Elementary – Page 45 – Sneak Peek Books

Classes are Canceled

Orson Eerie has a devious plan that will allow him to spread his power throughout the town. Orson causes the walls of Eerie Elementary to crumble, the floors to split, and chaos to start in the gym. When Principal Winik announces that the school is going to be torn down, it’s up to Sam and his friends to find out how to stop Orson. With the help of the class hamster Squeakers, can the kids save the school and defeat Orson?

The seventh installment of the Eerie Elementary series has all of the appeal of the previous books. Classes Are Canceled isn’t as action-packed as the previous stories, however, it is just as entertaining. The addition of Squeakers adds a humorous twist to the storyline.

The easy-to-follow plot is entertaining and appropriate for newly independent readers. Even so, Classes Are Canceled will be enjoyed by older readers as well. Readers who enjoy the Notebook of Doom series will want to jump into the world of Eerie Elementary. The characters use creative problem-solving skills and work as a team to complete their mission. The story ends with discussion questions that will add to the learning value of the book.

Sexual Content

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Violence

Orson Eerie is causing Eerie Elementary to crumble. Some students get trapped in the gym. “A huge chunk of ceiling crashed to the floor and blocked the exit. Everyone was trapped inside the crumbling, collapsing gymnasium. . . A basketball hoop toppled and smashed against the floorboards.” The students use dodge balls to protect themselves.
Orson Eerie attempts to control a wrecking ball and destroy the school. “The wrecking ball swung into the school and WHAM! An entire wall exploded.” The kids are able to stop him.
Orson tries to stop the kids from saving the school. “The massive wrecking ball smashed down! It was the loudest sound Sam had ever heard. Metal exploded. Electrical sparks shot out. The ball plunged through the truck.” No one is hurt.

Drugs and Alcohol

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Language

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Supernatural

“Orson Eerie was a mad scientist. He was also the architect who designed Eerie Elementary almost one hundred years ago. Orson Eerie found a way to live forever—he became the school. Orson Eerie was the school, and the school was Orson Eerie! Eerie Elementary was a living, breathing thing that fed on students.”

Spiritual Content

None

School Freezes Over!

A terrible blizzard hits Eerie Elementary and traps all of the students inside. Icy wind howls through the halls, icicles drip from the ceiling, and living snow begins to pile up. Sam and his friends discover that mad scientist Orson Eerie has an evil plan to return in human form. Can Sam and his friends defeat Orson before he turns everyone into popsicles?

The next installment in the Eerie Elementary series, School Freezes Over! will continue to captivate readers because of its spooky, action-packed fun. Many of the pages end with cliffhangers that will make the reader want to continue reading. Black and white illustrations and onomatopoeia help create the story’s tone. The book contains simple sentence structures and an easy-to-follow plot. Like the other books in the series, School Freezes Over! is a fast-moving and fun book to read. Sam and his friends use problem-solving skills and science to defeat Orson Eerie and, in the process, show what true friendship looks like.

The easy-to-follow plot is entertaining and appropriate for newly independent readers. However, School Freezes Over! will be enjoyed by older readers as well. Those who enjoy the Notebook of Doom series will want to jump into the world of Eerie Elementary. Readers will learn about several science projects and may want to research how to perform them at home. The story ends with discussion questions that add to the learning value of the book.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

Orson Eerie creates a storm. “The windows all flew open at once! The blizzard stormed into the hallway! Snow filled the air, and icy water splashed down.”
A hose tugs Antonio into the bathroom. “Antonio cried out. But his shrieks were cut short with the door slammed shut. . . . Sam knew that Eerie Elementary was a living, breathing monster. To stay alive it must eat.” Antonio was turning into a “Popsicle. An ice Popsicle to chomp on.”
Huge icicles begin to crash and almost hit Sam and Lucy.
The snow comes alive. “Horrifying snow arms grew from the piles. Long, frosty fingers reached for Sam. Sam skated faster, steering into the center of the hall. Antonio and Lucy swung wildly as the monstrous hands clawed at them.”
A tornado is in the school. “The tornado was spinning and swirling down the hall. Sam wanted to just let the icy storm pass. But he knew Orson Eerie fed on students. And he knew if Orson Eerie made it to the gym, he would feast on everyone!” The friends are able to stop the tornado.

Drugs and Alcohol

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Language

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Supernatural

“Orson Eerie was a mad scientist. He was also the architect who designed Eerie Elementary almost one hundred years ago. Orson Eerie found a way to live forever—he became the school. Orson Eerie was the school, and the school was Orson Eerie! Eerie Elementary was a living, breathing thing that fed on students.”
Orson Eerie has devised a plan to bring himself back to life.

Spiritual Content

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The Science Fair is Freaky!

