Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm a retired English teacher with a reverence for Newbery and Caldecott books, so when my 7 yr. old grandson's minecraft obsession led us to the "Diary of a Minecraft Zombie" series, I was less than excited. Still, I know the connection between autonomy and love of reading, so we gave Book 1 a try. Lesson learned? Don't be a snob! He's now reading Book 7 to me (20 minutes a day), and I have developed a real affection for Zack Zombie and his group of misfit friends. Best of all, interwoven with the humorous schoolkid angst are heartfelt lessons about acceptance, compassion and sacrifice. These morals are, thankfully, the result of character development and not tacked on schmaltz. In fact, I'd be hard pressed to find a better role model in a book written for this reading level. Zack Zombie, you're a good guy to hang with!