Judy Moody Gets Famous!

Third grader Judy Moody has many moods and the one we read about here is jealousy. She is jealous of her classmate, Jessica Finch, who gets her picture on the front page of the newspaper for winning the spelling bee. Judy wants that same fame so badly that she will do anything to achieve it. As fans of Judy Moody know, this might backfire and Judy may well become rather infamous instead! Her brother, Stink, appears in this book as well. So, fans of his series may enjoy reading about Stink’s adventures with his sister as well.

Illustrations by Peter H. Reynolds are crisp and realistic, adding to the story as pictures the size of thumbnails to two page spreads. They move the story along nicely and give it a clean, fresh look. The cover art is bright and will attract young readers that might not have found the previous editions as appealing. Recommended.

The Ghost of Graylock

Neil and Bree are sent to stay with their Aunt in upstate New York.  Neil wants to be a ghost hunter so he is excited with the transition to his Aunt’s house. Within walking distance of their new home is an abandoned psychiatric hospital.  The hospital closed more than a decade ago after three mysterious drownings and the  suicide of an accused night nurse. But when the two kids, along with their two new friends, break into the building they encounter mysterious events that cannot be explained. In the days after their visit to the abandoned hospital, Neil and Bree are plagued by horrific visions and nightly visits from a ghost.

As time goes on, they begin to realize that the ghost is one of the drowning victims who wants to bring her murderer to justice. The further the four get to uncovering clues, the more apparent it becomes that Nurse Janet has been unjustly accused and the real murderer is intent on making sure that the truth is never brought to light. Short chapters with cliff-hanger endings and several twists and turns in the plot will ensure that the pages turn quickly.

Monkey Me and the New Neighbor

Monkey Me neighborClaudia and Clyde are twin brother and sister who look out for each other. Claudia takes extra care of Clyde because Clyde has a problem.  When he gets excited he turns into a monkey! Yes, a monkey.  Young readers of this book will enjoy the absurdness of this morphing.

This is book three in the series. Here we find that the twins have a new neighbor. Nightmare of nightmares, it is their school Principal!  Clyde and Principal Murphy soon find something in common that helps them to begin a friendship. They also catch burglars who, unbeknownst to Principal Murphy, have stolen her valuable baseball cards and worse, her beloved cat.