The Awesome Almost 100% True Adventures of Matt & Craz by Alan Silberberg

How I Heard About It: It was on Twitter of course and I think @ColbySharp recommended it.  I also like to read the books that he recommends.  

What It Is About:  This is the adventures of Matt and Craz who are in junior high and love to draw and create cartoons.  Their wish is to be published in the school newspaper, but the kids who are in charge of the paper, will have no part of Matt and Craz' cartoons.  One day the boys see an ad on their computer for an amazing program that will help you become an amazing cartoonist.  These two boys are of course interested, but soon forget about it.  One day a "special" pen shows up.  When this pen is used and the cartoon is copied, the things in the cartoon come to life along with the man that appeared in the ad on the computer.  Well, the boys realized the power and fun they can have with this pen.  Of course not everything goes the way they planned and both Matt and Craz learn some great life lessons about their friendship, their families, and their peers at school! 

What I Thought Of It:   I think I was in a bit of a reading slump as far as children's books go.  This book was a move in the right direction to getting myself back on track.  I really enjoyed this story.  It is part novel, part cartoons, and part graphic novel.  It read very quickly with an interesting and unique story line.  I loved the characters of Matt and Craz.  They were best friends, but very different from each other.  The story was enjoyable because it was silly, strange, and action packed.  It also had some great touching moments about the boys, their families, and their lives at school.  The book was a fast read and I found myself cheering for these two boys all the way through the story!  I gave this book 4 stars out of 5. 

Who Should Read It:  I think this would be the perfect book for a student transitioning from graphic novels to more traditional novels.  The book has a lot of text, but also has pictures and cartoons on most of the pages.  I don't think this book would scare any young reader off because of the amount of text.  It would be the perfect book for an end-of-year third grader, a fourth grader, or even a fifth or sixth grader.  Teachers of these students would also the book as well.  I'm excited to add this book to my classroom library.  Happy Reading!