DIARY OF A WORM

Cronin and Bliss’ droll humor come to the early-reader set courtesy of Houran and Nez.

Mrs. Mulch is the best teacher Worm has ever had. So, when they have a substitute so she can take the day off for her birthday, Worm just has to think up a present that will be more spectacular than those of his classmates. His best friends, Spider and Fly, try to help, but their ideas just aren’t appropriate for worms. But when they take him kite flying (literally) to cheer him up, they spy an apple from their vantage point. Will it be rotten enough? Will they be able to get it to Worm’s school? Will Worm be able to pull a birthday card out of thin air? Nez’s illustrations in the style of Bliss entertain, his characters sporting accessories and facial expressions that will be quite familiar to readers. Houran and Nez have transferred all the elements that made the Diary series so successful—the slightly gross humor, the three friends and their talents playing off one another, and the similarity to real human plights—to this early reader, continuing the trio’s adventures for kids just striking out on their own.

When will Fly and Spider get their own school stories? (Early reader. 5-7)