Eerie Elementary is preparing for its first science fair in seven years. As Sam, Antonio, and Lucy try to figure out what experiment to perform, they stumble upon a strange book hidden in the library. The school comes alive and tries to snatch the book from the kids. During the science fair, the ground shakes, projects explode, and a giant volcano forms in the gym floor. How can the friends keep the book from a school that spews lava? Can they discover what secrets are hidden in the book?

Eerie Elementary is an action-packed and fun series to read. The Science Fair is Freaky! includes fun illustrations of the friends using problem-solving skills to figure out what is hidden in the strange book. The book contains simple sentence structures and an easy-to-follow plot. The abnormal occurrences in the book are exciting and contain onomatopoeias that enhance the storytelling. Although the school comes alive and tries to keep the book away from the kids, the story is spooky, but not scary.

The easy-to-follow plot is entertaining and appropriate for newly independent readers. However, The Science Fair is Freaky! will be enjoyed by older readers as well. Readers who enjoy the Notebook of Doom series will want to jump into the world of Eerie Elementary. Readers will learn about several science projects and may want to research how to perform them at home. The story ends with discussion questions that will add to the learning value of the book.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

When Sam and his friends find a strange book hidden in the library, the library attacks them. “Books leapt from the shelves! One slammed into Sam’s stomach, knocking him to the side. Another clonked Antonio in the shoulder. Lucky ducked just before an encyclopedia took her head off.”
Eerie Elementary makes the science fair projects go berserk. Then the floor turns into a volcano. “Lava bubbled from the volcano’s crater. The floorboards that formed the volcano were melting! Sam’s heart pounded.”

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

None

Supernatural

“Orson Eerie was a mad scientist. He was also the architect who designed Eerie Elementary almost one hundred years ago. Orson Eerie found a way to live forever—he became the school. Orson Eerie was the school, and the school was Orson Eerie! Eerie Elementary was a living, breathing thing that fed on students.”

Spiritual Content

None

Rise of the Balloon Goons

When Alexander moves to a new town, he finds strange things around every corner. On his first day of school, he arrives to find the school abandoned. While at the abandoned school, Alex finds a strange notebook that has drawings of monsters. If that was not creepy enough, school is now being held in a hospital and Alexander’s classroom is in the morgue.

As Alexander wanders through his new town, he notices balloon goons popping up everywhere. No one except Rip believes that the balloon goons are monsters. Soon Rip and Alexander bands together. Can the two defeat the balloon goons, before the goons deflate everything in town?

Full of monsters and silly illustrations, Rise of the Balloon Goons is full of fun adventures. The plot of the book is full of mystery, suspense, and humor. The text is broken up with illustrations from both the storyline and pages from the mysterious monster book. This easy-to-read story will captivate even the most reluctant readers.

Sexual Content
• None

Violence
• Two balloon goons attacked Alexander. “Foomp! Alexander was clobbered on the head, from behind. It felt like he’d been socked by a boxing glove. He spun around just in time to be hit in the face . . . their long, wobbly arms swooped in and grabbed at his jacket.” Alex was able to escape without being hurt.
• When balloon goons attack Alexander and his friend. His friend hits one with a shoe. “The goon scrunched down like a spring and then vaulted toward Rip. Rip swung the pointy-toed show with both hands—SPLACCK!—making a tear in the goon’s silk belly. The monster collapsed as the air whooshed out of its wound.”
• Alexander’s friend is kidnapped by balloon goons and tied up to an inflatable post in the goon’s fortress. He is not injured.
• As Alexander and his friend are trying to escape from the goon’s fortress. They are attacked. Several of the goons are deflated. “Alexander was hit by his old shoe, and begun to fall . . . He slammed down onto the green balloon goon. The goon exploded, releasing a blast of air that knocked the rest of the goons to the floor.” The goons are defeated when Alexander’s dad pops their fortress.

Drugs and Alcohol
• None

Language
• None

Supernatural
• None

Spiritual Content
• None

Day of the Night Crawlers

Alexander knows there are monsters in Stermont. After all, he found a notebook filled with drawings and facts about them. When night crawlers begin crowding the sidewalk, Alexander knows they will turn into megaworms and grow taller than a bus when the sun rises. But Alexander’s friend, Rip, doesn’t believe the night crawlers are dangerous.

In a strange twist, Mr. Hoarsely, the secretary-gym teacher turns up missing and a strange woman in a fencing outfit takes his place. Alexander and Rip must now find out what happened to Mr. Hoarsely, in addition to finding a way to keep Stermont safe from megaworms.

The second installment of The Notebook of Doom is just as entertaining as the first. Besides silly monsters, Day of the Night Crawlers adds a new character, which causes some jealousy. Even though the monsters are dangerous, the story is never frightening. Younger readers will fall in love with the story’s characters and the illustrations.

