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The Notebook of Doom #2

Day of the Night Crawlers

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This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line called Branches, which is aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!

In this second book in the series, Alexander and his new friend, Rip, try to learn more about the monster-filled notebook. They follow clues left by strange worms called night crawlers. It turns out new monsters are in town--giant fish monsters called tunnel fish--and even a fish-kabob monster! This humorous, action-packed book has fun black-and-white illustrations on every page.

En este segundo libro de la serie El Cuaderno de la Perdición, Alejandro y su nuevo amigo Rai intentarán desentrañar los misterios del cuaderno de la perdición. Los chicos siguen las pistas dejadas por unas lombrices muy raras hasta que descubren ¡que han llegado nuevos monstruos al pueblo!

101 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 27, 2013

187 people are currently reading
648 people want to read

About the author

Troy Cummings

95 books216 followers

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265 (14%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
Profile Image for Chris.
621 reviews59 followers
August 31, 2013
I am the proud father of two amazing kids. My son if 3 almost 4, and my Daughter is only 3 months old. Because of these kiddos I read a lot of children’s books. This means that from time to time I will have some reviews of those books on my blog. I love to read and write so I will be posting these reviews to possibly help other parents decide on new books for their kids.

I really enjoy reading to my son. When my daughter gets older I will read to the both of them, but for now reading is special Father/Son time, or Mother/Son time when my wife takes a turn. We both try to read to him equally because we both are avid readers and we want to teach the importance of books.

My son loves Superheroes, cars, tools, and monsters. This book was perfect to read to him. The publisher suggests this is for ages 5-7, and when it comes to reading level I would say that's about right. However, there is nothing in this book that is inappropriate for younger kids and it isn't scary. It's a fun story about three kids trying to protect their little town. It is a very good beginners adventure story.

This book starts out with a rain storm and so many night crawlers all over the ground that you couldn't walk without squishing one underfoot. Alexander and Rip are two boys who have stumbled onto a Monster notebook and they are sure that the Mega Worm is to blame. This is a small blue worm that when exposed to sunlight becomes gigantic and can eat kids. Little did they know they had bigger fish to fry.

My son did enjoy this book. I asked him a few questions about it and here are his answers.

What was your favorite monster?
The Tunnel Fish

What did you like about the book?
How the boys fight and save the kids.

What was the grossest part?
The worms squishing when they stepped on them.


We had fun reading this book and I look forward to reading more in the Notebook of Doom series.
Profile Image for Cris.
2,304 reviews26 followers
September 30, 2022
Alexander and Rip finally connect with Nikki and together they figure out what SSMP represents . Together they save the town from another set of monsters.
Profile Image for Kate McGinty aka Caryn Caldwell.
434 reviews381 followers
August 31, 2014
In the second installment in The Notebook of Doom series, Alexander and his friend Rip try to find out more about the S.S.M.P. notebook they obtained in Rise of the Balloon Goons. Unfortunately, they don't have much time to search, because an infestation of worms and a very weird substitute teacher can only mean one thing: an imminent monster attack.

With its large type, short chapters, and illustrations on every page, Day of the Night Crawlers is perfect for children who are ready to graduate from picture books and early readers to chapter books. The abundance of goofiness and adventure will keep many kids' attention, although the best part is the table of contents, with its amusing list of chapter titles (including " A Nice, Worm Breakfast" and "Sword of a Big Deal"). Because this story grows from the previous one, it does not stand on its own. It also strongly hints at future stories.
Profile Image for Diane Lynch.
253 reviews12 followers
December 11, 2019
Alexander and his friends Rip, and Nikki digs deeper into the monster world which exists in their town, Stermont. Alexander is the main character. He found a notebook about monsters. New to town Al doesn’t know what to make of this mysterious notebook which helped the trio handle the Balloon Monsters in book One. Book two answers questions as well as battles a new monster. There are new monster hunters in Stermont now.

