Monday Morning Blitz

by Elise Leonard

AL'S WORLD IS ABOUT TO BE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN!

Al's world revolves around school, his best friend, Keith, and... well, not much else. Al and Keith aren't what one would consider the smartest kids in school, but they do okay. Then one Monday morning while Al's waiting for the school bus, he gets blitzed by some guy in a suit. Now Al has a sore rib, an encrypted flash drive, and some very strange dudes running after him.

144 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2007

Reviews

[Amy]

As much as I did not love this book, I can certainly imagine a handful of students who'd enjoy it quite a bit. Students for whom reading is usually a boring chore.

Think: a cartoon for middle-schoolers with paper thin characters, an unbelievable save-the-world plot, and sarcastic, self-deprecating first-person storytelling by a kid who's quite self-absorbed.

Think: yeah, I know a few kids who will LOVE this.

And the reading level?? EASY. Fourth-grade.

[Lars Guthrie]

I got the first three in this series because I like Ms. Leonard's purpose: entertaining and engaging stories for fifth grade up written at an easily readable level. They are full of jokes and action, but each scene seems to take forever. It reminds me of TV soap operas and serial comic strips. I may alter my judgment when and if I hear from a kid who has read and liked them.

[Andrea]

Our whole family fell in love with Al and Keith, a couple of classic pre-teen bumblers in the mode of Homer Price and Henry Huggins. Plot involves hiding in a deli, disguising young boys as nuns and other gags sure to please kids.