9 Early Reader Books and New Chapters, October 2023

Rainbow Days written by Valerie Bolling

In this new Acorn series, Zita and her dog enjoy creating art together. Even when it’s rainy and gray, they still use color and sparkle to brighten up the interior walls. A cute first book!

Dory Fantasmagory Can’t Live Without You by Abby Hanlon

I actually laughed out loud during this funny and imaginative sixth book in the Dory series! In fact, this is probably the funniest character in all of children’s literature. The lost mother at the hardware store leads to intense emotions. The same goes for Dory’s disastrous dance class. Then Mrs. Gobble Gracker says she will marry Dory’s father. WHAT?! Eventually, Dory’s mother returns to work and the kids get a new babysitter, who Dory thinks is absolutely wonderful. The babysitter’s arrival leads to Dory’s siblings pretending to see Dory’s imaginary friends, which is hilarious.

The Story of Gumluck the Wizard by Adam Rex

A grumpy crow named Helvetica tells the story of meeting a little wizard named Gumluck. Gumluck is a bit clumsy and unlucky, but as our narrator observes him, she knows that he has a big heart. Unfortunately, his generous heart means he is often taken advantage of by ungrateful villagers. Gumluck continues to help others and hopes to become a Harvest Hero. Later, when the king’s castle was overthrown because of all the gold Gumluck made for the king, Gumluck, Helvetica and a child saved the villagers from death in the castle. Playfully written with charming characters, this is an enjoyable story.

A to Z Animal Mysteries The Absent Alpacas by Kayla Whaley

This new animal-focused mystery series is written by a different author from the original A to Z mysteries. It gives readers more representation of a girl sitting in a chair and the main characters of color. What’s also different is that the illustrations are in full color. I like it, but don’t love it. I wonder what your readers will think. Tell me! In this story, the friends investigate a group of alpacas that went missing belonging to their friend, who was accused of stealing them.

The Puppets of Spelhorst written by Kate DiCamillo

Five puppets with big dreams seek their purpose from one owner to another until they come across a family with an imaginative girl. The girl puts on a heartfelt play using all five puppets, a play that seems to mirror the real life of her maid, Jane Twiddum. That play gives the puppets a purpose in life and they find meaning and satisfaction. I felt like the story was delayed until the middle when they got to the little girl’s house, but then it picked up again. It’s the harder end of the chapters – more like third-grade reading level than first or second-grade.

Where’s Joon? by Julie Kim

I’m not sure exactly what level this graphic novel is, but it’s 120 pages so we’ll call it a chapter book. It’s a whimsical, bilingual, illustrated adventure about a girl named Jin searching for her younger brother Joon while running errands in a magical world of stories. When she finds Joon, she learns that he broke their mother’s magic vase. Impressive art with vibrant colors.

Sejal Sinha Battles Superstorms by Maya Prasad

It’s Diwali. Sejal’s cousin comes with her family. But her cousin, Mira, doesn’t like to pretend anymore. When a storm knocks out the power, Sejal convinces Mira to fly in her cardboard box plane to investigate and stop the storm. They have a BIG adventure learning more about hurricanes from observations and flights by scientific researchers.