I’ve read the first book in the series. It’s mildly amusing, but not particularly well-written. Many of the plot points seemed rather predictable, but, OTOH, there are some genuinely amusing sections as well. The book certainly will never qualify as literature, but I can see how it would be entertaining for children in its target audience. It’s structure and characters are also simple enough that I’m pretty confident the book could be used effectively to teach story structure, character development, et cetera.
– Mark L. Chance.