My nine-year-old daughter picks her favorite chapter books of 2011 and she cautions her peers, “I think that every book is boring in the beginning. Maybe the second or third chapter is when it starts getting good. Just keep reading.”
Tag: Jeanne Birdsall
The Penderwicks and Science of Dark Matter
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street brings up research on Dark Matter. Here’s more information on Dark Matter to draw out the scientist in your child.
16 Amazing Books Recommended by My 5th Grade Daughter
I am thrilled that she is loving to read and now that she is cranking through book series, I am noticing a pattern: she loves fast paced, fantasy adventure books, particularly those in which the main characters possess special powers. I asked her for her Top 5 Series recommendations and all fit the bill except for The Mysterious Benedict Society. These series also have unisex appeal as I have noticed that she is lending out her books to both male and female classmates. Finally, these books are appropriate for a wider audience beyond 5th grade, I’d say the range is grades 3rd through 8th.
18 Children’s Books with Old Fashioned Families
I do love those old fashioned books; you know, the ones where no one fights at all EVER. Siblings get along beautifully, parents never get divorced, and there’s always a happy ending. In fact, there is so little conflict, there isn’t much plot. It’s more like a series of short vignettes of what life was like back then. Was life that simple and conflict free back then? I doubt it, but I do love reading about it with my kids.
15 Great Summer Coming-of-Age Books with Girl Characters
This is what I was thinking when I came up with this kooky list:
-Summer read, preferably on the beach or on vacation
-Has to be a good read but not too strenuous
-The book is about the summer and/or beach and/or beachy vacation vibe
-A great lead GIRL character
-Counts towards summer homework book assignment but was thoroughly enjoyable
For incoming grades 4-6
11 Great Books for Tween Summer Reading
If your elementary school is like my elementary school, kids entering grades 3-5 need to read 5 or so books during the summer (and do a book project on one of the books). It’s not normally a struggle to get my kids to read 5 books during the summer except for the selection of the books because the summertime reading has to be especially engaging to compete for their time! These 10 books should do the trick. And if your child reads 5 books and fills out a form from Borders Bookstore, she or he can get one of ten selected books for free.
Wrinkles from A Wrinkle in Time
My fifth grader just finished A Wrinkle in Time** which is a dominant theme in Steads’ book. I had been at the library and found it on the librarians recommended shelf and thought if my daughter loves Maximum Ride so much she just might like a childhood favorite of mine. She did love it but she found Stead’s book to be too scary.