Book excerpt: Monsters have never been this much fun! This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line called Branches, which is aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!In this second book in the series, Alexander and his new friend, Rip, try to learn more about the monster-filled notebook. They follow clues left by strange worms called night crawlers. It turns out new monsters are in town--giant fish monsters called tunnel fish--and even a fish-kabob monster! This humorous, action-packed book has fun black-and-white illustrations on every page.