Category: What My Kids are Reading

What My Kids Are Reading: 7th Birthday Edition!

In honor of my younger son’s 7th birthday, I’m posting his three favorite books (right now) today! He loves graphic novels right now, the sillier the better, and, of course, Harry Potter!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Because he’s my son, he loves Harry Potter, although not as much as my 9-year-old. I think it’s an age thing, and that he’ll be reading them on his own in a year or so. In the meantime, we’re reading the illustrated versions because . . . well, let’s be honest, don’t we all love illustrated books?? These versions are so beautiful, and make the series even more fun for young (and old) fans. He still isn’t super into long chapter books, so the illustrations help a lot. (Although I think the audiobooks might be his absolute favorite. Because Jim Dale is amazing.)

The 78-Story Treehouse

I know I’ve mentioned this series before, but I cannot recommend it enough! This is the 6th book in the series, and the 7th book (which is already out in Australia) will be out this summer. I used to not be a fan of graphic novels, but my kids have made me realize that they’re actually amazing for young readers. And a series about two boys living in a massive treehouse, with features such as man-eating sharks, a lemonade fountain, and a time machine? Yes, please! This is perfect for elementary-aged kids who need fast-paced books and engaging storylines in their books. This is the series that my 7-year-old (I cannot believe he’s 7!) can’t wait for the next book.

Galactic Hot Dogs 3: Revenge of the Space Pirates

Alright, y’all. This is one of those books that I raised my eyebrows at, starting shaking my head no, but my 7-year-old begged me for it so I said yes. It is . . . I’m not sure ridiculous is really descriptive enough, but I will say that fans of the Treehouse books, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Dog Man will absolutely love. This series is about a boy named Cosmoe who is the captain of a flying food truck called the Neon Wiener. (Nope, I am not kidding.) He meets all kinds of interesting alien beings on his travels and gets himself into plenty of sticky situations. In this one, he is captured by space pirates during a hot dog eating contest. My 7-year-old would only eat hot dogs if I let him, so this series is truly perfect for him. It’s silly, funny, well-illustrated, and keeps his attention for far longer than I want to read about galactic hot dogs. If you’re ok with some slapsticky, borderline potty humor, this book is perfect for young to middle-grade readers who like funny adventure stories.

I can’t wait to see what books he loves next year!

What My Kids Are Reading: March 23, 2018


Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince The 78-Story Treehouse The Boo-Boos That Changed the World: A True Story About an Accidental Invention (Really!)

Thank you to Blue Slip Media for the copy of The Boo-Boos That Changed the World! All opinions are my (and my kids’) own!

This week’s post is a little bit different. There are only two books, and they are books that I’ve been reading to my kids AND that they read a little bit of on their own. We’ve all been pretty tired getting back into our routine after spring break, so they both want me to read to them more often than reading on their own. (Outside of the reading they do at school. They’ve been checking out Big Nate and Captain Underpants from the school library, and my 9-year-old’s class is still reading Charlotte’s Web. So they do quite a bit of reading on their own in the classroom.) On to the books!

The 9-Year-Old
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I debated on whether or not to go ahead and read this book with my 9-year-old, but I decided it would be fine. And he also said he could just check it out at the school library. SO. We are mostly reading it together, but he is taking it to school and reading a bit on his own as well. There have been a lot more questions with this book than the others, and I suspect they will continue, given just how dark this one gets. I haven’t re-read this one in years, and I’m really liking getting into the story again! Harry Potter is one of my all-time favorite series, and I love bonding with my son over it!

The 6-Year-Old
The 78-Story Treehouse

This was just released in the states, and my son found the last copy at the bookstore we visited! He loves this silly series, and I’m glad that the next one will be published here this summer. (They are published in Australia first!) This one involves a movie, a crazy movie director, and a huge fight between Andy and Terry, the main characters. As usual, it’s ridiculous, funny, and my 6-year-old LOVES it!

BONUS!
The Boo-Boos That Changed the World: A True Story About an Accidental Invention (Really!)

We really enjoy non-fiction books that make learning interesting, and this is one of the best ones we’ve read. I have honestly never thought about how Band-Aids were invented, but it’s a truly interesting story. Earle Dickson, and employee of Johnson & Johnson in the 1920s, had an accident-prone wife. When he tried to devise something to cover her many cuts and scrapes, it led to the invention of the modern day Band-Aid! The illustrations are great, the story is unexpected, and the writer throws in plenty of jokes. I think most kids will find this interesting-mine loved it, and we all wanted to look up more information about the inventors. The book also includes a timeline at the end of other inventions, and encourages kids to do their own research to learn about more inventions.

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Review: I Am Famous


I Am FamousThank you to Barbara at Blue Slip Media for sending me this book! All opinions are my own!

If you have kids or know anyone who has kids or have seen anyone in public around kids, you understand how . . . overzealous we can get with taking pictures sometimes! I Am Famous is an adorable picture book that looks at that situation from a child’s point of view, and it is so wonderful!

Kiely knows without a doubt that she is famous. People follow her ALL THE TIME with their cameras. Those darn paparazzi! She loves it, but being famous can be tiring. When she has a big performance at her grandfather’s birthday party, she makes a mistake and is worried that she might lose her fans forever. (Spoiler alert: She doesn’t!)

I so loved this book, and believe it or not, both of my sons did too! (They are ages 6 and 9.) The illustrations are so good, and the story is very cute. I loved seeing what it might look like from a child’s perspective to have someone following you around all the time taking pictures, whether you want them to or not.

I definitely recommend this book for young readers, and it would make a fantastic book gift for anyone with a child as sassy and wonderful as Kiely!

