These 2 are the "youngest" books in the set. Both are full books with a nice, hearty page count for young readers. Anton and Cecil - Cats at Sea has a full plotline in the story involving the cats finding each other again after being separated. It is the more 'mature' of the books.
I will say, though they are nice young reader books, their ages groups are being stretched. I presented Anton and Cecil to two 11 year old who were not even slightly interested in the book - at this age they are already reading much older type books - The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The Hunger Games, Code Breaker, etc. I would knock the age down to 8 and below for this story.
The same goes for The Show Must Go On - while the book is fun and action filled, it would definitely appeal to a much younger group than the publishers recommended age.
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Anton and Cecil, Cats at SeaAuthor: Lisa and Valerie Martin
on sale date: 10-08-2013
AGES 8-12 • Grades 3-7
FORMAT: HARDCOVER
PAGE COUNT: 256
ISBN: 978-1-61620-246-0
A swashbuckling story of two very different cat brothers and their adventures at sea.
Cat brothers Cecil and Anton are as different in personality as they are in looks. Cecil, stocky and black with white patches, thirsts for seafaring adventure as he roams the docks of his harborside home, taking day trips on fishing boats when the chance comes along. Slim, gray Anton prefers listening to the sailors’ shanties at the town saloon. But one day when Anton does venture to port, he’s stolen off the dock, and the next thing he knows, he’s at sea.
Knowing little of the wide open ocean that lies beyond the harbor, Cecil boards another ship in hopes of finding Anton. But what begins as a rescue mission turns into a pair of high seas adventures, with thrills and danger bubbling under every wave.
Anton takes on a fierce rat, outwits hungry birds, and forges a forbidden friendship, while Cecil encounters dolphins and whales and finds himself in the middle of a pirate raid. On an ocean as vast as the one Anton and Cecil have discovered, will they see home—or each other—ever again?
Orange Prize−winning author Valerie Martin’s and Lisa Martin’s colorful cast of characters, rich historical detail, and lyrical storytelling will delight fans of such classic animal adventures as The Wind in the Willows, Stuart Little, and Poppy.
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Three Ring Rascals - The Show Must Go On!Author: Kate Klise
on sale date: 09-10-2013
AGES 7-10 • Grades 2-5
FORMAT: HARDCOVER
PAGE COUNT: 144
ISBN: 978-1-61620-244-6
Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls!
Step right up and hear the amazing tale of Sir Sidney’s Circus.
Listen to how Sir Sidney, a kindly old circus owner, needed a rest.
Read and weep when Sir Sidney leaves the circus in the hands of a big mean baddie.
Shriek with terror as Barnabas Brambles cracks his whip at Elsa the elephant.
Cry in horror when Mr. Brambles tries to sell Leo the lion to a zoo.
Hide your eyes as the Famous Flying Banana Brothers perform death-defying feats to get the circus train to the show on time!
Can they do it? Will they make it? They better, because THE SHOW MUST GO ON!