What do an evil cereal company, a grumpy leprechaun, a pair of twins who look nothing alike, King Arthur, a giant rabbit-man, dragons, and Shakespeare have in common? They're all packed into Adam Rex's strange and funny new book, Cold Cereal.

If you enjoy twisting plots, folklore, riddles, and silly jokes, then this may be your favorite book of the year. However, some readers may find their minds over-boggled by the complicated fantasy world created in this book. I read an interview with Adam Rex where he admitted he had started six or seven different books and decided to mash them together to make one big book. When I read that, the crazy world of Cold Cereal made a lot more sense. With so much going on, this is a book that will challenge young readers to keep up with all the characters and the mythology.

I enjoyed this book a lot, especially the cleverness of the satire and the way disparate plot elements started coming together in the end (though, I must say, the book did make me think twice about ever eating sugary cereal for breakfast again). As the first book in a projected trilogy, time will tell if Adam Rex can succeed at weaving so many moving parts into a satisfying story. For now, I will say that this book is super fun, but probably overextends itself a little too much. ( )

My first Rex book —love it! It’s creative, winding, long but fast-paced and the characters are endearing. Gotta love their names, too, and the not so subtle social message you’ll have to figure out by reading. Best for upper elementary higher readers though there’s something for readers of all ages. ( )

It was a fun book but it wasn't as funny as the True Meaning of Smekday. I was also disappointed that it is going to be a series- everything about the book seemed to advertise it as a stand alone book and it wasn't until the last 50 pages that I realized things were not going to be wrapped up in one volume. I don't dislike series- I just like to know what I'm getting into before I start a book... like if I'm going to be left hanging in the middle on an adventure until the next book is published years later.

The local cereal factory advertises that there is a little magic in each box of cereal- it turns out it is real magic! ( )

I wish we could use half stars when rating these books. The premise was certainly creative, and the humor was spot on, but the plot dragged considerably in the middle. Then, at the end, the story lines were wrapped up in a way that wasn't quite satisfactory. ( )

Adam Rex has the mind of a middle school reader. He can be so outrageously funny, or gross, or inappropriate. Very science fiction, horror driven with a crazy plot and some comic strip sequences. ( )