 

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What My Kids Are Reading: March 9, 2018


Big Nate: Welcome to My World Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race Francine Poulet Meets the Ghost Raccoon: Tales from Deckawoo Drive

Well, I tried to make this picture a bit celebratory since we’re on Spring Break! (But really, when does school start again???) We have been reading a lot lately, but have been so busy with school and extracurricular activities that I haven’t been able to update you guys as much! But we have discovered some new-to-us series and just started a really fun buddy read!

The 6-Year-Old
Francine Poulet Meets the Ghost Raccoon: Tales from Deckawoo Drive

Kate DiCamillo writes wonderful chapter books for older readers, but we’ve just discovered her Deckawoo Drive series, and it’s perfect for my first grader! He loves seeing recurring characters pop up throughout the books, and they always get into funny, ridiculous situations. (And for a former theatre major like myself, there are plenty of opportunities to give the characters fun voices when reading aloud.) In this one, Francine Poulet, animal catcher extraordinaire, is sidelined when a wily, ghostly raccoon refuses to be caught. Will she overcome her fears to catch the animal, or will she give up her career forever to work in a pet store instead? This is a great, easy chapter book for younger readers, or for older elementary readers who like a funny story!

The 9-Year-Old
Big Nate: Welcome to My World

Lately, my 9-year-old has been taking a break from the bigger chapter books he was reading (the 5th Harry Potter book really did him in) and has moved on to graphic novels for a bit. He discovered Big Nate and hasn’t looked back! Nate is a regular kid with bad luck, but he always seems to find a way to get out of it! His character is in 6th grade, but I think these books are fine for kids around 9 and up who love graphic novels and funny books!

What We’re Reading Together
Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race

This is my favorite of the bunch! We are doing a full family buddy read with Sara and her kids over at Meaningful Madness. The author of Hidden Figures (the adult book) wrote the book in two other formats: one for young adult readers and as a picture book. Our kids happen to be the same ages, so we are reading all three books together. We just read the picture book together, and my kids LOVED it. (My 9-year-old even tried to re-create Katherine Johnson from his many Lego minifigs, and drew on her glasses and everything.) This picture book format makes the story very accessible, without leaving out important information. The illustrations are beautiful, and it made all of us want to learn more about these amazing scientists. my kids were shocked at how much they had to go through as black women scientists just to get jobs, even though they were smarter than…everyone. This is an important story, and I’m so grateful that Margot Lee Shetterly has written in for everyone to learn!

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What My Kids Are Reading: January 19, 2018

Charlotte’s Web   Horrible Harry in Room 2B     A Wrinkle in Time    Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

We’re finally getting back into the swing of things after a long Christmas break and a long weekend made even longer by snowy and icy weather in Texas! It’s been nice to have a real winter, but I’m ready for warmer days now.

My kids are reading some fun books this week, and at least one of them will continue on for a couple of weeks! Let me know what you’re all reading this week!

The 9-Year-Old
Charlotte’s Web

The entire third grade at my son’s school started reading Charlotte’s Web together this week. I believe the plan is to read a chapter a day at school, with kids taking turns reading out loud. I’m reading along at home as well. A kind of forced buddy read, if you will. I haven’t read this book in a long time, and I really want to be able to talk about it with my son! This is such a classic book, and while I am not a fan of the ending (Charlotte is the only spider I will ever love), it’s fun to dive back into this world of Charlotte, Wilbur, Fern, and Templeton. My son really likes it so far, but he’s seen the movie and knows what’s coming, and his sensitive soul wishes the ending was different too. This is a great book for elementary and middle grade readers, with short chapters, a few pictures, and a good mix of easy and challenging words.

The 6-Year-Old
Horrible Harry in Room 2B

I bought this book for my 6-year-old in an attempt to find a series that he both liked and could read on his own. While he absolutely loves books, stories, and being read to, he is not the voracious reader that his older brother is. Which is fine, because I love a challenge. When I saw a series about a second grade boy who creates mischief (reminds me of someone in my house . . .), I knew we had to try it. My son LOVES this book and we will be getting the next few in the series. Harry, a good, fun friend to have, causes all kinds of trouble in school and loves to be silly. This book is perfect for kids beginning chapter books and who love funny books. And if you’re looking for a series about a male character (surprisingly hard to find sometimes) for your kids, this is a great one!

What We’re Reading Together

A Wrinkle in Time
I wanted to read this to my 9-year-old (my 6-year-old half listens to it while building Legos) so that we can see the movie together in March! To be honest, I wasn’t sure if he would like it, because the book is a little . . . weird. The writing obviously isn’t contemporary, and it is solidly science fiction. But he LOVES it. Every night he asks me to read “just a little more” when it’s time to stop, and he said it reminds him a little of Harry Potter. (I think Meg Murry, the main character, reminds him of Harry, Ron, and Hermione all mashed up into one, and of course it’s quite the adventure.) I don’t remember the last time I read it, and it’s been so long that I don’t remember much of the story, so it’s really fun for me to read too. I will say that I don’t like how often the word “moron” is used, and how many times people’s looks are referenced, but it just gives us another talking point. I’m starting to do some research on the deeper meanings of A Wrinkle in Time in case there are any simple enough to talk about, so if you have any pointers please let me know!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Yes, we’ve been reading this one for awhile! We took a huge break from it over the holidays to read other things, and we’ve listened to the entire book as well. But my 6-year-old is back to wanting me read it to him every night. Which means I have read and listened to half the Harry Potter series in the past 6 months. Twice. This will be round three, and I love it!

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