My son is struggling with reading and he needed an adventure book. The Magic Treehouse books are still a bit much for him, so his teacher said to just pick whatever would closely fit the theme. We settled on Junie B. and we went with this one because we thought maybe a crook might imply an adventure? LOL Anyway, my girls read these books when they were younger and loved them. I had my son read this book to me and was impressed that most of the words he was able to read well, but there are several bigger words that I wouldn't expect a 1st or 2nd grader to know (whom I'd assume these books are aimed at as the audience). I do love Junie B. as a character and her personality that the author lets shine through in the stories. That said, though, it is hard for a youngster still developing their reading skills to have to try to sort through Junie B.'s made-up words. My son kept telling me, "That's not a real word, though, Mom." Again, I appreciate that the books are fun and these made-up words help show Junie B's personality, but it was hard for my son and he struggled at times because of it, really slowed down his reading. Overall, I was impressed with how well he did with this book, even laughing at Junie B's antics and yelling the lines when Junie B. was yelling. I will definitely have him read more of these books.