READING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SUMMER - KIDS

While I am wrapping up the school year, here are some of my favorite books for kids that you might enjoy this summer!

PICTURE BOOKS

Silly Doggy - This hilarious picture book was a hit when I first read it, and it has been a hit every time I have read it to students. It even gets a sequel later this year! You can read my review here.


The Princess and the Pig - Another hilarious picture book. Kids and parents alike will enjoy this one. You can read my review here.


The Really, Really, Really Big Dinosaur - a fun take on a bullying storyline. I'm not sure who enjoys this one more, me or my students. You can read more about it here.

MIDDLE GRADE

The False Prince - This is the first book in a great series. When the third book came out this year, I had students and staff fighting over the opportunity to check it out first. You can read more about the first book here.


Because of Mr. Terupt - This is a great school story and the sequel was just as good. You can read about both books here.


The Candymakers - One of my favorite books to recommend to students. Check out my review here.


Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library - This is one of my go-to books for kids. When someone asks for a recommendation, this is one of the books I suggest over and over. You can read my review here.


Almost Super - I fell in love with this book and immediately bought a copy for the school library. Every student who has tried this has finished it in a matter of days and enjoyed it. Check out my review here.

TEENS

Also Known As - I don't do a lot of reading for teens, but I was intrigued by this one and loved it when I read it. You can read my review here.


Steelheart - The other memorable book for teens/young adults that I have read recently is this one. It is a great super powers story, though darker than most of the books I usually read. You can see my review here.

I FUNNY by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein

Jamie Grimm is a funny kid. With the encouragement of his uncle Frankie, Jamie enters the Funniest Kid Comic contest. As he prepares his material - and his nerves - for the competition, Jamie is also dealing with his family (an aunt and uncle and cousins Jamie calls The Smileys because they are the most serious and stoic people he has ever met), a bully (one of the Smiley cousins), and life in a wheelchair.

This is not a book I would have chosen to read for myself, but it is one of the books in our Scholastic Book Fair, so I read it in order to talk with kids and families about it. I was pleasantly surprised. I am not a Patterson fan in general, although this book makes me want to try one of his other Middle School stories. But I do love Chris Grabenstein, so I was willing to give this a try. Jamie is a fantastic character - funny, observant, resilient. I was appalled by the behavior of his cousin and I was sad that no one seemed to notice how Jamie is being bullied. But Jamie's attitude and his friends are delightful. I am looking forward to sharing this story with my students this fall! I think they will love the jokes and the artwork in the book and hopefully they will also love Jamie's character, bravery and perseverance.

4 out of 5 stars
AR reading level of 3.9

ESCAPE FROM MR. LEMONCELLO'S LIBRARY by Chris Grabenstein

Again, I am posting on a day when I normally don't do book blogging, but this was another book too good to hold on to until October. And this one is already available in libraries and bookstores.

The opportunity to spend the night in the new town library turns into a weekend of puzzles and games for Kyle Keeley and eleven other kids. The essay contest winners are locked into the library and must complete puzzles - and follow the rules - to find the secret exit from the library. The first student out wins the grand prize.

This was my favorite book of the whole summer! I know my summary is really short, but I don't want to give away too much of the story because it unfolds so wonderfully.

This reminded me of one of my all-time favorite books, The Candymakers, in the contest and the tone and voice of the story and the interactions of the characters. It reminded me of The Westing Game because of the puzzles and the eccentric benefactor. Finally, it reminded me of the Winston Breen books because of the puzzles and clues. There are countless references to amazing books, and reading is extolled as a valuable investment of time. And the library is held up as a beacon in the community. I loved everything about this book. If I was a classroom teacher, this would be one of my first read-alouds of the year. I may still try to read a chapter of it to my library students this fall. I think this would work with kids in third grade and up.

Excellent! Outstanding! A joy!

5 out of 5 stars
AR reading level of 4.5

CHAPTER BOOK: Riley Mack and the Other Known Troublemakers by Chris Grabenstein

Riley Mack is known as a "trouble maker" by the local police chief, but in reality, he and his "crew" are righters-of-wrongs - they look out for the little guy. It's like Ocean's Eleven for kids - disguises and schemes designed to save the day... if they all go as planned. And there are a lot of wrongs to be righted - bullying kids, bullying grown ups, embezzlement, theft, puppy mills - and a lot of schemes that could go very wrong.

I loved this book! The various schemes made me tense and there were plenty of things going on outside what the kids knew that added to the tension and kept me turning pages far past my bedtime. I would love to read this one out loud - I think it would be a great one for a class to enjoy together and talk about as they read it. Book two is out - Riley Mack Stirs Up More Trouble - and on my summer Must Read list.

Five out of five stars
AR reading level of 4.2

Recommended for: classroom reading, fans of contemporary stories (no fantasy or magical elements in this one) and/or animal stories, fans of capers/kid spy stories