If your kids are looking for a wacky, light-hearted summer read, check out these two series  from the very funny Mac Barnett:

• The Brixton Brothers books are mysteries featuring twelve-year-old boy detective Steve Brixton. Steve is an ardent fan of the Bailey Brothers Mysteries (a Hardy Boys-esque series) from which he picks up numerous sleuthing tips as well as some useful slang (e.g., “chum”, “ace”). Steve lives in the fictional town of Ocean Park (based on Santa Cruz!). There are four books in the series, and Blaine tore through all of them a couple of summers ago.
• The Terrible Two books (co-authored by Mac Barnett and Jory John) are set in the fictional Yawnee Valley, a town that’s famous only for cows. These humorous books feature a pair of pranksters and an overbearing principal. Larrabee read the first two books in this series this summer and is eagerly awaiting the third (to be published in early 2017).

Larrabee and I had the pleasure of hearing Mac Barnett read two of his picture books, the brand new Rules of the House and also Leo: A Ghost Story (a personal favorite!) at Bookshop Santa Cruz last month.