This one didn't really work for me. I can see what Hargis is going for and I like that these characters are "junk" that are largely comfortable with their role. THere's some messaging about upcycling and throw-away culture but the plot isn't especially engaging.

It's a bit of a bummer that there isn't full color because the illustrations on the cover really pop. Kids into silly books will enjoy the chapter book/graphic novel hybrid feeling of this one.

What a very cute story! I love the art. My advice to the publishers is format the file so that I can enlarge or reduce. It's otherwise very hard for me to read the story as a review copy.

very cute story.
The book has a fun little rating to tell you how much longer you have to read as well as how much you have read in word count.
Story of an item that did not belong in the dump with the other trash

This book is Gross! And that's why your kid will LOVE it!!

The main characters are a rotten banana, a broken tea pot, and a crusty blob of gum, super random characters found in a dump- just the kind of characters a new reader will want to read more about.

Their adventures are certainly one of a kind and so is The Mystery Box, by Wes Hargis, the first book in the Down in the Dumps series. The illustrations are quirky and weird sure to get even the most reluctant readers reading to find out how this disgusting adventure unfolds.

Grateful to have received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley & HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperCollins.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for access to a digital copy of Down in the Dumps: The Mystery Box by Wes Hargis in exchange for an honest review.

Set in the local trash dump, a funny little family has formed. A rotten banana peel, a cracked teapot, and a glob of goo live inside a broken microwave in a canyon at the back of the junkyard. They are pretty content with their circumstances, and will occasionally go up to the dumping conveyor belt to greet new arrivals. One day, a shiny new box drops into the dump. These friends have never seen something so shiny and new before, and immediately investigate. Inside the box is a brand new teddy bear. Knowing that he doesn't belong here, these friends go on a harrowing journey to get the teddy bear home.

This was a cute "my-first-chapter-book" type young readers book. I loved the progress markers throughout the book to encourage readers in their accomplishments and tangibly mark how many words they have read. I loved the concept of these cheerful characters being content in their less-than-ideal circumstances, and that they have made a little unit despite their differences. In fact, their differences are often what make them a great team! Wonderful messages to be found within the pages of this little book, and I would be interested in picking up the other books in this series.

This was the cutest early chapter book about a rotten banana peel, a blob of goo and a rusted tea pot that live in a dump and they go on an adventure to return a new bear back to the front of the dump where he will be taken back for someone to play with. The illustrations were adorable and the story line was super cute.

Thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

I loved everything about this book. The comedy was just right. The book is fully illustrated. It is not a graphic novel, but also not a standard novel, it is a fantastic mix of both. One of the things I really like is that at the end of every other chapter the book tells the reader how many words they read and congratulates them. There is also an indicator at the end of each chapter that shows the reader how far along in the book they are at that moment. What a lovely way to speak to reluctant readers, or those struggling to move beyond learning to read books. Everything about this was great. The only thing to make it superior – full color every page. I will be sure to read book 2 when it comes out.

Although the title of this new chapter book series immediately made think of the idiom, this story is far from an unhappy one. The characterizations of the dump's residents are such a delight, and it was very easy to imagine their different voices! I wouldn't hesitate to read this charmingly off-beat story to emerging and/or reluctant readers, and any adults with them on this adventure.

When a beautifully wrapped box lands in the dump, Nana and her friends take the box. When it falls and Teddy Tedd Ted falls out, they realize that he does not belong there, but will they be able to find a home for him? After an adventure through Nana's landfill home, Teddy Tedd Ted lands in the hands of a kind garbage man. A fun adventure for the younger reader and the encouragement about how many chapters and words they have read is a wonderful surprise.

There are a lot of strengths to this tale -- the use of vivid imagery to support transitional readers, the encouragement that comes to the reader throughout the book to celebrate what they've read & continue on, and the fast-paced story. I struggled to connect with the characters -- Nana, the teapot, and the goo -- which prevented me from fully falling into the tale. I would like to read other books in the series, though, and hope that HarperCollins continues to explore transitional books and series like this to publish.

A story of friends helping out a stranger even though they are very different from each other.

We meet our main cast of quirky characters in their unusual home... the DUMP! We learn about how they all love where they live. One day they meet a brand new toy that they realize shouldn't be in the dump yet. They work together to bring the Teddy back to his home.

It was enjoyable reading about how this group navigating through the dump. Children get to see how important it is to work together on a goal. And the importance of treating everyone equally.

I loved the chapter markers for children to see how much they had read.

I wish the illustrations would have been in color but they were still marvelous and had SO much detail that really brought the story to life.