The first title in this new series for independent readers introduces good-hearted, mishap-prone first-grader Roscoe. In short chapters filled with simple, snappy sentences, Roscoe tells his own story. He's excited about his class' bee-song performance for the school open house. But the students' bobbing antennas keep slipping, and kids won't stay seated. Aiming to help, he tries Super-Mega-Gonzo Glue, a too-successful solution that attaches antennas to chairs and brings chaos, remorse, and new appreciation for glue's cautions. Roscoe is an appealing, lively kid whose story is both entertaining and thought provoking (adults may want to review with kids the meaning and repercussions of permanent glue), and Biggs' expressive pencil drawings add to the humor. A list of Way Cool Things that Somebody Should Invent closes. The second title in the series, Roscoe Riley Rules Never Swipe a Bully's Bear, is scheduled for simultaneous release.

All four books begin with young Roscoe addressing the reader ("Hey! Over here!") from the time-out corner, explaining how he got in trouble...again. Brief chapters, large type, super-short sentences, and slapstick humor recommend these series entries to second-grade boys. The illustrations, like the text, are serviceable but not inspired. All-in-all, lightweight fare for emerging or reluctant readers.

Gr 1-2 These early chapter books begin and end in the time-out chair. In Friends , Roscoe's first-grade class is getting ready for open house. It's supposed to involve a performance of singing bumblebees followed by dessert. However, add one hyper, trouble-finding boy (Roscoe) with a tube of Super-Mega-Gonzo Glue and too many bright ideas and you've got a recipe for disaster. In Sweater , Roscoe trades an itchy sweater that his grandmother made him for his neighbor's dog so he can enter the animal in a pet show. The protagonist always means well and the adults can usually see a big heart behind his anticsafter they've calmed down a bit. Both stories are fun reads with simple and amusing cartoon illustrations. Good choices for children transitioning from beginning readers to chapter books. Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA