Brute-Cake: A Branches Book

The Binder of Doom #1

by Troy Cummings

Pick a book. Grow a Reader!

This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, 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!

Alexander Bopp is the leader of the Super Secret Monster Patrol, a club whose members are sworn to protect the town from monsters. But there haven't been monsters to fight for months... Alexander misses his best friends -- and fellow club members -- Rip and Nikki. Then he starts finding weird old-timey objects, cake crumbs, and creepy monster cards all over town! Could the monsters be back? The Super Secret Monster Patrol will have to get back together to find out!

Fans of The Notebook of Doom are going to devour this exciting new series from bestselling author-illustrator Troy Cummings!

Genres: Childrens, Chapter Books, Mystery, Fiction, Fantasy, Monsters, Friendship

96 pages, Hardcover

Published April 30, 2019

Reviews

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picking up right where the 13th book of Notebook of Doom left off, the members of the SSMP are feeling a little lost without monsters in their town to fight. They've each drifted apart to their own activities and hardly ever speak any more. When new monster trading cards start appearing along with things being switched for random antiques, Alexander finds himself actually a little hopeful that there's a new monster in town. Maybe there's a reason to get the SSMP back together!

So yes, this is a start of a new series technically. No, you should not start here. You should start with the Notebook of Doom #1. (This is for all intents and purposes really #14 of that series. The archnemesis is just changing.) I was a little sad when Notebook of Doom was winding down because it is a great series to get reluctant readers into books. This is just what I wanted. Cummings has changed his art style a teensy bit for this new spin-off but all the characters remain the same. This one has a great new mystery that helps re-spark the waning friendship of Nikki, Alexander, and Rip. And it features a fabulous new monster. (I've always heard fruitcakes were evil. Now there's documented proof.) The book sets up the SSMP to have several new monsters to hunt down. And I'm happy. Hand this one to kids who were weeping over the finish of Notebook of Doom and watch their faces turn to rapturous delight. If you're looking for a series that is good for reluctant readers or kids who think they want a scary read (but will likely have nightmares from anything too scary), this and the related series are great non-nightmare producing monstrous mystery tales.

Notes on content: Some peril threatened, but the worst thing that happens is someone turns into crumbs.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is rad! I enjoyed reading it to my children each night. It’s hard to tell who had more fun - me or the kids! My 5 year old especially loved it!

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my students got hooked on this series and we've read every one of them. We're diving into the this series after finishing Notebook of Doom series.

My tutoring students lead the way and I follow them.

There are many places for predictions, opinions, laughs.

This series is for beginning and/or reluctant readers. The Scholastic Branches series have sentences end on every page. Kids who have attention issues and learning difficulties benefit from not having to turn the page mid-sentence.

Well worth your money. Invest in these series and pass on to the next reluctant reader.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun first chapter book! It left me wanting to read more and excited to talk with my nephew about the book.

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

!

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

A child might find this book a bit more engaging than I did, so take the star level with a grain of salt.

It is the perfect mix of picture book and chapter book, suspense and sarcasm, boogers and best friends. If it appeals to an 8-year-old who won't read anything else, then by all means, I will give it 5 stars!

It has a great cover, which will definitely be helpful at a book fair. (Yeah, I work for Scholastic, but all of these comments are my own thoughts and opinions.)

The characters are cute, cunning, and loyal to each other. The villain is definitely kid-friendly and mother approved.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious! “Brute Cake,” a bad-@ss fruit cake that pulls off its nuts and fruit to throw at people! What’s not to like?! (And Drill Pickle?!)

Sequel series to notebook of doom. Don’t necessarily need to read those first, as backstory is explained. This book explains how the new set of escapes (which is also super funny IMO).

[Joanne Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't say enough about this fantastic chapter book series. Branches books are, on the whole, fun, well-crafted reads with universal appeal. This one however, rises above the norm. The illustration does so much more than support the text. It adds tone, charm, relatability, interaction, and story. The humor is always top-notch. The author was able to summarize the beloved first series (notebook of doom) without weighing down the text, yet create a clear direction for his new series. Fans will definitely feel comfortable here, but there's no need to start elsewhere—though there are some major character spoilers. I would however strongly recommend starting with this Brute-Cake as book 1. It really sets up the trajectory for this set of books and establishes the guidelines. And as always, it ends with a giant cliff-hanger. The words are fun to read and easy but not juvenile for the target readers. questions included on the last page help kids with comprehension, but also explore predicting what will come next.

[Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first of the a new series with the same characters from the "Notebook of Doom" series. Alex and his friends from the Super Secret Monster Patrol (S.S.M.P.) have defeated all the monsters and he as at a loss as what to do. He starts discovering various monster cards showing up and he wonders if the monsters are coming back. He gets the gang back together and in they accidentally let loose Brute-Cake, a monster made out of fruit cake, and they must figure out how to defeat it. For young readers who are just starting to read chapter books (2nd grade) and it is illustrated with black and white drawings. For fans of Dog Man or Captain Underpants who like their adventures and scares on the lighter side.

