The 13-Story Treehouse   The Cat in the Hat Comes Back   A New Class (Star Wars: Jedi Academy 4)

This week my kids read an old classic, a loved series book, and a new-to-us wild and crazy story. Tell me what you and your kids have been reading this week!

The 8-Year-Old
A New Class (Star Wars: Jedi Academy 4)

With a new book in the Jedi Academy series being released next week (The Force Oversleeps (Star Wars: Jedi Academy 5)), my 8-year-old has been re-reading the last-released book, A New Class. Victor Starspeeder, our protagonist, is joining his older sister at the Jedi Academy, much to her horror. In addition to pleasing his master, Yoda, Victor must navigate all the annoyances that come with a new school, new friends, and an older sibling. It’s a classic going-back-to-school book. But, you know, with light sabers and Wookiees. This is a great series, and I’m glad another will be here soon!

The 6-Year-Old
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back

The Cat in the Hat is back for more adventures! Sally and her brother are stuck shoveling snow while their mother goes into town (Have children also been this, admittedly forced, industrious?). The Cat shows up and makes the job go by faster, while getting into some mischief along the way. I know we all know about Dr. Seuss, but they’re so easy to forget about, at least for me, with beginning readers. I’m always in such a hurry to get my kids reading more modern books that I love that I forget how amazing Dr. Seuss books are. My 6-year-old picked this out at the library (one of the few Dr. Seuss’s we don’t have) and has read the entire thing on his own. I have a feeling we’ll be adding this to our permanent collection!

What We’re Reading Together
The 13-Story Treehouse

This was a bit of an impulse purchase for me. I had heard it was a good book, it has some graphic novel elements, and what kid doesn’t want to read about a giant treehouse? Y’all. This book is nuts, but in a great way. It’s about two kids, Andy and Terry (named after the author and illustrator), who live in a treehouse. But not just any treehouse. This treehouse has a marshmallow-shooting machine, a lemonade fountain, a man-eating shark tank, and much more. This book is so great because of its kookiness. If I had to guess, I’d say that the author and illustrator are good friends who had no problem coming up with the kind of wild and crazy adventures that usually only kids can come up with. (Like a cat that turns into a canary. A catnary.) My kids can’t wait until it’s time to settle down and read more of this book every night, and my 8-year-old got impatient and read ahead one day. The 13-Story Treehouse has all the right elements for a fun children’s book: action, humor, adventure, and man-eating sharks. We will definitely be buying the rest of the books in the series!

World of Reading: Star Wars Star Wars 3-in-1 Listen-Along Reader  Everyone’s Hero  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban  Who is J.K. Rowling?

Anyone else love to snack and read? I definitely do, and my kids like to snack on popcorn while they read books. (And watch movies, play, and do anything else.) Butter, kettle, cheesy, plain, any flavor we have on hand will do!

The 6-Year-Old
World of Reading: Star Wars Star Wars 3-in-1 Listen-Along Reader

More Star Wars! My 6-year-old can’t get enough, and if he’s happy reading these books, I’m happy to provide them. The World of Reading books are great because they’re leveled, so if you like to have a reading level guide when choosing books for your kids, this system makes it super easy. I found this Level 2 at Target and couldn’t find it on Amazon, so I the link is to the Level 1 reader in case you have a kiddo that would prefer Level 1! (And really, any Star Wars fan will be happy with any level.)

The 8-Year-Old
Who is J.K. Rowling?

Well, we are on quite a Harry Potter kick this summer. My 8-year-old saw this in the grocery store and looked so hopeful that I couldn’t say no. (Let’s be honest, I have a hard time saying no to any book.) I love the Who is series, and my son was thrilled to find the one about his current favorite author. This is a great introduction to Rowling’s life and the story behind the books, and I recommend it for any new, young Potter fan.

What We’re Reading Together
Everyone’s Hero

This is the book version of the Everyone’s Hero movie. My kids love them both. Yankee Irving’s dad works for the Yankees. When Babe Ruth’s famous bat, Darlin, is stolen, Yankee’s dad is blamed and he is fired. Yankee, along with a talking baseball named Screwie, go on a mission to find Babe’s bat and return it to him before the final game in World Series. I wasn’t too sure about this one at first, but my kids love it, and so do I. It’s a great adventure story with a little baseball thrown in. It reminds me of The Sandlot and Angels in the Outfield, so if you or your kids enjoy those movies, I really think you’ll all love this book and movie.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

We are still reading this one together, and I still love reading the Harry Potter series to them. I know the audio versions are supposed to be amazing (and I recently purchased the first two in the series for a road trip), but there’s nothing better than snuggling up on the couch under a blanket after a long summer day and disappearing to Hogwarts for a little while. For those of you with younger kids who have read these books, or teachers of elementary kids, I have a question! Did you stop the books for awhile after the third or fourth book (where I think they start to get much darker) or let them keep reading? I know it depends on the kid, but I’m not quite sure what to do! Let me know!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Rodrick Rules   Secret Pizza Party   Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The 8-Year-Old
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Rodrick Rules

I realize that I’ve probably posted about Diary of a Wimpy Kid a bit excessively here, but my 8-year-old really does re-read these all the time. If he wants to relax, if he’s bored, or if he doesn’t feel like starting a new book, he always reaches for this series. This week it was Rodrick Rules, and I realized exactly how much of an influence I’ve been on him. See how there are two copies in that picture? He found a paperback edition and wanted to get it since he only has hardcovers. Buying multiple copies of a favorite book? I don’t see the problem! (Especially since it was $2 at a used bookstore.) I am telling you, there is something about this series that seems to be universally appealing to kids. We’ve been listening to the audio books in the car too (I am a bit burned out on the series, myself.), and the narrator is really good. I definitely recommend those too.

