January Joker (Calendar Mysteries, No. 1)
Grade 1–3—This spin-off of the popular "A to Z Mysteries" series (Random) stars the younger siblings and cousin of sixth-graders Josh, Ruth Rose, and Dink. In this first installment, seven-year-old Bradley wakes up to see strange lights in the backyard. He rouses his twin and friends Nate and Lucy to investigate the strange occurrence and is convinced that aliens have landed in Green Lawn. Bradley has an easier time convincing the others when Josh, Ruth Rose, Dink, and the dog go missing the next day. The kids find a piece of paper about alien abductions in Josh's printer tray and receive two disturbing phone calls from the suspected abductees. Things get even more harried when they catch glimpses of strange creatures and hear thumps in the attic. The story is full of clever twists and turns and is an excellent choice for reluctant readers. This early chapter book should be a hit with young readers.—Beth Cuddy, Seward Elementary School, Auburn, NYCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to theLibrary Bindingedition.