The kids LOVED it. Amy and Dan Cahill, the pair of protagonists, are filled with the audacity and impulsivity that a middle grader can relate to. Dan is brash, and Amy shy. Every child in my class could relate to one or the other.
The humor was spot-on for the middle-grade brain, especially Dan’s one-liners. The villains may seem over-the-top and stereotypical to an adult, but the kids ate them up with a spoon.
As a teacher I loved all the curricular tie-ins that inspire a plethora of spin-off lessons:
History – The book is a Benjamin Franklin feast
Math – The magic square, overall number sense, and problem solving
Science - Chemistry and electricity
Science - Chemistry and electricity
Language Arts – Anagrams
Technology – The fantastic online tie-in to the series where you find out which branch of the Cahill Family you belong to AND you have access to extra clues.
Best of all, the kids are grabbing for the rest of the series. I bought 3 full sets for my classroom alone, and we’ve stripped the school library as well. A different author writes each of the books, so the kids will be exposed to multiple voices and styles as they read on.
And there are the two words that are music to a teacher's ear – read on.
Scholastic now offers the set in paperback. Dive. Dive.
