Monkey Me and the Golden Monkey

Monkey Me and the Golden Monkey (Book 1) written and illustrated by Timothy Roland- early reader

Roland, Timothy. Monkey Me and the Golden Monkey. New York: Scholastic, Inc. 2014. Print.

ISBN 9780545559768

Summary: Clyde is a very active kid. His twin sister, Claudia, tries to keep him out of trouble. His class takes a trip to the museum where Clyde eats a radioactive banana. Now, every time he gets excited he turns into a monkey.  Claudia knows this can be more trouble, but when an artifact is stolen from the museum and a stranger shows up at his school, Clyde knows a monkey may be just what is needed to save the day. This is the first book in a series. Book 2 was published in March 2014. 

Strength/Weaknesses: This is a high interest book about a very active little boy. Many kids will be able to relate to energetic Clyde. The illustrations on every page (also by Timothy Roland) move the pacing along. Roland’s use of a comic strip whenever Clyde turns into a monkey helps separate the two sides of Clyde.
There are some words that may be a little advanced for this age group, for example-radioactive and gamma ray. Overall, though, I believe most readers will be able to follow along just fine. 

Uses: This book is a good one to use with reluctant readers on the upper end of the age range because of the short chapters, fast pacing and high interest story. It would also be good to use as an introduction to graphic novels. 

Audience: Monkey Me and the Golden Monkey is recommended for ages 6-8.

Read-alikes: Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborn, Marty McGuire by Kate Messner, Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park, Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown

Awards: This book was published in January of 2014. At the moment, there have been no awards given to this book.