[Akoss · Rating 3 out of 5]

@Kidlitexchange #partner - I received a copy of this book from the Kidlitexchange network in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Releasing 4/30/19

Hunting monsters with his two friends is all Alexander knows. However they did such a good job that there was no monster left, or so everyone but Alexander thinks. I find this story more adventurous than spooky. “Imagine Yu-Gi-Oh characters playing supernatural detectives” is the best way I can describe this book.
The story is fast paced and the details about the monsters are fun to follow and catalog if one feels like doing so. It’s a fun read that will do well as a halloween read as well without being super creepy.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just when the Super Secret Monster Patrol thought their work was done and they had drifted away from each other, Alexander finds a monster trading card and notices weird things happening at the library where he's taking a summer camp (also named SSMP) and at his friend's new (and creepy) house. This one picks up right where The Notebook of Doom series ended, so I'll have to read at least one book in that series now too. Scary and funny rolled into 1 book. This one is clearly the 1st book because it took until about 3/4 of the way through to get to the new monsters. So, a little slow, but it sets up this new series.

[Vilma Diaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fairly quick read. I like that there's art throughout, I feel it enhances the story. The art itself is cartoony, it gives me a graphic novel vibe. The story is nice enough. It focuses on Alexander, who misses hanging out with his friends. There's also the mystery of whether monsters have returned or not in the background.

All in all, its a good story. I didn't find it particularly groundbreaking, but it was interesting enough that I'm going to check out the second volume in the series. Also, it feels like this might be a spinoff, since they reference their initial fight against the monsters fairly often. I might check that one out too, after I'm done with this series.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now that all the monsters are gone from Stermont, the Super Secret Monster Patrol (SSMP) no longer needs to meet. Alexander misses his friends, but Rip is too busy with his video games and Nikki signed up for soccer. Alexander is looking at a long, boring, lonely summer. Luckily, his dad signs him up for the summer program at the library, ironically called SSMP - Stermont Summer Maker Program.

But are the monsters really gone? Alexander isn’t so sure. What about the monster card (Drill-Pickle) that Alexander finds in the library book? And who left the note of Doom in his library cubby?

[Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexander Bopp misses fighting monsters with his 2 best friends. While attending a summer library camp, Alexander discovers a monster card tucked into a book. Strange things seem to be happening around town, and it's up to Alexander and his friends to figure it out.

Branches books are excellent for reluctant readers. They are entry level chapter books, often filled with some mystery. They have pictures on most pages to help keep students engaged. I would recommend for 1st through 4th grade. That being said, my 5th grader still loves to read them.

[Abigail Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely didn't really know what to expect coming into this book but was very pleasantly surprised. This is a super fun, fast paced, adventure story perfect for 1st and 2nd graders. I really liked how the author incorporated illustrations throughout the book as it made the story more engaging and more accessible to readers. By the end of the book, I wanted to pick up the second one in the series, which is the sign of a great book. Definitely will put this book in my classroom if I teach lower elementary students.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first time that I have read a book by this author. I will admit that I enjoyed reading this book. I read this book with my boys and we were able to get through this book without too many issues. (Boys will be boys.) I like that the chapters weren't too long and there were good illustrations to go along with what we were reading. This is also an AR book for anyone who might want to know. I would recommend this book to others.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still screening books for my niece who isn't really into reading books. I think this one will be a great fit for her; a short little book with a fun mystery that makes you want to keep reading. And nothing was too scary, so it shouldn't bring on nightmares. She really likes graphic novels and I thought this was a nice blend of pictures and story while moving towards traditional chapter book style.

[Emily]

More monster-battling fun! LOVE the library in this book, although... why has Alexander never visited it before? I'm so glad there's a new series, but I wonder if this will end up like the Rainbow Magic Fairy books: the same thing over and over and over and over. I trust Troy Cummings to have creative ideas, though.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

July 2020 - Ben was excited to choose this as a free giveaway book at the library, and return to the world of The Notebook of Doom. Lots of fun, short chapters with plenty of illustrations, monsters but nothing too scary. Definitely start with the first series, recommended for early elementary kids to listen to or read themselves.

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summer has come and the Super Secret Monster Patrol (SSMP) hasn’t been active since they rid the down of monsters. The gang has all gone their own ways. When all is quiet though that’s when you need to me worried!

I love the artwork in this book and the storyline is cute. It’s not too scary for young readers but it’s interesting enough for older readers.

[John Hammond · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know it says it's written by Troy Cummings, but it really reads and looks like Notebook of Doom fan fiction.
Of course, I'm leaving a slightly negative review on a kids' book, so that makes me feel like a jerk.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lex picked this book out at the book fair. We read it the last few nights. Good illustrations and a fun story. Didn’t realize that this is a sequel series. Think we’ll go back and read the notebook of doom series and then come back to this one!

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is good because of all of the funny monster humor. It is so fun and creative that the main monster is different in each book and not just the same monster every single time. At the end of the book, I love how he re-titles his binder DOOM!

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start to a new series. Laughed aloud near end. Lots to explore in text and visuals.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous companion books for the Notebook of Doom series. Super fun, and now I want to start collecting trading cards of these fabulous characters! (Please create them, Troy Cummings!!!)

[Michele Knott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Notebook of Doom" readers are going to be so happy!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so glad for this follow-up series to The Notebook of Doom. The first is such a great series, that I was sad to see it end. These are such great early chapter books!

[Tovah]

A new series with the same characters - so far, much like the first one. My 7yo loves them.

[Rayhan]

I think it was super good

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children’s