The Notebook of Doom

by Troy Cummings

Three S.S.M.P. adventures in one book! 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!When Alexander moves to Stermont, he finds a creepy notebook full of monster drawings. The monsters inside are real, and it's up to the members of the Super Secret Monster Patrol - or the S.S.M.P. - to stop them. Can Alexander and his friends, Rip and Nikki, protect the town from balloon goons, tunnel fish, and shadow smashers? This collection includes books #1-3-- Rise of the Balloon Goons , Day of the Night Crawlers , and Attack of the Shadow Smashers !

288 pages, Paperback

Published July 26, 2016

Reviews

[Stephanie ((Strazzybooks)) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the first three books in this series! Fun monsters, witty jokes, and heart. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

When we first meet Alexander Bopp, he is scared to death – of starting over at a new school, after he and his dad move to the quirky town of Stermont. Unforgettably described as a "mop-haired, bug-eyed, gut-filled bag of bones," Alexander (Salamander to friends) will soon need all those guts, because Stermont is afflicted with monsters. And thanks to a notebook that he finds by chance, Al has the knowledge to fight back. He soon recruits a sometime bully named Rip and a functionally invisible girl named Nikki to re-form the defunct S.S.M.P. (Super Secret Monster Patrol), saving Stermont from rampaging air dancers (a.k.a. balloon goons), dirt-dwelling tunnel fish and renegade shadows that want to bring the town under eternal darkness.

Thrills and giggles ensue. Alexander and friends experience bizarre situations just enough to the silly side of spooky to ensure that little readers, or maybe pre-literate kiddoes interested in following along as you read to them, will only cover their eyes to wipe away tears of laughter. It's goofy, creepy fun with a few gentle lessons about making new friends and being loyal to them, having the courage to help out even in a scary situation, reocgnizing that people aren't necessarily bad just because they're different, and (of course) realizing that kids are smarter and braver than adults, which is terribly important. Isn't it?

The illustrations are whimsical but expressive. Select pages from the Notebook of Doom leave you salivating for more. And each book takes only a few minutes to read, making it quite possible that even a short attention span might stretch to devour these books in only a few reading sessions. To say nothing of such succeeding titles as Chomp of the Meat-Eating Vegetables, Pop of the Bumpy Mummy and Sneeze of the Octo-Schnozz.

Troy Cummings is the picture-book author of Otto the Ornament, The Eensy Weensy Spider Freeks Out, Giddy-up, Daddy!, Can I Be Your Dog? and Arfy and the Stinky Smell. These three books, which I read in a not-very-thick omnibus edition, are but the start of the 13-book "Notebook of Doom" series of very short, illustrated chapter books featuring Alexander Bopp and his friends, Rip and Nikki. These, in turn, are followed by (currently) four "Binder of Doom" books. For a full list of their titles, click here.

[Ty Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 5 year old son Gannicus has been getting super into reading lately thanks to the Branches series from Scholastic. He loves Press Start and now Notebook of Doom. Had to read several chapters every night until we blazed through all three of the first books. The stories are cute and I have a feeling this is like a Costume Quest sort of thing where there aren't really any monsters, this is all just kids using their imaginations to have fun when things don't make sense to them. The monsters are definitely different than normal (those writhing balloon guys at car dealerships, earthworms, shadows, etc.) and the writing keeps little ones engaged.

[Zeke king · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was awesome

[Bobbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading our favorites as a family. Our favorite series from Themis author. I highly recommend for elementary kiddos (thought middle grades enjoyed listening too).

[Shaylee Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since we did a book more on Grayson's level for our bedtime read aloud, so this was a fun little break from bigger books. We all enjoyed it!