Grab your compass and join the Adventure Friends -- Miguel and Clarke -- in this full-color early reader series! Pick a book. Grow a Reader! This series is part of Scholastic's early reader line, Acorn, aimed at children who are learning to read. With easy-to-read text, a short-story format, plenty of humor, and full-color artwork on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and fluency. Acorn books plant a love of reading and help readers grow! Clarke is new to town and ready to explore. Miguel loves meeting new people and going on adventures. With their walkie-talkies and compass in hand, these new friends map out their neighborhood and search for hidden treasure! With easy-to-read text and full-color artwork throughout, this adventure-filled early reader series is sure to be a hit with beginning readers! And after seeing Miguel and Clarke use their super-cool mapping skills across four short stories, readers may even be inspired to make their own neighborhood maps! K-Gr 2—Grade school neighbors Miguel and Clarke share a love for exploration. Miguel is familiar with his town; but for Clarke, who just moved in, the streets are new. "I need to know how to get around my new neighborhood," she explains to Miguel. So, with walkie-talkies, a compass, drawing paper, and pencils, the two friends follow the lines on the compass around their neighborhood, drawing a map of every building, river, and park they find. Sustained by eating trail mix that they call "adventure fuel," the two enjoy a series of adventures, from devising code names to use over their walkie-talkies and digging for buried treasure to following musical cues to the ice cream truck, where they obtain two cones in exchange for the "treasure" they uncovered. Vibrant, warm illustrations are rendered in full-color artwork by prolific illustrator Félix, concept artist/matte painter for Disney's Pixar Coco: A Live-to-Film Concert Experience. Todd (Tou-Can't!: A Little Sister Story) crafts an enjoyable story within four short chapters. VERDICT This book can be used as part of lessons on mapmaking and using a compass. Pair with similar titles, such as Kari Allen's The Boy Who Loved Maps and the "Map Skills for Today" series.—Monica Fleche Praise for Lost Dog (The Adventure Friends #2): "Readers can learn a few map reading skills, such as the cardinal directions, and the colorful map included in the front of the book could be used to show how to find streets... This book could be used for emerging readers to practice sight words and reading fluency." -- School Library Journal Praise for Treasure Map (The Adventure Friends #1): "Young adventure-seekers will be pleased." -- Kirkus Reviews "Vibrant, warm illustrations are rendered in full-color artwork by prolific illustrator Félix. Todd... crafts an enjoyable story within four short chapters. This book can be used as part of lessons on mapmaking and using a compass." -- School Library Journal Praise for Tou-Can't by Brandon Todd: "Sisterly affection and admiration sweetly serves to strengthen the rapport between siblings." -- Kirkus Reviews Brandon Todd is the illustrator of the picture book, The Bear Must Go On by Dev Petty. He is also the author and illustrator of Tou-Can’t!: A Little Sister Story . The Adventure Friends, illustrated by Gloria Félix, is his debut early reader series. Brandon lives in Kansas City, Missouri, with his wife, two daughters, and an Italian greyhound named Mulva. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @heybtodd. Gloria Félix holds a BFA in 3D Animation from Tecnológico de Monterrey and a MFA in Visual Development from Academy of Art in San Francisco. Clients include Pixar, Capstone, Valve, HBS Games, DeviantArt, Google HOLA etc. The Adventure Friends, written by Brandon Todd, is her debut early reader series. Currently Gloria lives and paints in Guadalajara, Mexico.