Bone. Alison Dare is a twelve-year-old girl, daughter of the famous archaeologist Dr. Alice Dare and the superhero the Blue Scarab.  Alison feels that action and intrigue are in her blood and it’s her duty to create her own adventures!  In Alison Dare, Little Miss Adventures, we learn about how Alison’s parents met and fell in love, how her father became the Blue Scarab, and Alison learns her lesson after rooting through some Egyptian relics!

Following are John’s comment’s about the book:

“It had great action, surprising tales and a lot of humor!  I have to say whoever wrote this book is a completely good writer!”

I asked John if he had a problem reading a book with a female main character, and female secondary characters. “I liked the story; it didn’t matter that the book was full of girls! Alison reminded me a lot of a female Indiana Jones, and her dad, the Blue Scarab, looked a lot like Superman!”

John continues:

“The illustrations were fascinating.  Although they were in color, they were still full of great super heroes, archeology and other fun and exciting things.”

John didn’t seem interested at the start of the book, his attention peaked at the mention of scarabs and Egypt and curses.  Some of the language and terminology used reminded me a lot of some of the “superhero” shows and movies that he loves.  So within a few pages, John’s attention peaked and he literally hung on to every word. There were bits of adult humor embedded in the story, so it definitely had me laughing as well.

Bottom line, John and I both really enjoyed reading Alison Dare, Little Miss Adventures!

Please be sure to check out the author’s web site as well as the illustrator’s!

Thanks to Tundra books for providing John with copies of the Alison Dare books to review! Tundra is also hosting a fun and exciting giveaway!  Here are the details:

Alison Dare is not your typical 12-year-old girl. She’s the daughter of world-renowned archaeologist Dr. Alice Dare and the masked superhero the Blue Scarab, not to mention the niece of international spy and master of disguise Johnny Dare. Action and awesomeness are in her blood, so she is eager for an adventure around the world!

Here’s what you can do:

1. Follow this link to print out the two poses of Alison Dare.
2. There are two different poses for Alison Dare, but you only need to choose one (although if you wanted to do both, go for it!).
3. Please cut out the Alison Dare figure you have chosen. Feel free to colour and decorate.
4. Put Alison Dare in front of a famous landmark, in an exotic location, or in the face of danger. You can also be creative with common everyday objects.
5. Take a photo (or photos) of Alison Dare! There is no limit.
6. Send your photo of Alison Dare and witty caption to tundra@mcclelland.com before June 30, 2010.

Need an example? Here’s what John and I did:

Alison Dare Comes to Washington!

Fun, and super easy!  Be sure to enter!

Tales of a (Formerly) Reluctant Reader: Alison Dare: Little Miss Adventure is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

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• Reading level: Ages 4-8
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Peachtree Publishers (April 1, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 1561455210
• Source: Publisher

It never fails to astound me how much nature is impacted by the action of humans. For example, the insecticides sprayed on crops not only kill the insects they are engineered to destroy, they also kill frogs as well.  And tadpoles are killed by chemicals farmers use to increase the growth of crops. A Place for Frogs is an incredibly detailed and informative picture book about how we can protect frogs and the environments in which they live.  Each spread discusses a particular problem; the first page describes the problem and the second details a solution.  Also included are several examples of frog species and environmental dilemmas they are in.

The book is also full of very vivid illustrations, thanks to the talented Higgins Bond (that name alone is lovely!)

My boys and I read this book together one evening.  Following are their comments:

Justin (4): There were so many frogs.  I liked to count all the frogs.

This was one of the things that make this book perfect for many ages…the hidden details.  After my oldest son and I read the text, my youngest would then count the frogs, tadpoles, birds, or other creatures found on the pages.  It kept both of them engaged.

John (10): The thing I like about this book is that it shows a lot of details about frogs.  It talks about what we can do to help keep frogs alive. One of nature’s greatest things is frogs.  Frogs help people by eating annoying insects like mosquitoes.  People: Every time you find a frog/toad in a dangerous place, take it to a safe place. Frogs are a part of nature, too.  Don’t do anything to hurt them.  SAVE THE FROGS!

