Another Notable Dog Tale: Henry and Mudge and the Big Sleepover

Cynthia Rylant's latest (The Twentieth-Eighth Book of Their Adventures) in her evergreen Henry and Mudge series is Henry and Mudge and the Big Sleepover.

In this Ready-to-Read romp, Henry and Mudge go to a sleepover for all of Patrick's friends and all of their dogs. Patrick's parents, who have "a million knickknacks," wisely turn the entire attic playroom over to the boys and their pets. An athletic poodle beats out Mudge at popcorn catching, but Mudge wins the popcorn-eating contest by slurping a whole bowl in one tonguefull. The boys enjoy all the usual sleepover fun, with monster movies, video games, board games, and, of course, pizza and flashlights. When it's time to go to sleep, all the dogs wind up with Mudge in his own "doggy (sleeping) bag."

At Accelerated Reader level 2.5, this one is right in the middle of the series, with Henry and Mudge and the Careful Cousin at level 2.1 and Henry and Mudge and A Very Merry Christmas at 2.9.

If you have a young reader who is ready to read on his or her own, you can't go wrong with the Henry and Mudge series. My own seven-year-old grandson gives this one a "thumbs up" as a "funny, silly, crazy and cool story!"