Late to the Party

If you have children between the ages of 9 and 16, you probably already know all about the 39 Clues series. It consists of 11 books written by seven different wildly popular authors, and it has been a runaway hit. So, of course, I hadn't read any of them. Finally, guilt overtook me and I read Maze of Bones, the first in the series and I loved it! Full of quirky characters, cranky cats, explosions, and mysterious clues, this book has everything a kid could want. And, it's perfect for those adults who grew up loving Ellen Raskins The Westing Game, as it's quite similar in concept and feel. I've already checked out the second in the series, One False Note.

Brilliant!!!

In spite of the fact that I can't stand them (and the fact that most of them are out of print), "Choose Your Own Adventure" books are a perennial favorite in libraries. And everybody knows that graphic novels are insanely popular for kids of all ages. So why hasn't anybody combined these two genres into an insanely popular hybrid? Somebody has! Jason Shiga's new book, Meanwhile, is a graphic novel that features different "paths" through the different comic panels. The reader must make choices that lead him along these different paths--following tabs to different sections of the book and always facing different choices. There are also special codes and top-secret pages. I can't even STAND how popular I think this book is going to be!!!