Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger

Fake Mustache: Or, How Jodie O'Rodeo and Her Wonder Horse (and Some Nerdy Kid) Saved The U.S. Presidential Election From a Mad Genius Criminal Mastermind by Tom Angleberger

The title of this book gives a pretty good summary of what the book is about, but there is a lot more to the story. With just a new suit and a fake mustache, Lenny's best friend, Casper, transforms himself into a "short, well-dressed man-about-town supporting a spectacular handlebar mustache." While dressed as his alter ego, he robs the town banks and creates a fortune to begin his takeover of the town. Unfortunately, no one realizes this but Lenny. With help from famous T.V. star Jodie O'Rodeo, the two must simultaneously prevent Fako Mustacho (Casper's new alter ego)  from rigging the U.S. presidential election and save Casper's life.

This book takes the reader on a very silly adventure to ultimately save the country from a ten-year-old boy posing as a man with an impressive mustache. The book never states how Casper gets away with everything, so I am assuming that the mustache has magical powers that someone hypnotize people. I know it's strange, but it's the only answer I can think of. The book is written on a fourth grade reading level and I would give to anyone who likes the humor of Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney.

Regarding the Fountain

I'm a little behind with my blog posts, but I have continued reading, so now I'm going to catch you up with what I have read.

The Klise sisters, Kate and Sarah, are a fabulous duo who write books through letters, postcards, emails, newspapers, memos, drawings, and transcripts. The books are witty and creative and are perfect for kids and parents. I love the humor and the format of the books. Their books are great choices for students reading at a higher A.R. (Accelerated Reader) level because they are written on an upper fifth grade to lower sixth grade level. They also introduce new vocabulary and challenge students to follow the story.

I first read their "43 Old Cemetery Road" series and loved it! I loved everything from the plot, to the format, and to the character's names. There are four books in the series and I cannot wait for the fifth one to come out. (I hope there will be a fifth one.) I'd recommend this series to advanced third graders to sixth graders and their parents, grandparents, uncles and everyone in between. If you need something to read right now, go start this series!

But back to the original point of the post, "Regarding the Fountain." Dry Creek Middle School has a leaking water fountain that needs to be replaced. The principal, Walter Russ, contacts the eccentric Florence Waters to design and create a new water fountain, but her ideas are over-the-top. She forms a close bond with Mr. Sam N's fifth grade class and they also give ideas for the new fountain. Unfortunately, the corrupt school board president, Sally Mander, and local businessman, Dee Eel, believe it just needs to be fixed. A scandal begins to brew and only Mr. N's class can uncover the secrets of Dry Creek Middle School.

I look forward to reading the rest of the series because it is just too funny to stop at the first book.

Magyk

I just read Magyk, which is the first book in the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage. Although the book is very long for a juvenile chapter book, I really did enjoy the story.  I'm not sure how many children would want to read it since it's so long, but I would recommend it to fifth-eigth graders who enjoy fantasy, especially Harry Potter.

The seventh son of the seventh son, aptly named Septimus Heap, is stolen the night he is born by a midwife who pronounces him dead. That same night, the baby's father, Silas Heap, comes across a bundle in the snow containing a new born girl with violet eyes. The Heaps take this helpless newborn into their home, name her Jenna, and raise her as their own. But who is this mysterious baby girl, and what really happened to their beloved son Septimus? This exciting story follows the adventures of the Heap family and others in their community as DomDaniel, the evil wizard, comes into power.