Rebe Reads, Jr. posts are meant to help parents find good, entertaining books for our boys that aren’t all about farts! (Heaven help the mamas of boys…) Given that I’m a voracious reader, I definitely want my guys to enjoy picking up a good book and so we read to them nearly every night. But both my sons, ages 8 and 5, are in that middle space as readers – they’re too old for picture books, but not really ready for full-on chapter books with no pictures. We’ve searched far and wide for books that all of us enjoy, me for the lack of potty-humor and plenty of action to keep the boys entertained. The Notebook of Doom series, by Troy Cummings, fits this need perfectly.
The Notebook of Doom books follows the story of a grade-school boy, Alexander, who moves into a new town with his dad. On his first day, he starts to notice odd things about the town, his school, and even his classmates! He also finds a notebook with bizarre descriptions of monsters inside, along with advice on how to defeat them…could all this be real? And why is it that only Alexander and his trusty group of new friends even notice what’s going on? Can they save the town from each new threat?
We found this series in September of last year and I can’t even tell you how many times we’ve read them to both my boys and that doesn’t even count the times they’ve poured over the books on their own. They are nicely illustrated, there isn’t much in the way of sarcasm or disrespect for others, and the kids have to work together as a team to solve the mysteries and defeat the monsters that threaten their town. These books have quickly become favorites with everyone in the family – and they’ve even inspired my oldest to create some of his own monster descriptions in a notebook I gave him which he’s asked to send to the author for future books. He’s such a sweetie, my Marcus.
Any book that sparks creativity in my children is golden, as far as I’m concerned! The Notebook of Doom series, by Troy Cummings, is definitely on my must-read list for young readers!
Now it’s your turn to help a mama out…what books have YOU found for your kids (boys especially) that should be on our family bookshelf? Drop the title and author in the comments below so we can keep our children interested and engaged in reading.
From the Amazon description of the first book, Rise of the Balloon Goons:
Monsters + Humor + Fun = THE NOTEBOOK OF DOOM!
This series is part of Scholastic’s early chapter book line called Branches, which is aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!
Alexander has just moved to a new town where he is about to uncover all sorts of monsters! He finds an old notebook with the word “DOOM” inscribed on the front cover. The Notebook of Doom, which Alexander now holds, contains top secret information about monsters! In this first book, Alexander goes up against spooky balloon goons–unique and twisted arm-waving balloon guys! This book is full of humor, engaging black-and-white illustrations, and of course . . . monsters!
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