The 8-Year-Old
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

From the publisher: “Harry Potter has no idea how famous he is. That’s because he’s being raised by his miserable aunt and uncle who are terrified Harry will learn that he’s really a wizard, just as his parents were. But everything changes when Harry is summoned to attend an infamous school for wizards, and he begins to discover some clues about his illustrious birthright. From the surprising way he is greeted by a lovable giant, to the unique curriculum and colorful faculty at his unusual school, Harry finds himself drawn deep inside a mystical world he never knew existed and closer to his own noble destiny.”

This is a big one. For both of us. I have been waiting for the day that one of my kids (because they WILL both read the books, whether they want to or not) is old enough to begin the Harry Potter series, and last week was the week. My 8-year-old has been begging me to let him, so I read the first page of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and he made me stop. He wanted to wait until the next day when he could go out and buy his own copy and read it to himself. ALL OF THE FEELINGS. We’ve been doing a combination of reading it together and him reading it on his own, because he takes it to school and reads in his downtime. It is such a different experience reading it to someone, and if you have a kid or know a kid or can wave a kid down, read this to them when they’re ready. It is so good.
 
The 6-Year-Old
Calling All Master Builders!

From the publisher: “Who are the Master Builders? Do they have what it takes to stop an evil LEGO® tyrant from ending the LEGO world? This all-new Level 1 reader from DK’s levelled reading program follows the adventures of The LEGO® Movie, assembling in February 2014. DK Readers are a multi-level reading program guaranteed to capture a child’s interest while developing reading skills and general knowledge — compatible with the framework for teaching literacy.”

This one is a little tough for my 6-year-old to read (Vitruvius isn’t the easiest name to sound out) but he’s working through it! He loves the Lego Movie, so this book is perfect for him to practice sounding out more difficult words, and getting excited when he comes across words he already knows. And Benny the astronaut is in it, and who doesn’t love Benny?
 
What We’re Reading Together
Rumpelstiltskin

From the publisher and the New York Times Book Review: “Richly hued oil paintings complement a story simply and gracefully told. Children…love the story for its mystery, and its familiarity. Adults will find that, like most classic fairy tales, this one rewards periodic rethinking.”

This is such a classic tale that I often forget how much kids still love the story. I intended to just read this to my 6-year-old, but the 8-year-old ran over and said it’s one of his favorites! The version above is no longer available (since that was my copy as a kid, and we won’t discuss the publication date) but the newer version from 1996 looks beautiful.

The 6-Year-Old
 

From the publisher: “An early reader based on the animated LEGO(R) Batman Movie(TM) starring Batman(TM) and Robin(TM)! When Bruce Wayne(TM) adopts Dick Grayson(TM), Dick discovers that “Bruce Wayne is . . . Batman’s roommate!” Now Batman wants this special kid’s help on a brand new mission to take down the Joker(TM). Featuring special appearances from Alfred, Superman(TM), and more. Includes full-color images from the film, plus a full sheet of stickers!”

I know this isn’t some great piece of kidlet literature, but . . . it’s fun! My kids love all things Lego, including the Lego Batman movie, and this is a fun book. It’s silly, and the words are longer but easy enough for my 6-year-old to sound out on his own. I really like all the leveled readers as well, because it takes the guesswork out of which books will be challenging and which books will just be frustrating for new readers.

The 8-Year-Old
 

From the publisher: “Fish-tory comes to life with two more fin-tastic stories featuring our favorite zombie goldfish Frankie from New York Times-bestselling author Mo O’Hara. When Tom and his best friend rescued Frankie the goldfish from his evil-scientist big brother’s toxic gunge their new pet came back as a BIG FAT ZOMBIE GOLDFISH. Frankie is good at saving the day, but can he become a real knight in shining armor during the medieval day reenactment joust? Then, can the school survive two BIG FAT ZOMBIE GOLDFISH? Find out when Tom’s evil big brother manages to clone a Jurassic Carp!”

This is one of those series that doesn’t necessarily appeal to me (as a reader, not as a parent) but clearly appeals to every other kid out there. My 8-year-old is no exception. He thinks these books are weird and funny and he also wishes that we could have a zombie goldfish. Definitely check this book out (the newest in the series) if your kid is looking for something different to read!
 

