Cold Cereal / Adam Rex / 421 pages

Cold Cereal is the first in a proposed trilogy that tells the story of the evil GoodCo Cereal company that is experimenting with chemicals and fairy folk that will put a little bit of magic into every box of cereal.  Their end game is to have parents buy more of their cereal because it will make their children smarter but in reality, it will help the cereal company to control the world.  Who can foil their terrible plot?  Sixth Graders Scottish Play Doe, his brilliant friends Emily & Erno Utz, and a menagerie of fantastic beings including a leprechaun, rabbit-headed man, and Bigfoot nanny/butler (another unfortunate victim of GoodCo experimentation).  Rex does a fantastic job of weaving together a complex plot, adding a healthy dose of humor, keeping the action going, making sly references, incorporating Arthurian legend, offering up believable fantastic elements, and creating illustrations that make the book even more enjoyable.  This one seems to be pretty popular with the kids. Recommended for grades 4-7.