2 New Series for Transitional Readers

I am excited about two new series that are just out. Both will appeal to transitional readers and I think both will appeal to boys as well as girls.

MAX DISASTER is by Marissa Moss. I think that this book was released a few years ago but seems to have been redone this year. The format is a bit different but it is going to be a great series. I picked up MAX DISASTER #1-ALIEN ERASER TO THE RESCUE yesterday and read it today. I am a big fan of Marissa Moss and love the Amela Books. This series is a similar set up but with a different twist. Max begins the book by saying, "This is a book I found that's perfect for writing scientific stuff in. There's a girl in my class who keeps a notebook of stuff about EVERYTHING in her life. SUPER BORING! I would never, I mean, NEVER do that, but suddenly, I have so many great ideas, I need a place to record them." So this book becomes a science journal and much more for Max. He shares inventions, comics that he writes, and experiments that he tries. The color graphics as well as the humor will make it a hit with kids. As much as Max doesn't want to write about all that is going on, he does write throughout this first book about the tension he is feeling between his parents. Dealing with that while doing all of the other things he does in a day, makes this a pretty realistic book. I think kids will enjoy it and I am anxious to pick up the next book in the series. (2 more come out this fall too.)

HORRID HENRY is the other series that I am excited about. I have 4 of the books but I think that there are 8 available right now. Horrid Henry is quite horrid. He is the oldest of 2 boys. His brother is "Perfect Peter" but Horrid Henry is always gettting into trouble. These books are each less than 100 pages long. There are some illustrations throughout but not necessarily on each page. Each book consists of 4 chapters or stories about Henry. Each chapter stands pretty much alone as a short story which makes this a great choice for kids new to chapter books. The books are funny and cause kids to laugh out loud. Horrid Henry is horrid but not really. He is a pretty likable character and his behaviors are usually pretty typical of kids his age. Thee books were originally published in the UK and are also a TV show there. They were so popular there that they recently began publishing the series in the US. This is a fun new series.