Elementary school | Daddy Mojo

The Traitor Moth, adventure fantasy that hides in plain sight for 8 and up

It could’ve begun as a side comment, or maybe even a dare. Write a book that has an action backbone, with the heart and emotive lessons that are age-appropriate, and entertaining, for upper-elementary and mglit audiences, with a moth as the main character. A moth. That flighty, lightweight, seemingly pointless creature who is hopelessly attracted to light and the punchline to a classic Norm Macdonald joke and its nemesis, Gregory Illininivich. Author Katherine Orton heard this sidebar, slipped into her moth exoskeleton, said hold this light and created The Traitor Moth. This is the first in the Moon Realm fantasy book series that lives in the world of eight through twelve-year-old, reading-because-it’s-awesome space.

The Traitor Moth places an adventure, action, fantasy world within the confounds of a potentially lame insect.

Adventure fantasy at a jumping off point

A Fishboy Named…Sashimi, starts a beautiful, early graphic novel friendship

Dan Santat is an author whom elementary-aged students know. Dan Santat is an illustrator whom elementary-age students know. By the time kids enter elementary school, they’ve read at least two illustrated books from Dan Santat and one of his graphic novels. * His name is as ubiquitous in children’s literature as Michael Connelly or James Patterson are for adult readers of a certain type. A Fishboy Named…Sashimi is an early reader graphic novel from Dan Santat that does what his fans expect and continues in a strange, new, wonderful direction.

A Fishboy Named…Sashimi is by children’s author rockstar Dan Satat and continues his knack for knowing what early readers want in a graphic novel.

Add another one to the must-read fire for elementary ages

It’s a Danny Go’s Volcano Adventure, world, we’re just living in it

When you know, you know, and even though I don’t have children in that demographic, you know when you see Danny Go. Danny Go! is the manic show for toddlers through first grade that your friend’s children are humming. The thing is, that the music is very catchy. It’s legitimately catchy-in a non-ironic manner, that adults will be bouncing along to the beats too. Their videos have millions upon millions of views. The videos have a wide cast of characters with distinct personalities. They’re hopelessly entertaining and Danny Go’s Volcano Adventure takes that spirit and jams it into an illustrated book for the same age.

Danny Go’s Volcano Adventure, preschool rockstar translates video energy to children’s interactive book fun.

Resistance is futile

Jake Spooky and the Wolves Within Him is why kids read

There’s a 1 on the spine of Jake Spooky and the Wolves Within Him. Jake Spooky is a punk rock ghost. He’s got the surly soul of today’s teens and throws up wolves, at least in this first book does that. Jake lives with Brand-O, a cool, flip-flop-wearing human with an old-school television as his head and an upright walking cat who doesn’t speak much, named Quincy. Elementary school graphic novel readers-Are you not entertained? If a graphic novel were a character in a movie, then Jake Spooky and the Wolves Within Him is Maximus Decimus. Its absurd, playful content gleefully runs circles around other early reader, graphic novels. Amidst all of this running, it still has the bandwidth to ask an obvious question, and yes, we are.

Jake Spooky and the Wolves Within Him has the gross-out, absurd, LOL goods that can turn reluctant elementary school readers re-think their ways.

Yes, yes we are, part deux

Relic of Thieves pivots the focus, but stays true to its world

Remember in college when you heard that song from Gypsy Kings? Maybe it was later in life when you discovered that 99 Luftballons was just the tip of Nena’s catchy rock/pop German catalogue. Your kids are into KPOP or J-rock and you probably don’t understand any of those lyrics. The comprehension is low to none, but you can enjoy it just the same. The Underwild: Relic of Thieves has something in common with all of that music for the uninitiated reader.

Relic of Thieves is a very enjoyable book by itself, but is even more so because it builds an established world set against Greeks Gods.

Great for new readers, perfect for existing fans

SquirrelLock Holmes: The Pet Rock Mystery, pun, silly fun for elementary

Elementary school-age children may not know Sherlock Holmes. They certainly haven’t read the original stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. Those young ages might’ve seen A Hard Day’s Knight, Season 1, Episode 10 of Phineas and Ferb that paid homage to The Hound of Baskervilles, but they probably didn’t catch the reference. Slightly older audiences will know Enola Holmes, which will hopefully lead them to the BBC series Sherlock, among others. But I digress…SquirrelLock Holmes: The Pet Rock Mystery is an early reader graphic novel that’s firmly locked into its core audience.

SquirrelLock Holmes: The Pet Rock Mystery is a chapter book with graphic novel sensibilities, or vice versa, and provides the silly stamina to keep up with early elementary school boys.

Look what you first and second-grade readers found…

The Spider Strikes will make young readers become book lovers

There’s an almost impossible point of believability to accomplish between Scooby-Doo, The Hardy Boys, the authentic enthusiasm of teens and realistic fiction. But wait, you want to successfully thread that needle through an opening further complicated by setting the book in 1930’s Germany? Somehow, The Spider Strikes, the third book in The Web of the Spider book series, navigates that 1%. It deftly tells an age-appropriate story about teenagers in 1931 Germany. I was skeptical too. However, during the book I was enthralled at the way it balanced everything. I was also bummed that the first two books in the series had slipped past my radar.

The Spider Strikes is realistic fiction with adventure that makes the story plausible and enjoyable, without being too real.

Young readers unite in their love of this book series

Unfunny Bunny is about a kid finding his personality and his ‘true’ self

I had to re-read The Unfunny Bunny to see if my adult brain missed something. Ah, I did miss a small nuance. It happens on the first two pages. That fact was certainly comforting, to an extent. I was expecting great things from Unfunny Bunny. It’s from Kenan Thompson and Bryan Tucker, two SNL veterans. Thompson has been a face on SNL for decades, in addition to dozens of voice-over and movie roles, whereas Tucker is a 16-time Emmy-nominated writer for the show. Adults have seen Thompson in something that they’ve liked, and that fact will bring a large amount of goodwill towards the book.

Unfunny Bunny will produce laughs from the kids, but needs a little adult help to get the point of the book across.

Star power. cute-ish book. what’s not to like?