First sentence: Hey! Over here! It's me. Roscoe. Welcome to the Official Roscoe Riley Time-out Corner. Want to hang out with me? I have to warn you, though. We're going to be here for a while.

Premise/plot: Roscoe Riley has GLUE, but not just any glue, it is Super-Mega-Gonzo Glue. It is PERMANENT. Of course, how and why he uses this super-permanent glue is an interesting, humorous story. (He's only got the best intentions, right????)

My thoughts: This is my first introduction to Roscoe Riley. Apparently there's a series! This one strongly reminds me (in the best way) of Junie B. Jones. It also reminds me of Robert Munsch's humor. I like this early chapter book very much. I could see how it could hook young readers and make them want to read more, more, more.

I am so glad I revisited Katherine Applegate's earlier works. I'm definitely going to see if the library has more of this series. ( )

Not only did my 8 year old enjoy this book, my12 year old came in to investigate the laughter and ended up staying and laughing also. great book. ( )

When the first-graders' bee antennae would not stay on their heads and the drummers would not stay in their seats for the open house play, Roscoe decides to help by using the "don't-you-dare" glue. ( )

Roscoe Riley is your average first grader: he has trouble remembering all the rules and is always getting in trouble but he loves to help out his parents and teacher. That’s why he thought it would be okay to take the Super-Mega-Gonzo Glue (that his mom calls the don’t-you-dare glue!) to school and use it to save his teacher from losing her job. The plot is wonderfully silly, and even adult readers will find themselves chuckling at Roscoe’s musings. However, in an effort to make the story sound like Roscoe is speaking to the reader, the text is fraught with sentence fragments. If you can handle that, this is a great transitional chapter book that will make kids excited to read. The main character is fun loving and good-natured and the chapters are short enough to keep young readers’ momentum going. Every few pages there is a black and white cartoon illustration that aids in comprehension because the pictures depict complicated parts in the text (like when Roscoe is explaining antennae headbands he and his classmates wear). After reading this book readers will be eager to read more of the series and see what other ridiculous adventures Roscoe gets himself into! ( )

Roscoe Riley doesn't mean to get into trouble, but somehow it just happens. Told from his position in the time-out corner, this first installment explains why Roscoe glued his friends to chairs (it was for the good of the whole class!). Funny and lighthearted, this would be a great choice for new chapter book readers who enjoy Junie B. Jones, Clementine, and others like that. ( )