Lenny and Mel's Summer Vacation

Post date: Jun 12, 2014 3:16:14 AM

Everyday I'm asked where are The Stupids? I booktalked this series last year and the kids love it. This new "Ready-for-Chapters" series will please this same crowd. Lenny and Mel's Summer Vacation has them determined to do nothing because they can. Of course, the parents have other ideas. For a flavor of Mel and Lenny's intelligence, on the drive to summer vacation Mel and his father have this exchange:

"Are we there yet?" asked Mel.

"Yes," said their father. "We've been there awhile. I'm just driving around to use up the rest of the gas."

"That seems wasteful," said Mel.

"I was joking. . ." (pg 43).

In this era of Captain Underpants, Spongebob and the like, Lenny and Mel will feel very comfortable. The illustrations look like drawings from a kid's notebook, but fit the tone of the book. The book is only 58 pages, so some 1st, many 2nd and nearly all 3rd graders could enjoy this series.