Blood and Guts and Rats' Tail Pizza

K-Gr 2—Young Hank works for Big Billy Bones at the Blood and Guts Café (no girls allowed). One day, none of the café's regulars show up. Hank finds them dining at Mighty Millie's Travelling Cake Shop, run by two female monsters. Hank confronts the monsters, only to have a pitcher of Buttercup Custard dumped on his head. The custard is delicious, so Hank and his boss become determined to obtain the recipe. Hank holds the monsters' dog for ransom for the recipe, but his plan is shortsighted and his own dog winds up at Mighty Millie's with the ransom note. Realizing his mistake, Hank is apologetic and the dogs are exchanged. The female monsters are quick to forgive, and the two dining establishments decide to partner together. More than half of this early chapter book is spent emphasizing Hank and Big Billy Bones's Little Rascals-esque resentment of girls—and vice versa. Little Mo (female) goes so far as to say, "I hate boys." All of the characters—male and female—do reconcile by the end, acknowledging each other's value and work together for the benefit of the entire community. With full-color illustrations paired with five to six short sentences on every page, this is ideal for readers ready to venture beyond traditional beginning readers, but perhaps not quite ready for longer, more complex chapter books.