Are you looking for new book ideas for kids? The Wally McDoogle book series may be a good read. Check out this Summer Reading Book Review: Wally McDoogle Books to see if they may be a right fit for a child that you know. This post is sponsored by the Wally McDoogle book series. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions and text are my own.
My daughter is an avid reader. Like me, she enjoys holding a book in her hand as opposed to an e-reader. Since libraries have been closed over the past few months, it has made her reading journey a little slower than normal. She has read the books the she owns a few times over, and I obliged her by ordering a few, but she loves strolling down the aisle at the book store and picking out a new read. When I had the opportunity to snag the first four books in the Wally McDoogle series, I agreed, knowing that they would be devoured by her after I reviewed them.
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The Wally McDoogle Book series follows the life of twelve year old Wally. With the first book released in 1993, the series is not new, but the book series has been recently re-leased with new illustrations. I have to admit that I am a fan of the new art work over the previous releases. There are also new books releasing in the series in 2020.
Wally McDoogle is an average twelve year old who feels like he doesn’t fit in, a typical middle school issue. He feels like this is exacerbated by his number one interest, screen-writing. Throughout the books, the reader sees not only what Wally is experiencing in life, but also sees the life of his characters in his writings. This helps the reader get another sense of what he is going through.
Wally McDoogle Books 1-4 Overview
Book #1: Wally McDoogle: My Life as a Smashed Burrito
In the first book, Wally finds himself on the way to summer church camp. Through a series of unfortunate events, he winds up having to stand up to the camp bully. He discovers to never judge a book by its cover, and that remembering what God says should be our first plan of action rather than a last resort. Find it on Amazon here.
Book #2: Wally McDoogle: My Life as Alien Monster Bait
In the second book, Wally gets the chance of a childhood to act in a film. However, it doesn’t go as planned, and he learns a valuable lesson in the meantime.
Book #3: Wally McDoogle: My Life as a Broken Bungee Cord
In the third book in the series, Wally goes on an adventure with friends. He has to overcome fears and learns how to trust God more along the way.
Book #4: My Life as Crocodile Junk Food
In the fourth book, Wally goes on a mission trip with his father. The mission trip is a harrowing experience, but Wally learns how to share his faith.
The books are written in an entertaining style. They are easy-to-read, and they have illustrations scattered throughout to help the reader visualize the events and characters. At the beginning of each book is a Bible verse. The moral lesson of the book is centered around this verse. The books that I have read (1-4 above) incorporate the moral lesson and Biblical lessons throughout the book without reading too much like Sunday School material, making them relatable even to those kids who may not have much exposure to church or the Bible.
According to product details, the books are for ages 7-10 and grades 2-3. I question this age and grade breakout due to a few details in the books. For instance, the first book mentions kids “making out,” “sneaking a cigarette,” and using inappropriate language. For clarification, the book does not actually use any inappropriate language, but it mentions that a kid did during an incident. The author also makes church camp seem to be a terrible place, and the kids get away with bad behavior without any consequence until the end of the book. For this reason, I feel like the book is actually geared towards the middle school age group. Yet the ease of reading feels geared towards kids younger than middle school. This determination is one that parents will need to make on their own. The books are entertaining enough that I think middle school students will enjoy them and understand the moral of the books.
Overall, I know how difficult it can be to find an appropriate book for kids with a Biblical lesson. It’s hard, sometimes, ya’ll! In spite of a few hiccups, I do feel like the Wally McDoogle series fits the bill for this. It is also difficult to find books that boys will be into, and I feel like my boys will be excited to read these when they are a bit older.
