Hi Anne,
We listened to a few of "my weird school" books this weekend. Honestly, they are better than I thought they would be, based on the Amazon reviews which did not seem overly positive about this series. I hope your kids like the "My weird School" game.
I thought of a few more suggestions that are good for solo/pocket/traveling/camping. There are two companies that I will be mentioning quite a bit (Chris Handy/Pack O Game and Button Shy).
Pizza Party- by dicecapades, this game is for 2 people but you can buy more to expand the game to include more people. You get 5 ingredients dice and a slice of pizza; after you roll, try to match the dice to the pizza. Roll as often as you like, the first one to build a pizza (6 slices) is the winner. Sometimes my son will want to build as many as possible. It can be played in 20 minutes or less.
Nut- by Packogame. It is the size of a pack of gum. The game is about building a tree by matching colors and you win by scoring the most points. This game is made by Chris Handy. There are better explanations and reviews on amazon. However, I will say this is one of my son's favorite games to play at a restaurant.
Lie- another Chris Handy game. I haven't played it yet but seems good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5F9pmvkTNg&list=PLL-u82dYAG0FLyQoiQLgDt-2NqX-UEVMh&index=9
Dig- another Chris Handy game. It has a fun dog theme. It is good at restaurants when you have space.
Shh- another Chris Handy game. I haven't played this one yet but I like the idea of it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0PyLcrPfjY&list=PLL-u82dYAG0FLyQoiQLgDt-2NqX-UEVMh&index=11
Hue- another Chris Handy game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKk6qKI-4po&list=PLL-u82dYAG0FLyQoiQLgDt-2NqX-UEVMh&index=6
Boo- another Chris Handy game. I played this with my husband and had a good time. The ghost theme is fun. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOL77suntm4&list=PLL-u82dYAG0FLyQoiQLgDt-2NqX-UEVMh&index=1
Gym- another Chris Handy game. This one might be harder in strategy. I haven't played this with anybody yet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFOkz8P-F_U&list=PLL-u82dYAG0FLyQoiQLgDt-2NqX-UEVMh&index=5
Rum- another Chris Handy game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU_370ct4Lo&list=PLL-u82dYAG0FLyQoiQLgDt-2NqX-UEVMh&index=10
Spy- another Chris Handy game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BrUCOnZFiw&list=PLL-u82dYAG0FLyQoiQLgDt-2NqX-UEVMh&index=15
Taj- another Chris Handy game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoDuiTUXSXM&list=PLL-u82dYAG0FLyQoiQLgDt-2NqX-UEVMh&index=16
Sow- Another Chris Handy game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma9zDLONuRU&list=PLL-u82dYAG0FLyQoiQLgDt-2NqX-UEVMh&index=13
Bus- another Chris Handy game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QQINWp8zLA&list=PLL-u82dYAG0FLyQoiQLgDt-2NqX-UEVMh&index=2
Fly- another Chris Handy game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHKIDqupvfs&list=PLL-u82dYAG0FLyQoiQLgDt-2NqX-UEVMh&index=
The following games are from Button Shy. They are known for wallet games (18 cards or less). The cards have a good quality and the games range in theme as well as number of players. The link to their website is here. https://buttonshygames.com/. Honestly, their games are what got me back into gaming. Previously, I had focused on games for my son but these games got me into solo gaming which I really enjoy. Here are some of the ones I would recommend although all their games are worth a look at yet. Not all of their games are in stock but they do sell the digital files (Print and Play) for the game at a low price (like $4). It takes some work to prep the game but it can save money. Also, if you lose a card, it is not the end of the world because you can just print the card again.
Rove- a solo game for ages 8+. It is hard for me to describe this one. This video does a better job. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6gJ6gV1U-c
Adder realtime chase system- 2-4 players, it is the card equivalent of tag.
Wild cats- a 3-6 player bluffing "who are you" game with cats. You get a cat identity (good cat, bad cat, etc), you have to do the actions on that card (ex: be honest or lie). In the course of talking, you guess who is what.
Food Chain Island- a puzzle solo game with the ultimate goal to get all the animals to eat each other, so you have one stack. but there are conditions that will make it more difficult. My son plays this game without the conditions; So it works for those who are not strong readers yet.
Agropolis/ Sprawlopolis- good for 1-4 players, you draw 3 scoring cards and then try to lay down the cards to score the most points while trying to not make a lot of roads. There are a bunch of videos about these two. I tend to play this solo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQXtlomobjE&t=261s
Tussie Mussie- (1-4 player) a flower theme bluffing game that is constantly out of stock due to demand. It plays very quickly and everyone I play with loves it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkgH_8NNlVU
Arcane Bakery Clash- (1-2 player)This one is super adorable in theme and in play. There are strategy and memory elements in this game that make it extremely enjoyable. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apvD2sVCroE
Banned Books- solo game for people who love books. You are a character from a banned book and you battle the "powers that be". If you win, your book is no longer "banned". It is out of stock at the moment but there are print and play files available.
Ugly Griffin Inn- solo game. This video describes it well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDlsS4Wy_H8
Potions Class- out of print but you can buy the Print and play file. It is for 2 players
Wonder Tales- out of print but you can buy the print and play file. can be for 1 to 2 players
Why I Otter/ An Otter Won- cute otter themed games for 2 players; geared for kids more but very enjoyable for adults as well.
Let me know what you think about these suggestions. I hope you have a great weekend.
Sincerely,
Stephanie