The Notebook of Doom series is an early chapter independent reading book. 89 pages broken into 16 chapters. Entertaining illustrations throughout that spice things up. This series is my third-grade nephew’s favorite series.
34 reviews
October 3, 2023
It is so good I would recommend this for a beginner or a kid.
Profile Image for Liz.
353 reviews
May 24, 2021
Lex loves these books. Fun reads, he is always asking for more chapters!
Profile Image for 寿理 宮本.
2,389 reviews16 followers
January 16, 2025
This is a fun series, easy to pick up and read a chapter or two at a time (since they're each, like, five pages max). I think I enjoy these shorter books despite the relative cost at full price because it's like a short puzzle to solve, easily finished. I feel like most of the stories I read are at least miniature mysteries, where I try to predict the end. The best ones are the ones I can't predict AND are better than I could have expected! (The worst ones... aren't like that.)

So here, the title suggests some horrible worm-themed monster—and there ARE those mentioned! However, ! It's an interesting reveal, how everything suggests one thing or, conversely, suggests the exact opposite only for it to be related after all, and how the end is nothing I expected at all! (Specifically, what Mr. Hoarsely has to do with everything, and his reaction at the end.)

Definitely recommended for young fans of monsters! Star off mostly because I don't think it makes a lot of sense by itself; new readers aren't entirely "reminded" that the school was relocated into a hospital for whatever weird budget cut reasons and that everything has the kind of sense of Wayside School (which is to say, almost none).
Profile Image for Becky B.
9,330 reviews183 followers
February 26, 2018
After a rainy evening Alexander Bopp notices an exceptional amount of worms on his way to school. And then Mr. Hoarsley goes missing and there's a new gym teacher obsessed with fencing. What is going on in town? Are the worms the next monster, or is something more sinister afoot?

I love these tongue-in-cheek horror stories in the Notebook of Doom. They provide suspense but the monsters and situations shouldn't cause any child to lose sleep. In this one, an overabundance of worms and some big fish are the worst things around. It is all in how the plot is laid out. Kids can feel like they are reading something spooky, but really it is silly and suspenseful. Alexander and his classmates learn about not judging someone by their cover and resourceful teamwork too. It's fun stuff.

Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. Someone gets swallowed by a fish, but they end up ok.
Profile Image for zapkode.
1,046 reviews79 followers
April 26, 2019
{My thoughts} – Alexander and Rip are back an a whole new story. In this one there are some crazy night crawlers all over the place. It takes the boys awhile but they finally get the message that something very wrong is going on.

They have another student in their class named Nikki that kind of seems interested in the same things. Eventually the three of them start working together. It becomes their job to figure out what the worms are trying to tell them and then what to do about the knowledge. Once they start figuring things out though, it still isn’t an easy task.

I really liked this book. It helped to show that if children work together, they can accomplish a common goal. I like how the three of them put their heads together and figured out a reasonable solution to their problem. I think this is a fun series that any child can enjoy reading.
Profile Image for Maryam.
107 reviews1 follower
July 18, 2017
Clever characters, fast-paced plot, and surprising turns of events make for a rollicking story. This is the second of the Cuaderno de la perdición (Notebook of Doom) series. The three kids who form the Super Secret Monster Patrol interact with equal parts trust, bravado and snide remarks. There is a high "gross" factor in this book, but I think many young readers will appreciate it. Drawings on every page do their intended job of supporting the text.

These "Branches" books are meant to serve as a bridge from levelled books to beginning chapter books for newly independent readers. I applaud the efforts, but I do wonder if some of the vocabulary (in Spanish, at least) might be a little high-level for a second or even third grader.
Profile Image for Sarah.
473 reviews9 followers
December 31, 2017
Rating based on target audience. My three year old has been begging for chapter books. From a suggestion by our librarian I read the first in this series to them. They lived it. I loved how short the chapters were for easy reading sessions. I love how excited my kids get for the next chapter. I loved that it was "scary" - an element my three year old is always begging for in a book. I loved that it had lots of pictures. Another key element for my preschoolers. This particular one began with the ground covered in night crawlers, which was scary enough for me, but I liked how there was a twist - the night crawlers were not the monster!
Profile Image for Amanda.
275 reviews5 followers
February 12, 2018
I'm rating this book higher than I would have if I had read it on my own. I have to keep reminding myself that these books are written for kid consumption so I don't want to affect the rating of these books by marking them lower. I read this book with my 6 year old son. As soon as we finished, he asked me if we could get Book #3, so I'm assuming that it must have been a fun read for him. Some questions that were brought up in Book #1 are finally answered. Once again you are left on a cliffhanger, so it's best to read the books in order which apparently I'm going to get to do in the near future.
Profile Image for Jeanette.
301 reviews4 followers
November 26, 2020
Second in the series. Isabel absolutely loves these. They're exciting. There's a good dose of mystery. They're long enough that she feels so grown up reading a chapter book. They're short enough that we can read them together in one delightful Sunday afternoon, or over a couple evenings. I'll keep reading them to her as long as she wants me to!

