First Day, Worst Day (The Very Worst Ever, #1)

The Very Worst new early chapter book series is the perfect next read for fans of Judith Viorst’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day books. Our character has the worst luck so he has redacted his name and the illustrations have an emoji over his face so he can fully explain all the embarrassing things that happen to him without anyone knowing his identity.
With plenty of illustrations, short chapters, and a series of crazy events, this book is a great chapter book option for younger readers. I like that our character has finally made friends so at the end of the day he ended up feeling like it was the best day.
Overall, this was a quick and funny read perfect for those ready to listen or read longer stories. While the book is silly and meant to make you giggle it would also be a great conversation starter with a young reader about how to look out for other kids that seem like they could use a friend.

FIRST DAY, WORST DAY is a delightfully silly start to a new chapter book series. The story features a boy who is incredibly unlucky and wants to protect his identity by redacting his name and showing himself with an emoji covering his face. [Redacted] has had a tough time in the past, but he is excited to start at his new school - a fresh start where no one knows him and his bad luck hopefully won't follow.

However, his day gets off to a tough start when he doesn't wake up on time and rushes through getting ready only to miss the bus and spill syrup on himself. The syrup attracts wild dogs that travel with him to school, where he is late and speaks to what he thinks must be a ghost in the front office, but is actually a short girl named Glinda. His day only seems to get worse through a series of foibles, but at the end of the day, [Redacted] finds himself with three new friends and a big smile on his face.

What I loved: This is a charming and very silly chapter book read. Children will understand the way the main character feels with excitement and nervousness about the first day of school. The main character is seriously unlucky, which leads to some very funny situations, sure to make readers giggle. The story introduces three new friends for [Redacted], and each of them has quite the personality to add to the fun.

The ultimate themes of the story around the value of friendship, starting at a new school, and feeling unlucky are ones that will resonate with the audience. This is definitely a great start to a series that young readers can really get into.

The story itself features illustrations on each page spread, great for early chapter book readers who will enjoy seeing the story play out along the way. The font is clear and easy to read without having large pages of text, perfect to keep it easy and light. The amount of chapters was easily digestible and will work well for children looking for something silly and attention-grabbing. While the redaction of the name could be a potential annoyance, the story is told from the perspective of the main character, so his actual name/redaction is shown very sparsely throughout the book, which works well for reading flow.

Final verdict: FIRST DAY, WORST DAY is a silly and engaging illustrated chapter book that young readers can laugh, cringe, and enjoy. Recommend for young elementary school readers.