There is a new book series out right now written by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver. Henry Winkler, you ask? YES – THE New York Times Best Selling author (and actor and cultural icon) Henry Winkler. The Ghost Buddy series is a wildly successful and SUPER fun addition to your child’s reading list!
What is Ghost Buddy all about? Check out this cute trailer to get a general feel for the series.
They loved the first one, and I was thrilled with the next one which was equally quirky, lively, and entertaining! More on Ghost Buddy: Mind If I Read Your Mind?:
“Billy and Hoover are back in the hilarious new series from bestselling authors Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver!It’s time for Moorepark Middle School’s annual Speak Out Challenge, and Billy Broccoli thinks he’s got it made. With his best friend Hoover Porterhouse—the ghost with the most—by his side, Billy’s got the competition in the bag. Who wouldn’t vote for a demonstration on mind reading?But when Billy lands a spot on the sixth-grade team, he starts spending more time with his new teammates than he does with Hoover. And the Hoove plays second fiddle to no one! If Billy’s not careful, his secret weapon might just vanish into thin air, leaving Billy to pick up the pieces of a demonstration-day disaster!”
The characters are SO much fun. My kids were howling at how silly and cool the ghost, Hoover Porterhouse, was. He has all these funny rules and quips. Overall, my kids loved the message from this book about being confident in yourself and not following folks due to peer pressure. They also seemed to pick up on the theme of never giving up, even if things get difficult or seem impossible.
Well, let me clarify this for a minute. They loved this message without really stopping to realize that there WAS a message in the book. You see, the verbiage in the book isn’t corny and full of cheese saying outright: “You are great just the way you are, so don’t even think about giving in to peer pressure! Oh, and never give up!” No, this book insinuates the message without the kids realizing that they’re getting this character-building lesson.
What I love is that the authors are totally passionate about this project. Watch this interview with the authors and see what I mean! I love when Henry Winkler says, “Cool is from the inside.” That’s so true!
Ghost Buddy #2 (Mind If I Read Your Mind?) is the follow-up book to the very successful 1st in the series, Ghost Buddy: Zero to Hero. Hardback retails $17.99 and paperback retails for $5.99. Seriously, this thing is selling out at book fairs all over the place and online as well!! It is selling like hotcakes because KIDS and adults love it. Scholastic even provides a teacher site with more information, related activities, and a teacher guide for the book!
This book (well, the series!) would be amazing for an elementary student that devours books. It would also be excellent for a student that takes a little extra time getting through them, but needs a FUN read as motivation to complete a reading task. The book is written at about a 4th grade reading level, so kids as young as 2nd grade on up through tweens, teens, or even adults (like me, reading to my kids!) would enjoy checking it out. It would also make a PERFECT stocking stuffer or alternative to candy on Halloween!
What do you think about the new series? What is the buzz going on around you about these books?
*I was given complimentary copies of Ghost Buddy #1 and #2 for the purpose of this review. ALL opinions are mine alone!
