Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody

Gr 3-7–Shortly after being assigned the jobs of hall monitors, lizard Zeke and his lizard friends, Daniel and Alicia, get into a tussle with bird school bully Pelicarnassus. Hilarity and sincerity ensue as Pelicarnassus seeks revenge and Zeke scrambles to protect his home, friends, and school from the bully’s supervillainous aspirations. And school isn’t the only place that provides Zeke with obstacles. At home, Zeke lives alone with his mom who, with her black dog, has depression that Zeke tries to help her with. While juggling a chaotic school life and a taxing home life, Zeke manages to protect the country of France that lives on his knee (a curse passed down through generations), learns how to be a good friend to both old and new pals, and how to stand up for himself and make heroic decisions. Laughable and learnable moments make for a rollicking adventure. All characters are anthropomorphic. This is a great pick for striving readers, as Miller’s black-and-white illustrations help to break up the chapters and bring the story to life.