Scott, Cavan. Candy Crisis. Abby Ryder, Illus. Lerner Stories: Adventure Park. Lerner, 01/2026. 32pp. Fiction. PLB $30.65. 979-8-7656-4874-2. Paper $9.99. 979-8-7656-4880-3. GRADES 1–2. ADDITIONAL.
SERIES REVIEW: Quick-paced stories feature five short chapters that follow a girl, her friend, and a hamster as they try out wild new rides at her grandpa’s amusement park. Digital color illustrations propel each story along, assisting the half pages of text with background of the amusement park and the characters. Each story introduces the new ride and then follows them on the ride and the unexpected places they end up, until finally returning to the park and Grandpa. In the three books this reviewer read, the trio ended up running from dinosaurs, befriending aliens in a strange space station, and barely escaping from a land made up of candy—including the residents. Humorous and silly, these tales are a welcome break from realistic stories, with unexpected jumps into fantasy.
Joshua Rees—Daly City Public Library