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.

THE LAST PRESENT by Wendy Mass

The events from 11 Birthdays, Finally, and 13 Gifts wrap up in this Willow Falls story with all of the folks from earlier stories. Leo and Amanda can finally talk to each other, which is a good thing because Angelina is sending them back in time to each of  Grace's birthday parties to fix things that have gone wrong. Now Grace is in some sort of coma and no one knows why.

Fun story, good mystery. There are some funny moments that are possible in this story because there's a group of kids working together who all know about Angelina and her "projects." There's some romance (kissing, hand-holding) between the kids in the story. I haven't read the other books in the series for awhile, but I was able to follow this story without difficulty even though I don't remember the other stories in detail.

4 out of 5 stars
No AR Reading Level at this time

* I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

MONDAY: Finally by Wendy Mass

Summary
Rory has been waiting forever to be 12. She's heard "Well, you can do that when you are 12," so many times, she started writing them all down and keeping them in a special box. But the day has FINALLY arrived. She is 12. Now she can go to a boy/girl party, get her ears pierced, stay alone in the house, babysit, get a cell phone, and more. Even more excellent, her favorite movie star is filming at her school! But some of those special things she's been waiting for for years don't turn out quite like Rory planned. 


Review
Of the three Willow Falls books, this was probably my favorite. This story was unusual because Rory doesn't really recognize what is happening until all the pieces come together in the end. Through most of the story it is one disaster after another. But you get glimpses of Rory's character as she interacts with different people in the story. And she starts to think more critically about her list of things she wants to do now that she is 12, evaluating if she really wants to do those things, or if she only liked the idea of them. This story makes me want to read 13 Gifts again to see where this story fits in the "series."


4 out of 5 stars
AR level of 4.6


Recommended for: fans of the other Willow Falls stories or the author's other stories.


Cautions:  None

MONDAY: 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass

Summary
Amanda and Leo are about to celebrate their 11th birthdays - on the same day, but alone. It didn't use to be this way. They used to be inseparable. They have been together for every birthday since the day they were born. But on the day they turned 10, Amanda heard Leo say some hurtful things about her and they haven't spoken since. 
But this birthday has gotten a little weird. Every day, when Amanda wakes up, it's her 11th birthday again. Okay, I guess that's a lot weird. Amanda and Leo will have to put their past behind them and dig into the past of their ancestors to get to the bottom of what is happening to them if they ever hope to see the day AFTER their 11th birthday.


Review
Fun story! The idea of reliving a day until someone gets it right is a familiar one, but it is done with a twist here because Amanda and Leo eventually get to work on the problem together and because there's an historic element to it. I like the relationship between Amanda and Leo and it was nice to get some of the backstory I was missing when I read 13 Gifts. Great start to the Willow Falls stories.


4 out of 5 stars
AR level of 4.1


Recommended for: Fans of Wendy Mass' other books, or other books that take place in Willow Falls, readers who enjoy stories with a little bit of magic to them.


Cautions: None

MONDAY: 13 Gifts by Wendy Mass

Summary
Tara was just trying to fit in. Sure, she knew trying to steal the goat was wrong, but if it got her in with the cool crowd, maybe her mother would get off her case.
Instead, she gets caught and shipped off to her parents' home town to stay with her aunt, uncle and cousin. Nothing goes right for Tara. She loses her money and her mom's iPod, she tries to dishonestly get some money to fix things and gets caught again. Now she owes a weird woman a crazy favor. Tara's going to need the help of the family she hardly knows and her new friends if she is going to pull off the favor by her 13th birthday.


Review
This is the third book that takes place in Willow Falls, but the first one I read, so there were several references to books I hadn't read. I was still able to follow the story and it only made me want to read the others. I loved the characters - what a great group of kids in this story! I thought the author did a great job of bringing a lot of little pieces together in an ending that was satisfying (for the most part - some plot points leave you hanging for, presumably, another book.) I love how the kids pull together to help Tara, even though they don't really know her. 


4 out of 5 stars.
AR level of 4.5


Recommended for: readers 10 and up, readers who like stories with a little "magic" in them. The author also wrote one of my all time favorite books for kids, The Candymakers. Fans of her other stories might enjoy this one as well. 


Cautions: None.

FRIDAY: The Candymakers

Summary 
[Yes, I know it is Friday and I should be posting a book for grown ups. But this book was so fantastic, I just couldn't wait to post it.]

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.


Four children gather at the Life is Sweet candy factory to prepare for the Annual New Candy Contest. They will spend two days together, learning about candy making and developing their own candy for the contest. Each one has a story - a "secret" - a "battle." But if they can learn to trust each other, they can make something amazing happen.


Review

Outstanding! Fantastic! In a lesson for my writing students about good story beginnings, I read the first paragraph or two of eight different children's books. This is the book that 21 out of my 22 students in one class said I should read first. They couldn't have chosen better. Great twists and turns. Amazing connections between the kids that come out little by little. The author starts with Logan's story and then layers each of the others over that before putting everything together to wrap up the overall story arc.  I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed this book. I raved about it to both of my groups of students. I returned the library's copy as soon as I finished with it and ran out to buy my own copy. Now I can read it again, read it to my son, and share it with more students in the years to come.


5 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: children 8 and up, writing teachers, classroom teachers, summer reading for families


Cautions: none

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