By no means are they great literature though, and I have to admit... I'm looking forward to the day she can read these sorts of books on her own so we can read through more complicated and interesting books together. For now, though, it's important to read what SHE wants to read, not what I deem quality and therefore, worthwhile.
Profile Image for Destiny Goins.
12 reviews1 follower
November 28, 2020
We just finished this one, after reading the first one and the s.s.m.p versus the fish.....not going to ruin it !!! Let's just say two kids with adhd, and odd, sat threw and was beyond eager to listen to it be finished, and we started this one at 9am, it's currently 12:44pm same day !!!! Including needs of an 8th month old, lunch, and chores which i never seen them eat so fast or do their chores so quickly !!!! I cant wait to start the 3rd one tonight
Profile Image for Sarah.
3,652 reviews
April 28, 2021
Alex, armed with his discovered notebook chronicling the strange monsters of the town he just moved to, begins to make friends and also has his guard up for the next attack. His next question to answer is what do the letters S.S.M.P. stand for on his notebook? And how does the appearance of a fencing instructor in gym class coordinate with the disappearance of Mr. Hoarsely?

Great fun and not really scary at all, so this is a really good horror book for lower-grade kids.
Profile Image for Michelle .
466 reviews128 followers
October 21, 2017
Something fishy is going on. It's up to Alexander and Rip to figure out what is going on. With the help of a new friend the 3 kids try to find out what happened to Mr Hoarsely and what does S.S.M.P stand for.
This was another really cute read, great for kids just starting out with reading chapter books. I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend. :)
2 reviews1 follower
April 1, 2019
i read the notebook of doom day of the night crawlers. by troy cumming Alexander was a good cram fighter and he techies ever one and he says he wont get heart but he did these to people were fighting and he lost i love this book because it techis me how to fight . 3 grad will look at this book. they will love this book
Profile Image for Yochi.
247 reviews16 followers
December 31, 2019
My 6 year old loves this series so much. We have all but abandoned his Minecraft books and Dahl novels as every night he says he wants "Notebook of Doom." This one introduces a few new characters as Alexander and his crew discover more about the notebook and learn about the mysterious worms that have appeared all over the town. Book number 3 has already been secured.
Profile Image for Debra.
2,074 reviews11 followers
July 10, 2017
I agree that when the night crawlers swarm over the sidewalk after a rain it is a little creepy. So Troy Cummings used that for his jumping off point for this story. BUT Alexander and Rip find out that they are not the dreaded monsters, but it is what is seeking the worms. Very inventive.
49 reviews1 follower
August 9, 2017
This is a fun book for middle elementary grades. Kids solve a mystery about unusual worms and fish, discover their teachers’ secret identities, and fight monsters. Lots of humor in the dialogue. The Spanish translation is good.
Profile Image for Ryan Jenkins.
42 reviews
October 27, 2017
Made for lower elementary. East to read chapter book which continues to follow Alexander and friends as they try to defeat the monsters taking over the town. Children that enjoy chapter books even reluctant readers seem to enjoy this series. Easy for children to read and understand on their own
223 reviews
November 29, 2017
My son is enjoying these and frankly I don't mind them too much myself.
69 reviews
February 12, 2020
i think it was great because there was not a lot of writing and it was really excitiing through the whole book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews

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