What We’re Reading Together
 

Well, this week is the first week that I don’t have any new book updates in what we’re reading together! We are still working through Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (which is . . . weirder than Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and have been reading Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel over and over! It’s just one of those weeks where they want me to read the same books, and I love that. Dragons Love Tacos is a great read-aloud book too, so I’m happy to read it over and over. (Although we all want tacos for dinner every night now!)

The 8-Year-Old

From the publisher: “A vivid retelling of a major historical catastrophe written in an engaging, narrative style with direct speech and speech bubbles. Brings to life the gripping story of the “unsinkable” ship and its doomed maiden voyage. Dramatic illustrations, photos or maps on every page and Internet links to fun websites via the Usborne Quicklinks Website.”

My Titanic-obsessed son has checked this book out from his school library at least 3 times. This year. The writing is simple and interesting, the pictures are great, and I know he’s actually reading it and not just looking at the pictures because he’s constantly teaching me things I didn’t know about the Titanic! If you have a kid who loves history and the Titanic, this is a great choice!

The 6-Year-Old

From the publisher: “When a boy and his dog go for a hike, the boy trips on a fossil, and it comes to life, revealing an ancient plant. The boy is so intrigued that he breaks two more fossils that come to life—a dragonfly and a pteranodon. When these prehistoric creatures collide with present reality, the boy must figure out a way to make things go back to normal. Visually told through art, this “wordless story” will surely spark imagination and creativity.”

Right. I do realize that Fossil is a book without words. But hear me out on this! The illustrations by Bill Thomson are beautiful and done in a way that create tension in this story. As much as writing for children is important, I really believe that the illustrations in picture books are equally important, and Thomson has it down. This type of book also fosters creativity in a way that regular books cannot: whether I’m “reading” it or my son is, the story changes every time. It really allows for a child to create their own story in an easy, fun way. We also love Chalk by the same author!

What We’re Reading Together

From the publisher: “Last seen flying through the sky in a giant elevator in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie Bucket’s back for another adventure. When the giant elevator picks up speed, Charlie, Willy Wonka, and the gang are sent hurtling through space and time. Visiting the world’’ first space hotel, battling the dreaded Vermicious Knids, and saving the world are only a few stops along this remarkable, intergalactic joyride.”

We have been on a Roald Dahl kick this year! We were going to start The Witches next, but when I picked this book up we all wanted to return to the world of Charlie Bucket and Willy Wonka. This is one of the few Roald Dahl books I actually haven’t read, so I’m enjoying it for the first time along with my kids.

The 6-Year-Old
 

From Amazon: “All of Louis’s thoughts are very important to him. In fact, his thoughts are so important to him that when he has something to say, his words begin to wiggle, and then they do the jiggle, then his tongue pushes all of his important words up against his teeth and he erupts, or interrupts others. His mouth is a volcano! My Mouth Is A Volcano takes an empathetic approach to the habit of interrupting and teaches children a witty technique to capture their rambunctious thoughts and words for expression at an appropriate time. Told from Louis’ perspective, this story provides parents, teachers, and counselors with an entertaining way to teach children the value of respecting others by listening and waiting for their turn to speak.”

This book is so much fun, whether or not your own child “erupts” other people all the time. It’s funny for kids, the illustrations are great, and it’s a great opening to talk about not interrupting in a fun way.
 

I know I posted this a couple of weeks ago, but my 6-year-old still insists on reading a few pages of this to my husband and me every single night. Over 50 years after its original publication, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish shows that it stands the test of time with kids learning to read, and wanting reading to be fun. Dr. Seuss clearly knew what he was doing!
 

The 8-Year-Old
 

From the publisher: “In the series opener, Jack and the Geniuses: At The Bottom of The World, readers meet Jack and his foster siblings, Ava and Matt, who are orphans. But they’re not your typical kind of orphans—they’re geniuses. Well, Ava and Matt are, which sometimes makes life difficult for 1twelve-year-old Jack. Ava speaks multiple languages and builds robots for fun, and Matt is into astronomy and a whiz at math. As for Jack, it’s hard to stand out when he’s surrounded by geniuses all the time. When the kids try to spy on Dr. Hank Witherspoon, one of the world’s leading scientists, they end up working for him in his incredible laboratory. Soon, Hank and the kids travel to Antarctica for a prestigious science competition, but they find that all is not as it seems: A fellow scientist has gone missing, and so has any trace of her research. Could someone be trying to use her findings to win the contest? It’s up to Jack, Ava, and Matt to find the missing scientist and discover who’s behind it all—before it’s too late.”

