Time Warp Trio

I've been reading lots of books with tremendous boy appeal lately. Admittedly, I'm doing a bit of research for a bibliography I'm trying to put together targeted at this demographic. Often when people think of "boy books," they think of something with lots of action and/or an overabundance of gross/toilet humor. Neither of these traits is ever a bad thing though, and there are plenty of books out there that use these attention-grabbing themes is amazingly clever ways. Take, for example, today's featured series: The Time Warp Trio.

In the series' first book The Knights of the Kitchen Table, Joe receives a birthday gift from his magician uncle. It's a mysterious book with ornate writing. Before he quite realizes what's happening, Joe manages to use the book to transport himself and his friends Sam and Fred back in time to King Arthur's court. How will the three boys get home? More importantly, how will they manage to defeat the dragon and the giant who have besieged the castle?

The series continues to document Joe, Sam, and Fred's adventures through time. The formula is actually kind of similar to the beloved Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne, but funnier, wackier, and just a little bit edgier. The books are super quick and painless to read, making them great for relatively new readers or older reluctant readers alike.

Overall Grade: A