Book Review: Bogus by Karla Oceanak and Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures #5 by Jeff Brown

This is not exactly one of my double features, since I'm not comparing the books.  But I've got two shorter books and not much to say about them.  So, two for the price of one!

Bogus by Karla Oceanak
Publisher: Bailiwick Press
Publication date: October 2010
ISBN: 9781934649060
Source: review copy sent by publisher

Bogus continues the writing and drawing adventures of Aldo Zelnick, artist extraordinaire.  When his grandmother Goosy gave him another art book to fill, he decided to include lots of new b-words as well.  This book chronicles the adventures Aldo and his friends have when they discover a totally bogus diamond ring.  Or is it?

These are fun, simple, and easy to read graphic novels.  They are a great choice for reluctant readers who prefer a comic-book style read with plenty of pictures and not too many words.  They also manages to include some hopefully new vocabulary that will help kids learn a bit too.  Even the definitions of the words at the back are humorous enough that kids will probably want to read them.  The series doesn't quite have the kid-oriented feel the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books do - it feels too much like an adult writing stuff they think kids will enjoy.  I think kids will enjoy much of it, but it doesn't have quite the same appeal as those books.

Read-alikes:
Read Artsy-Fartsy first
Diary of a Wimpy Kid books by Jeff Kinney

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Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures #5: The Amazing Mexican Secret by Jeff Brown
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: September 2010
ISBN: 9780061429989
Source: Review copy sent by publisher

Flat Stanley is in an all-new adventure - this time traveling to Mexico to get a secret recipe.  He must defeat angry bulls and angry chefs in order to find the very old woman who keeps that secret.  But, no worries, he is Flat Stanley after all!
 
These are fun and short books that early readers will enjoy.  They have a nice mix of silliness, culture, and action to keep boys and girls interested enough to finish it.  Plus, there is a whole series of adventures Flat Stanley to entertain kids with.  While they seem like they will be formulaic (I actually haven't read any of the others), kids will enjoy following the adventures of a familiar friend.
 
Read-alikes:
Lots of other Flat Stanley books
Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborne

Do your students or kids like these books?

Posted as part of Tween Tuesday, hosted by GreenBeanTeenQueen.

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