A Cup of Milk, A Cup of Tea, 4 Cookies And Jasper John Dooley!

Over Spring Break I took my boys to our Public Library to get books for our Stay-cation. My youngest son is 8 and like many boys his age can be a reluctant reader. However he marched into the Library, up to the librarian and told him what he was looking for. "I want a book for boys my age, in grade 3, a chapter book with not too many chapters, I want it to be funny and I want there to be lots of books in the series" our Librarian brought us to the right section and to Jasper John Dooley.

We checked out books 1-3 the first week and read them a few chapters at a time each day, we then returned to the library the following week and took out books 4 and 5. He was roaring with laughter, through each book and could not wait to tell me what happened in each chapter. He was sad when he finished book 5 as our Library did not have the new book which came out earlier this week on April 5th.
He was thrilled though when I told him I was selected to read and review the new book. Jasper John Dooley, Public Enemy #1

I love the cover of book #6.  What kid would not love a title like Public Library Enemy #1! 

It made me laugh when I read the title and looking at the cover I could not wait to read it myself.

All Jasper John Dooley was trying to do was practice his reading skills. He wanted to be ready for his turn to sit in the big, comfy chair at the library on Wednesday and read to Molly the Dog. But, even though Jasper was being so so so careful, the wonderful library book about toilet-paper-tube crafts accidentally falls into his bathwater and drowns. After that, he and his dad only make things worse by setting the book on fire and then shooting it with the fire extinguisher. “We're Book Killers,” Jasper says gravely. He knows he's going to have to pay for the ruined book, or they'll never let him back in the library again. Except, from what Jasper can tell, the price printed on the book says two thousand five hundred dollars! How can Jasper possibly find a way to raise that much money? And before Wednesday? He'll need his best friend Ori's help now more than ever. The illustrated chapter books in acclaimed author Caroline Adderson's Jasper John Dooley series are perfect for early readers. To Jasper, everything is an adventure, and his quirky and unique point of view is laugh-out-loud funny. Jasper's close relationship with his parents and his friendship with Ori offer young children wonderful role models for personal development. Here, Jasper clearly feels accountable for the library book entrusted to him, making this a great character education choice for discussing responsibility as well as how everyone makes mistakes. This book will be much sought after for independent reading, though it's also an excellent pick for read-aloud.

This book was laugh out loud funny, my son read it independently and then we read it together.

Jasper John Dooley Public Enemy #1 is brilliantly written by Caroline Adderson, Mike Shiell captures the feel of the book beautifully in his illustrations. Every young man should have a series like this in his young life, every classroom, every library should stock this book. Boys deserve a series like this one and I am so thankful that we have found Jasper John Dooley!

My son and I often read together outside under our Maple Tree on nice days, it is one of my favorite things. I love that he found a series he loved, devoured the books and got a chance to share these books with me. If you have a young man in your life who is looking for a great chapter book series, we can highly recommend Jasper John Dooley! As a parent reading to a child k-3 or a child reading independently these books should be on your radar! 

You can learn more or order any book or the entire series with free shipping from The Book Depository by clicking here. 

If you have already discovered Jasper John Dooley, find him in his next predicament by clicking here
Thank you to Kids Can Press for allowing me the opportunity to read and review book 6 Public Library Enemy #1 (I think this is the best title ever for a book!)
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea, a cup of milk and a few yummy cookies today.
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com