Do you love to read the Guinness Book of World Records or Ripley's Believe it or Not and enjoy adventure stories with secret codes? Seriously? Of course you do! Then add in a helping of Dan Gutman's wacky humor, and you have the recipe for a book that you will simply devour. 

Coke and Pepsi McDonald are almost 13, and their parents are a little bit.... strange. They are being forced to take an RV trip from California to Virginia at the start of summer vacation. Just before they leave, they discover that they have been recruited to join the Genius Files - a secret group of highly intelligent children who need to save the world. That's when the attempts to kill them begin.

The trip is a crazy mixture of adventures, code breaking, and visits to quirky locations across the United States. What other book would include vats of liquefied Spam, jumping off of cliffs, and a visit to the TWO largest balls of twine? 

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Fans of Dan Gutman's Weird School Days books will enjoy this series, and parents and teachers will like the fact that this book is a step up in length and text challenge. The second book was just released, which means you can jump right into the sequel! 

Don’t let the title fool you – girls will also love this book! 

This is an exciting collection of short stories that will make you bite your nails until the very end. Creepy but funny. Scary but not too scary. There are tales about ghosts, pirates, wishes, a terrible private investigator, and more. 


My favorite story was "Ghost Vision Goggles"; a story about boy who sends away for weird items from the back of old comics. When he receives goggles that let him see ghosts, he gets more than he expected.

The best part of this book? When I held it up in my classroom the first student to jump up and grab it was a girl. Oh yeah, I love that. I don't expect this book to stay on my shelf for long stretches at a time.

The stories are by authors my students already love: Anthony Horowitz, Margaret Peterson Haddix, James Patterson and more!

(Middle grades: 3-6)

Check out the Guys Read website for more information about this book and other reading ideas with boys in mind. (but girls will like them too!)

A typical "unlikely hero" story -  but with some fun twists -  The Call is fantasy riddled with pop culture references which added a nice layer of humor to the story. 

Mack is sooooo "medium". He's afraid of almost everything, though he does know how to stand up to bullies. So how could he possibly be one of the "Magnificent 12" - destined to save the world?

I found myself smiling and chuckling a lot, and I think kids would have a blast with this story (my fourth grade son loved it!). It's adventurous and funny - a read that will keep kids coming back for more. 

This week's Book of the Week is funny, mysterious, and sure to please students with a hankering for English humor. There is even a sequel! (It's on my "to read" list). 

"Wanted Immediately: energetic governess for three lively children."

The adventures of Penelope Lumley, an orphan seeking employment, begin with this simple ad. Penelope is a recent graduate of Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females. She's smart, resourceful, and ready for anything. Or so she thinks. 

Penelope follows a strange howling noise to the barn, intent on helping the injured animals she expects to find. Instead, she meets her new young charges, huddled together and yipping at one another. Having been raised in the wild, she needs to teach them all the things they need to know to be "civilized". This includes learning how to put on trousers, not chase squirrels up a tree, read Latin, and dance the schottische. 

Mystery surrounds the children, and her new home, as she tries to uncover their origin. Why did her employer adopt the children, and why did he invite his hunting buddies to a Christmas gala event to meet them? Join Penelope in her adventures!

Literary references and a wry sense of humor made this book an enjoyable read for me and my students.