It is so much fun to watch a new generation of kids discover Bill Nye the Science Guy, and I was so excited to see that he’s started a middle grade book series! This book is so good that we started out reading it together, and my 8-year-old didn’t want to wait so he kept reading it on his own to find out what happened next. It’s funny, smart, and will make all kids interested in science. (Who wouldn’t want a flying robot?) If your child loves science and mysteries, this is the book for him or her. If your kid isn’t too excited about science yet, this is the book to get them excited. The second book in the series, Jack and the Geniuses: In the Deep Blue Sea, comes out on September 12!

What We’re Reading Together
 

Not a traditional book this week, but we’ve been having fun reading Highlights and High Five magazines together! I loved reading Highlights as a kid, and I love reading it with my kids now. I would definitely recommend these magazines to anyone with kids who love to read and love to get mail. (Which is everyone!)

The 8-Year-Old
 

From the publisher: “Humor, magic, and adventure abound in the third—and final—book of Caroline Carlson’s middle grade fantasy series, the Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates. Hilary Westfield is now a freelance pirate. After trying to prove herself to the VNHLP, she realized many members of the league weren’t all that honorable—not even very nearly. With Captain Blacktooth in cahoots with the Mutineers, the kingdom of Augusta—and all of its magic—is at risk. What the League needs is a very honorable pirate to be their new president. So Hilary—with the help of her friends, including the always-spirited gargoyle—challenges Blacktooth to a High Seas battle. Winner takes all. Loser, at best, will be exiled.”

My son is listening to this as an audiobook and loving it! He hasn’t read any others in the series but, unlike me, he doesn’t mind reading books out of order, and he’s on the waitlist for the first in Connie Carlson’s series about a girl pirate, Magic Marks the Spot (Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates). He loves the adventure, and the narration is really good on the audiobook!
 

The 6-Year-Old
 

From the publisher: “FACT: Robots are awesome. They have lasers for eyes, rockets for feet, and supercomputers for brains! Plus, robots never have to eat steamed beans or take baths, or go to bed. If only there were some sort of magical “Robo-Sauce” that turned squishy little humans into giant awesome robots… Well, now there is. Giggle at the irreverent humor, gasp at the ingenious fold-out surprise ending, and gather the whole family to enjoy a unique story about the power of imagination. It’s picture book technology the likes of which humanity has never seen!”

Another one from Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri! This book is so much fun, even after the 200th reading of it to your kid! It’s funny, creative, and the book even turns into a robot book at the end. (You’ll have to check it out to see what I mean!) This is always a favorite.
 

What We’re Reading Together
 

From the publisher: “Nicholas wants to be as brave as his dad, but he needs help. That’s why he needs a dinosaur. After all, dinosaurs like the dark, bugs are nothing to them, and they eat manhole covers for lunch (and everything under them for dinner). With his toy dinosaur, Nicholas can scale tall walls, swim in deep water, even score a goal against the huge goalie everyone calls Gorilla. But when the dinosaur goes missing, everything is scary again. Luckily, his dad knows that even the bravest people can get scared, and it’s okay to ask for help facing your fears. It’s just guy stuff.”

This is such a lovely book that even my 8-year-old, who initially didn’t want to listen because he thought it was just a little kid’s picture book, ran over when he heard me reading it, and then read it to himself after. I was drawn to this book by its cover (Contrary to popular belief, it’s totally ok to love a book for its cover!), which is no surprise since the illustrator, Dan Santat, also wrote and illustrated The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, one of my favorite children’s books. A boy is scared of lots of things and wants to be brave like his dad. When he loses his bravery talisman, a small dinosaur, his dad jumps in to save the day, and to let him know that it’s ok for guys to be afraid. In a day where kids are often told to hurry up and grow up, and to toughen up, it’s wonderful to have a book that reinforces the fact that it is ok to be afraid, and that dads and boys can be afraid too.