A Place for Frogs would be a great addition to any home, school or public library collection.

Review: A Place for Frogs by Melissa Stewart is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

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Hubie hates snow.  He hates winter. He only wants it to snow once, right around Christmas.  He hates it because it’s so cold, and because of all the clothes you have to wear to go out in it.  By the time you are all bundled up, you have to go to the bathroom!When Hubie sees on the news that they are getting a horrible snow storm, he starts to freak out!

When he wakes up, the entire town is covered in snow.  His mom makes him get all bundled up to go out and play in the snow.  His friend Eric comes over and they go sledding and have a snowball fight.  Hubie begins to see that snow isn’t as bad as he thought.  Once the snowball fight is over, Hubie and his friends go inside his house. It begins to snow again so they have to stay inside. They play board games and roast marshmallows in the fireplace. They tell spooky ghost stories to one another, including the tale of Sammy the Ghost who couldn’t scare anyone.

The next morning, the snow has been cleared and school is open again. Hubie’s teacher, Mrs. Green, asks the kids to write about what they did on their snow day.  This book is Hubie’s report.

What I liked about this book:

There are a LOT of illustrations in this book.   This really breaks up the book and almost seems like you are reading a comic book instead of a chapter book. Here are a few of them:

Second, the book is made up of more than just a story!  It has funny knock-knock jokes and drawing. Here’s an example:

Finally, the words are large and easy to read.  This helps out a lot when I’m reading in bed at night!  And I liked that I didn’t need to use a dictionary or ask my mom to help out with some of the words.  They were perfect for a kid my age.

The only problem is that most of these Black Lagoon Adventures books are hard to find in bookstores, which is sad because I really love them!  My mom says they are out of print.  She was able to find a few of them in the local bookstore but had to place a special order for the rest.

*Edit: After a little of research, I found a site where you can purchase The Black Lagoon Adventures books.  Some of the series can also be purchased directly from Scholastic.

I hope you have enjoyed the first review in my new feature! Check back in a few weeks for another episode of TALES OF A (FORMERLY) RELUCTANT READER!!!

All Tales of A (Formerly) Reluctant Reader episodes are written by my ten-year old son, John. FTC: These books were all purchased out of my son’s allowance!

Tales of a (Formerly) Reluctant Reader: Episode One is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

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The people of El Camino Street enjoy the peace and quiet.  They don’t like kids, people with big families, or pets. They enjoy spending their time enjoying the peaceful things in life. A new family moves in, a new family with three kids and a pet fish.  Still, their peace and quiet seems to go on uninterrupted. 

Then suddenly, a giant camper pulls up in front of the new family’s home, a camper that took up half the block.  People start streaming out.  It started with three teenage cousins.  The neighbors shook their heads in astonishment and say “Too many visitors for one little house!” But family members continue to come out of the camper and each time they do, the neighbors respond with the same comment. All together, fourteen people (and a wandering stray dog!) arrive and enter the new family’s home.  The neighbors are in an uproar! They don’t appreciate all the noise that comes along with this many house guests!

But on their way to filing a complaint with the city’s complaint department, they are greeted by the Mom, holding a plate of Nanny’s apple strudel!  They are invited into the family’s home and instantly remark: “There are never too many visitors for one little house!”

My boys LOVED this book!  The illustrations, done by Veronica Walsh, were very colorful and vivid.  They enjoyed the repetitive text “There are too many people for one little house” and enjoyed repeating it each time a new group of visitors entered the house.  My four year old son, Justin, liked counting the guests as they arrived. My oldest son, John, thought Grandma, with her prune juice, and Grandpa, with his rolls of toilet paper and plunger, were downright hilarious!  So, kids of varying ages each take away something different from this hilarious tale!

About the Author:  Susan Chodakiewitz is a writer, composer and producer. She is the founder of Booksicals Children’s Books- Encouraging the love of reading through the arts. Through her company Booksicals she has created the Booksicals on Stage literacy program which is currently presenting musical performances of the picture book Too Many Visitors for One Little House at schools, libraries, and special events.

