Chapter Book Review: Goofballs #1: The Crazy Case of Missing Thunder

Goofballs #1:  The Crazy Case of Missing Thunder
Written by:  Tony Abbott
Illustrated by:  Colleen Madden
Published by: Egmont, 2012
Ages: 7-9
101 pages

* I am always on the lookout for new chapter books to read with my daughter.  Many new series have been published since I stopped teaching 3rd grade over four years ago!  My daughter and I have had a long-time ritual of reading a chapter book together while we wait for the bus to come in the morning. Unfortunately, I end up getting way too many chapter books for us to read and there's not enough time for us to get through them.  Like this book for instance.  My daughter decided that she wanted to read it on her own this weekend when she had some "relaxing time."  Because I was really interested in checking it out I had to read it on my own.  :( 

This first book in the Goofball series follows four friends, Jeff, Mara, Brian, and Kelly, who dub themselves the Goofballs because......well, they are goofy!  They like to solve mysteries and take books out of the library to help them solve them.  The Goofballs became big in town when they solved "The Totally Incredible Pizza Disaster"(which has already happened before this story takes place, but we learn bits and pieces of it.).  A super-rich boy named Randall Crandall heard about the Goofballs from that incident and have hired them to find his missing horse, Thunder.  Using Jeff's clue book, making some observations, and looking at evidence, the group helps solve another mystery. 

This book definitely had some humor that had my eyes rolling, but my daughter enjoyed.  When I asked her how she liked it (before I had read it) she said, "It was funny.  He said, "Don't leaf me here" like L-E-A-F instead of leave me here.  Yes.....LOTS of puns are used in this book! 

There are lots of illustrations throughout the book.  I think it's a great new addition to the children's mystery genre.  Overall, we both enjoyed this book, although while my daughter reads the next one in the series, I'll sit that one out!

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.