He has a badge...

...and he's not afraid to use it.

Griff Carver is a kid with a mission.  He wants to make the hallways of Rampart Junior High School the safest they can be, and he's not opposed to taking down anyone who gets in the way of justice.  Griff arrives at Rampart after being expelled from his previous school for reasons unknown.  He wastes no time securing a position on the Rampart Hallway Patrol, even though he's promised his mother he wouldn't be involved with any other patrol units after what happened at the last school.

Griff's determination to keeping the hallways safe is steady, despite having to be a partner to Tommy Rodriguez, the kind of clean-nosed Boy Scout that Griff despises.  When a conspiracy from above causes Griff to lose his badge (and very nearly his mind), it takes Tommy and a sharp-nosed school newspaper reporter named Verity to help take down the crime ring and return Griff to his rightful place as a patrolman.

This book was a lot of fun to read!  Jim Krieg did a great job giving Griff the stereotypical clipped voice that you hear in most cop shows and movies.  I loved Griff's dripping sarcasm and the hard edge that he used to deliver his thoughts.  The contrast between him and Tommy's sunshiny attitude made for excellent interactions and hilarious situations.

Recommended for any reader who is a fan of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books or books like Josh Lieb's "I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President".

(Photo from fantasticfiction.co.uk)

The Comic Genius that is Mo Willems

If you haven't picked up a book by Mo Willems, shame on you.

You may be using excuses like "I don't know who he is!" or "I don't have kids!".  Well, today is the day that all excuses are thrown out the window because you're getting your education on Mo Willems.

Willems is the author of the following examples of hilarity:

,

, and

.

Each of these books are marvelous examples of his amazing humor.  Why so amazing?  Because kids and adults laugh equally!  If you have kids, you probably know that sometimes there are books that your kid LOVES, but you cannot stand! (And you read it anyway, because you're a good parent.)  But I promise you that even being the responsible and mild-mannered adult that you are, you will laugh your head off reading anything by Mo Willems.

Why do kids love them? Because they can relate to them! Willems knows what he's doing when it comes to tricking kids into empathizing with characters.  Know a kid who swears he's not tired and wants to stay up?  Or maybe one who is having a hard time sharing with others?  Give him Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late or The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!.  For the kid who needs help growing up and letting go of childhood things, the Knuffle Bunny trilogy is a MUST!  (It's based on his real-life daughter, Trixie, and her beloved Knuffle (say: KA-nuffle) Bunny).  And for those kids who need to know it's okay, and even usually preferable, to do things differently than their peers, there is Leonardo the Terrible Monster and Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed.  Willems has experience in writing excellent material for kids as he won several Emmys as a writer on Sesame Street.

For the littlest readers, Willems has the Cat the Cat series:

Beginning readers will learn to read with rhyming words and phonetic sounds (not the mention the adorable and fun illustrations!).

But my favorite, above all of his other works, is the Elephant and Piggie series.  

With 15 titles, and more on the way, these books are literally LAUGH OUT LOUD funny.  I had my fellow teachers ROLLING over the book, Can I Play Too?, in which a snake wants to play catch with Gerald (the elephant) and Piggie.  The problem?  The snake was missing something essential for playing catch: arms.

Other titles like I Broke My Trunk!, Elephants Cannot Dance!, Pigs Make Me Sneeze!, and There Is a Bird on Your Head!, will provide you and your children with hours of hysterical entertainment.  And if you have no children, you'll be laughing anyway!  The cover art alone is enough to get you giggling:

So the next time you're feeling down, or your kids are pestering you for a new book, do yourself a favor and pick up a Mo Willems title...and maybe a second pair of undies...you'll probably need them. ;)

Jennifer

**For those of you who are already familiar with Willems' work, keep your eyes and ears open for Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, currently in the works.

***You can also follow Willems' Pigeon on Twitter: @The_Pigeon.

(Photos from various blogs and Google Images)