Michael Wade's And Then It Happened Series

Michael Wade writes high-interest books for readers in grades 3 - 6. He focus' on motivating students to becoming better readers and writers and also encourages reading for the fun of it. Wade’s books are comprised of short stories and will appeal to almost everyone, but perhaps more to boys and reluctant readers. They offer tons of adventure and tons of laughs! You can check out many samples of the books here.

This one is a particular favorite at some of my schools, so much so that it was even challenged for inspiring misbehaviour. (The book was pulled by a principal for review but without any followup I had no trouble keeping it in the library. Keeping it on the shelf, however, was next to impossible.)

from http://www.boysbookshelf.com/fart_chart.html

The series website, boysbookshelf.com, also contains a page with student activities, including many word scrambles, hidden messages, word searches, Fill-in-the-Blanks for each book.

Michael Wade is a favorite presenter, lively and engaging! He has a great ability to connect with students and there is a buzz for days after the presentations. He has been to 7 of my 8 schools, many of them several times over the years.  The And Then it Happened series is incredibly popular in all my schools.  Kids often try to get the same book as their friends so they can read and chat about the stories.  Trading books is also a popular pastime.  This is easily a solid go-to selection for my junior students.