Sexual Content

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Violence

A tunnel fish tries to eat the three main characters. “Just then, a spiky fin burst from the dirt. A scaly beast bulldozed its way toward the kids, chomping everything in its path.” The kids are able to hide in a caboose before the monster eats anyone, but then the fish eats the caboose. The kids are able to figure out how to get out of the tunnel fish’s mouth.
The strange substitute teacher attacks the kids with her sword nose. “Rip let out a battle cry and charged at the fish-kabob . . . Rip crashed into his friends, and they fell off the caboose. They landed on a giant bumpy green tongue, surrounded by growling tunnel fish.”

Drugs and Alcohol

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Language

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Supernatural

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Spiritual Content

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Battle of the Boss-Monster

The Super Secret Monster Patrol must fight in the ultimate battle against the boss-monster. Alexander, Rip, and Nikki need to find the boss monster, who has stolen the S.S.M.P.’s notebook. Unlike previous times, the S.S.M.P will have to battle an army of monsters. Will the S.S.M.P. be able to save Stermont from the boss-monster?

Young readers will love the next installment of The Notebook of Doom, Battle of the Boss Monster. Filled with illustrations that are more silly than scary, children of all ages will have fun reading about the S.S.M.P’s battle. If readers have not read previous books from the series, some of the events in Battle of the Boss Monster will be confusing. The Notebook of Doom Series will be more enjoyable if read in sequence.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

A rockodile attacks Rip and his friends. Rip transforms into a monster and slammed into the rockodile. “Cracks spread along the rockodiles’ body. Then the monster crumbled into pieces.”
A gloomp uses rubber cement to cement the S.S.M.P to the floor.
The boss-monster tries to eat Alexander, but a socktopus saves him. “The socktopus snapped its arms like whips. It immediately wrapped itself around the boss-monster.” The soctopus hits the beams in the ceiling and causes the beams to crash. “The beam fell like a tree, pinning the boss-monster to the ground.”
Many monsters join the boss-monster’s battle including a giant onion, a honkflower, and a skunky-monkey.”
When monsters attack the school, Ms. Vanderpants turns on a water fountain. Then, “Spiky cement balls dropped from the ceiling, crushing the monsters.” During the battle a balloon goon is popped.
Alexander throws the Notebook of Doom into the Rainbow sparkle glue. It turns into a “humongous monster . . . the pages grew larger, folding into horns and eyes and wings and claws.” The notebook eats the gloomp.

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

Rip calls his friends, “weenies.”

Supernatural

The boss-monster uses special rainbow sparkle glue that “shimmered, casting disco-ball sparkles around the room” to make new monsters. “Anything that hits the glue becomes a monster.”
Rip feeds ants candy that changes them. “As they ate it, the ants grew into huge, blue, puppy-sized bugs.”

Spiritual Content

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March of the Vanderpants

The boss monster has stolen the S.S.M.P.’s monster notebook and Alexander must find a way to get it back. When Alexander sees the principal acting strange, he decides to follow the clues. Could Ms. Vanderpants be the boss monster? Can Alexander discover Ms. Vanderpants’s secret?

March of the Vanderpants focuses on the mystery of Ms. Vanderpants’s and Rip’s new monster abilities. Young readers will love the next installment of The Notebook of Doom: March of the Vanderpants. Because some of the plot revolves around issues that appeared in previous books, the twelfth book in the series will be enjoyed more if Sneeze of the Octo-Schnozz has been read. Children of all ages will have fun reading about the S.S.M.P’s battle, in this book that’s filled with illustrations that are more silly than scary,

Sexual Content

None

Violence

A forkupine attacks the kids. “An explosion of sparks lit up the room. The machine-thing spun toward Alexander, Rip, and Nikki. Sparks flew from where its metal pointy parts scraped the stone floor.” The S.S.M.P. are able to distract the forkupine with spaghetti.
The S.S.M.P. and Ms. Vanderpants battle. During the fight, “Rip lowered his horns and charged at his principal. She whipped around, blocking Rip’s attack with her armored shell.” The battle is described over a chapter.

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

One of Alexander’s friends calls him a “weenie.”

Supernatural

Ms. Vanderpants turns into a nar-madillo, “part narwhal, part armadillo.” She “balled her hands, arched her back, and, with a growl, burst through her gray suit. She had a leathery shell on her back, a long tail, and scaly feet with sharp claws.”

Spiritual Content

None

How to Tame a Triceratops

Josh dreams of being just like Terrordactyl Bill, the great dino rider who protects the Lost Plains from fearsome dinosaurs and criminals. Josh’s life isn’t as exciting as his dreams. Instead of bucking brontosauruses, Josh works on his family’s iguanodon ranch. His dino Plodder is a tired dinosaur who moves too slowly.

When Josh hears that Terrordactyl Bill is going to present the award at the annual settlement race, Josh is determined to win the race and meet his hero. Then a sneaky man tricks Josh into trading for an untamed triceratops. Is there any way Josh can tame the triceratops and win the race?