Susan lives in Los Angeles in a lively household filled with music, three sons, a husband, a Dalmatian and lots of visitors. Susan loves picture books and when she wrote a musical based on one of her favorites, she realized it was time to start writing her own picture books. Too Many Visitors for One Little House is Susan’s debut book. You can visit her website at www.booksicals.com.

Review & Blog Tour: Too Many Visitors for One Little House by Susan Chodakiewitz is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

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As with the other Horrid Henry books, Horrid Henry and the Mummy’s Curse is made up of four hilarious stories about Horrid Henry’s antics.

My ten-year old, John, and I decided to do a joint review of the title story The Mummy’s Curse.

In Horrid Henry and the Mummy’s Curse, Henry is doing what he does best-being horrid and getting into trouble.  Since he is unable to share his toys with his younger brother, Perfect Peter, Henry has been banned from playing with Peter’s toys. Typically, that’s not a problem for Henry.  Who wants to play with Peter’s childish, baby toys?  Well, that changed when Peter won a “Curse of the Mummy” kit from the museum.  It came with a plastic body to mummify, mummy wrapping gauze,  a curse book, amulets, and removable mummy organs!  What little boy wouldn’t love this !?

Perfect Peter soon finds Horrid Henry in his room and threatens to tell on him. But Henry convinces Peter that he’s not stealing his toy, but trying to protect him from the Mummy’s Curse, the curse that turns people into a mummy.  At first Peter doesn’t believe Henry, but he is convinced after a hilarious exchange with his Mom:

“Mom, ” said Peter, “Henry says you are a mummy.”

Mom looked puzzled.  “Of course I’m a mummy,” she said.

“What?” said Peter

“I’m your mummy,” said Mom,  with a smile.

Peter too a step back.

“I don’t want you to be a mummy,” said Peter

“But I am one,” said Mom.  “Now come and give me a hug.”

“No!” said Peter

“Let me wrap my arms around you,” said Mom

Peter is certain his Mom has been mummified. He asks Henry to help him remove the curse.  Henry insists they must wrap Fluffy, the cat, in the sacred bandages (toilet paper) so he can be a messanger between this world and the next.   Peter, too, must be wrapped and remain silent for thirty minutes. Henry begins chanting the “sacred spell”

“By the powers of Horus, Morus, Borus and Stegosaurus!”

But before the spell can be completed, Henry is discovered by his Mummy, I mean, Mom.  He is grounded from the TV for a month, but since Peter no longer wanted anything to do with his mummy kit, Peter had free reign!

My Review:

Francesca Simon, author of the Horrid Henry series, does another outstanding job with this one! Each of the four stories are long enough to tell a good story, but short enough to keep the attention of my two boys.  They love to hear about what sort of trouble is getting into next.  My oldest, John, is still convinced he’s Perfect Peter and his younger brother, Justin, is Horrid Henry.  Justin doesn’t seem to mind!

As I’ve mentioned in the past, the Horrid Henry books are perfect for any child, boy or girl, in the 7-10 age range. But they are particularly great for reluctant readers. The stories and characters engage them and the text isn’t challenging.

So, like in the past, I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this, or any of the Horrid Henry series!

John’s Review:

I think Henry is a little crazy for telling Peter that their Mom was a Mummy!  He acts like Justin (John’s younger brother), telling you things that are not true.   Horrid Henry was so good at convincing Peter that he was telling the truth. When his Mom said that she was a mummy, she really meant a “Mommy” so that was a little confusing.  Henry was so rude to wrap up Peter and Fluffy!

I liked this story because I think mummies are interesting.  But I don’t think Henry’s punishment was good. It was a good punishment for Henry to lose his TV privileges, but it wasn’t fair that he still got to play with the mummy kit!  If I had done something like this to Justin (I wouldn’t Mom, I promise) I would definitely get in a lot more trouble! I’d like lose my privileges for a MONTH!

Stay tuned for more reviews from John!  He’s starting to receive his own review requests, so he’s pretty excited!

In Which My Son and I Review Horrid Henry & the Mummy’s Curse is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

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