For a curious warthog like Boris, adventure is always just around the corner! This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line called Branches, which is 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!Boris loves pets! And he already has lots of them. All he's missing is his favorite animal, a Komodo dragon--the biggest lizard in the world! When Boris brags to the kids in his class that he's getting one, everyone wants to see it. Boris needs to come up with a plan...fast. Luckily, he's got his friends by his side and a lizard up his sleeve! Gr 1-3–Of these books, Boris and Class Pets competently fill the gap between easy readers and early chapter books, while Meltdown Madness and Coco are a bit more challenging. Boris really wants a komodo dragon. He writes to the zoo to see if their komodo dragons ever take vacations. Turns out, they don't, and Boris's plans are ruined. He puts his skink in the komodo cage and tries to pass it off as a baby dragon. After it escapes, Boris reopens his letter from the zoo, finds tickets for free admission, and his whole family has an outing. Missy wants to take home the class pets for the weekend but her plans are derailed when a new girl is determined to have what she wants. In the end, Missy bests the bully. Boris's and Missy's stories are told through traditional text, many speech bubbles, and comic-book panels. Both books incorporate full-color artwork throughout. Meltodown Madness looks the most like a traditional early chapter book, with many black-and-white sketches accompanying the text. The young narrator has a magic coin that translates his words into reality (sayings like “money doesn't grow on trees” spawn a dollar bill under the tree). The boy's powers often cause more trouble than good, but in the end he is able to reason his way into a solution. Coco is in the form of a diary and includes black-and-white lists and doodles. The little girl uses her love of baking cupcakes to help save snails from becoming extinct. Words like “extinct” and “fund-raiser” are defined in doodled bubbles. All four books should be popular.–Amy Commers, South St. Paul Public Library, MNα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Praise for BORIS ON THE MOVE:*"For emergent readers who view themselves as accomplished (or wish to be seen that way), this, one of the publisher's Branches line, might just be the perfect choice."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review"Joyner moves effortlessly between small written sections and big illustrations with comic style text. Really gorgeous...But above all, they're just ridiculously fun boy books."--Elizabeth Bird, New York Public Library Andrew Joyner is an illustrator and cartoonist published internationally in newspapers and magazines including THE SUNDAY AGE, THE AGE, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, SUN-HERALD, SOUTH CHINA MONRING POST, and READER'S DIGEST. He has illustrated books by humorists Ross Campbell and Wendy Harmer. THE TERRIBLE PLOP was his first picture book and most recently, he has produced a series of chapter books featuring Boris, a loveable warthog. He lives in Strathalbyn, South Australia. Used Book in Good Condition