The 6-Year-Old
Secret Pizza Party

This book is by one of our favorite children’s author/illustrator duos, Adam Rubin and Dan Salmieri. (Of Dragons Love Tacos and Those Darn Squirrels! fame.) In this one, a poor raccoon just wants some pizza, but everyone keeps chasing him away with brooms! How can he get to the pizza without anyone noticing? My 6-year-old LOVES this book, and my older son dressed up as the raccoon one year for the school’s literary character parade. It’s funny, the illustrations are amazing as always, and I can almost guarantee you will all want your own secret pizza party by the end.

What We’re Reading Together
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Well, we have finished Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and started on Harry’s next adventure. I have completely given up trying to just read these to my 8-year-old, and even my husband listens in sometimes. I know these books are long, and some people might think it’s silly to read that long of a book to my kids, but I truly love it. Re-reading these books in this way gives me a whole new perspective on one of my all-time favorite series, and there is no greater reward than watching their eyes light up at all of the big reveals. So I will keep on with my sorry Scottish Hagrid accent, and all of the other accents I come up with, so that we can experience the books together.

I hope you had a great week of reading with your kids too!

The Father Brown Reader: Stories from Chesterton   Jungle: A Photicular Book   Who Was Dr. Seuss?

The 6-Year-Old
Jungle: A Photicular Book

This book is just plain cool. I won’t lie-the words are too difficult for my 6-year-old to read, so I help him with that part. But the pictures are all photicular, so you can see the animals “moving” while you read about them. And the information itself is really interesting! There is also a Safari photicular book that I’ll be on the lookout for.

The 8-Year-Old
The Father Brown Reader: Stories from Chesterton

I heard about this book on The Read Loud Revival podcast when Sarah Mackenzie interviewed the book’s adapter, Nancy Carpentier Brown. When I heard the story of how the book came to be, I knew it would be added to our collection. This is an adaptation of four of G.K. Chesterton’s Father Brown mysteries. (I believe it’s also a show on the BBC, re-aired on PBS in the States.) Brown wanted to share Chesterton’s mysteries with her kids, but they aren’t exactly appropriate for small children. There wasn’t an adaptation available, so she did it herself! How awesome is that? This book is a perfect way to get kids into mysteries. The stories are great, they’re very readable, and they’re fun to read aloud. She’s also adapted other Chesterton stories into books for kids!

What We’re Reading Together
Who Was Dr. Seuss?

We love the Who Was series, and lately my kids have been very interested in who Dr. Seuss actually was. (I’m pretty sure they thought he was an imaginary character along with the Cat in the Hat.) He led a very interesting life, and I love that my kids want to know more about who wrote some of their favorite books, and how he did that.

What did you and your kids read this week?

The 8-Year-Old
The Dangerous Book for Boys

I’ve been looking at this book for ages and finally picked it up for my 8-year-old. It is fantastic and I can’t recommend it enough! This book is full of activities, history, survival skills, and how to make the world’s best paper airplane. My son has been carrying it with him around the house and outside, and he taught himself how to tie a square knot from the tutorial in the book. If you’re looking for an alternative to electronics in the summer, if your son is interested in outdoor skills or history (my son thought the Seven Wonders of the World chapter was really cool), or if you just want to add another fun book to your collection, this is the one to get. I only wish I’d bought it sooner! And don’t worry, if you have a girl, The Daring Book for Girls is for you! I looked through it, and it is most definitely NOT a princess book. Several little girls I know will be getting this as Christmas gifts this year!

Boys’ Life
Another magazine! My son gets this magazine as part of his Cub Scout membership, and it goes perfectly with The Dangerous Book for Boys. The articles are great, there’s a whole joke section that my son finds hilarious, and it gives him creative ideas for things to do during the week. Even if you don’t have a Cub Scout, you can get a subscription to the magazine!

The 6-Year-Old
Clark the Shark: Tooth Trouble

Clark the Shark books are perfect for young readers. Clark is afraid of going to the dentist for his toothache, but he learns that the dentist isn’t so scary after all, and can help him feel better. (There’s also a good message about not listening to your friends when they tell you scary stories that might not be true.) My 6-year-old can read most of it on his own, and the ocean characters are well-drawn and funny. This book is particularly good if you have a kid who is on the verge of losing a tooth or might be nervous about losing teeth!

What THEY’RE Reading Together
Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets

My boys have been reading together lately, mainly my 8-year-old reading to my 6-year-old, and they both love the Captain Underpants series. This is the second book in the series, and George and Harold have gotten themselves into some trouble by accidentally creating an army of evil, talking toilets. (You might recognize a few scenes from the movie too.) Captain Underpants has to save the day again! (Having boys means I’ve read books with storylines I never could have imagined…)

I hope you all had a good week reading with your kids too!