The first installment of the Dino Riders series brings a world with dinosaurs to life with just the right amount of imagery for younger readers. The black and white illustrations help the reader visualize the characters and the action of the story. Josh’s doodles also add to the interest of the story. The action-packed story is fast-paced and downright fun to read.

Readers will be able to relate to Josh’s inability to concentrate in school, his desire to prove his worth as a dino rider, and his conflict with his parents. Although the bully is a bit stereotypical and the conclusion is predictable, that doesn’t take away from the book’s enjoyment. The story does contain body humor, which some parents may not like. Many of the story’s aspects are farfetched, such as when people ride dinosaurs to town to do their shopping and when a dinosaur kicks Josh in the stomach, but he is uninjured. Anyone who enjoys adventure and dinosaurs will find How to Tame a Triceratops fun to read.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

An iguanodon is “about to smash into Josh’s front porch” and had to be stopped. Josh saves the house, but the iguanodon “kicked up its hind legs and launched Josh of its back like a cannonball . . . he hurtled through the air. With a soggy schlopp, he landed headfirst in a pile of dino dung.”
A pterodactyl attacks a barn that has baby iguanodons in it. Josh’s dino “Plodder reared up in fright, throwing Josh off his back. Josh hit the ground hard, knocking the wind from him.” Another dinosaur chases the pterodactyl. “Charge reared up onto his hind legs, stabbing at the sky with his horns. . . The pterodactyl gave an angry squawk, then flew straight up into the clouds.”
During a race, another rider has his dino “deliberately sending Clubber’s huge spiky tail smashing into Charger.” Josh and Charger smash into a T. rex’s skeleton and are trapped.

Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

Several times in the story, someone calls Sam a “loser.”

Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

None

Happy Go Lucky

Happy Go Lucky lives with his mom at Shoemaker Stables. When Happy is sent to live at Big Apple Barn, his life changes. He must get used to new people, new horses, and a new job as a school pony. With the help of Roscoe, a mouse who repeats the advice of a cat, Happy learns that new things can lead to a happy ending.

Because Happy must learn how to act in a new situation, and how to make new friends, younger readers will be able to relate to the events in Happy Go Lucky. Happy struggles with how to act in his new home. He also learns that he cannot always trust the advice of others, because even when someone isn’t trying to give “bad advice” ponies often want different things.

The book has captivating illustrations and ends with facts about horse terminology. Happy Go Lucky would be a great book for early readers.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

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Drugs and Alcohol

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Language

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Supernatural

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Spiritual Content

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Happy’s Big Plan

Happy’s story continues in the second book of the Big Apple Barn Series. Happy is learning what it means to be a school pony. As different people begin riding Happy, he learns that he is going to have to pay close attention to what his rider wants. Learning to listen is hard, but with the help of the other horses and Roscoe, the barn mouse, Lucky is figuring out how to fit into his new home.

Diane’s daughter Ivy wants to ride Happy, but Diane isn’t sure if Ivy is ready to ride such an inexperienced pony. With the help of Roscos, Happy devises a plan to show Diane that he has a special bond with Ivy. Prudence the barn cat makes her appearance in the story and is a fun addition.

With a simple plot, Happy’s Big Plan is easy to read and will capture the attention of horse fans. Black and white illustrations help break up the text and keep readers engaged. The text is easy to read, with short sentences and dialogue that give the horses personality. Happy’s Big Plan will be enjoyed by beginning readers who are fans of animals.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

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Drugs and Alcohol

None

Language

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Supernatural

None

Spiritual Content

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Dino-Mike and the Lunar Showdown

After being defeated before, Mr. Bones is on the run, but Mike and Shannon are determined to find him, even when the search takes them to the moon. The friends are determined to stop Mr. Bones from creating more dinosaurs. However, when Mr. Bones finds a way to control the dinosaurs, Mike and Shannon must come up with a creative way to protect themselves.

Dino-Mike the Lunar Showdown is full of fun illustrations, a jacket with surprising gadgets, dinosaurs in space suits, and an evil villain. Written with imagination and action, Dino-Mike has young characters who bravely face evil and care about the well being of dinosaurs. This is not the book to pick up if you want factual information about dinosaurs. The story is easy to read and is a good series to pick up to interest beginning readers.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

A dinosaur tries to eat Shannon but Dino-Mike is able to trap it.
An ankylosaurus tries to strike the kids with his tale. With the help of his Dino jacket, Dino-Mike grabs the ankylosaurus’s tale and takes him into the air. “He released the claw, and the ankylosaurus smashed back to the lunar surface with a thud.”
Mr. Bones tries to capture the kids by having a giant bird and other dinosaurs attack them. Dino-Mike uses his jacket and the kids are able to defeat Mr. Bones.

Drugs and Alcohol