What My Kids Are Reading: June 2, 2017
The 6-Year-Old
Mr. Ball Makes a To-Do List
From the publisher: “Mr. Ball loves to make to-do lists! But he NEVER finishes them. Will the easiest to-do list ever help him
break his unfortunate history of didn’t-do failures? Angry bees, a funky skunk, and a bathtub full of tomato sauce provide challenging obstacles as Mr. Ball tries to finally check EVERYTHING off his list!”
I had never heard of the Mr. Ball books, but in doing some research for a future post, I found this one. My 6-year-old absolutely LOVED reading it to us before bed, every night until he finished the entire book by himself. It is written in a simplified comic book form, but with much larger pictures and simple sentences. It was funny, the illustrations grabbed our attention, and it is a great introduction to chapter books for the younger crowd. We will definitely be looking for other Mr. Ball books!
The 8-Year-Old
The Bad Beginning: Or, Orphans! (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 1)
From the publisher: Are you made fainthearted by death? Does fire unnerve you? Is a villain something that might crop up in future nightmares of yours? Are you thrilled by nefarious plots? Is cold porridge upsetting to you? Vicious threats? Hooks? Uncomfortable clothing? It is likely that your answers will reveal A Series of Unfortunate Events to be ill-suited for your personal use. A librarian, bookseller, or acquaintance should be able to suggest books more appropriate for your fragile temperament. But to the rarest of readers we say, “Proceed, but cautiously.””
The Lemony Snicket books are not new to me, but I haven’t read them, so I recommended the first one to my 8-year-old based solely on the series’ popularity. So far, he hasn’t made it past chapter 1. I know these books are fantastic, but they might be a little too dark for him right now. (He didn’t like reading about the house fire at the beginning.) For now, this one is probably going to be one that he doesn’t finish, but that he’ll re-visit in the next couple of years.
What We’re Reading Together
The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors
You guys. YOU GUYS. This book is hilarious, and you must read it to your child, someone else’s child, or just yourself. (There’s a Gladiator reference in here. That alone means it’s perfectly acceptable for an adult to buy this book for themselves.) This is, as you can guess, about how rock, paper, and scissors became a legendary game. It is by Drew Daywalt, the author of The Day the Crayons Quit, and it is just as good. My kids laughed, I laughed, and my husband laughed. It is so good for reading out loud, and I wish I’d bought it sooner!
Mercy Watson to the Rescue
From the publisher: “To Mr. and Mrs. Watson, Mercy is not just a pig — she’s a porcine wonder. And to the good-natured Mercy, the Watsons are an excellent source of buttered toast, not to mention that buttery-toasty feeling she gets when she snuggles into bed with them. This is not, however, so good for the Watsons’ bed. BOOM! CRACK!”
Kate DiCamillo, author of wonderful books such as The Tale of Despereaux and Because of Winn-Dixie, starts off one of her beginner chapter book series with a buttered-toast loving pig named Mercy Watson. The illustrations (done by Chris Van Dusen) are beautiful, and those alone might be worth it. This was not as big a hit with my kids as I’d hoped. I love DiCamillo’s regular chapter books, and I was hoping for a similar feel to those. This one didn’t quite hit that mark. Even though it is a book for younger readers, there could have been more humor and action. We haven’t read the other Mercy Watson books in the series, so we’ll take a peek at those, but for now, we’ll probably stick to the regular chapter books!
TBA Review: The Girl Who Drank the Moon
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
Bluebonnet Author Site (with author interviews, fun book-related projects to help kids further understand the book’s themes, and many resources about things like the moon, volcanoes, and dragons)
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
Each year, the Protectorate offers up their youngest child (always a baby) to the witch who lives in the woods. They march the baby to a circle of trees and leave it there in the hopes that the sacrifice will keep the witch away from their village. What the villagers don’t know is that the witch, Xan, protects the babies, feeding them starlight and finding them new homes. One year, she accidentally feeds a baby moonlight. As a result, the baby becomes enmagicked, and she decides to raise the baby, named Luna, herself. At the same time, a young boy in the Protectorate decides to go on a witch hunt in order to free his village of this costly sacrifice.
I will preface this by saying that this wasn’t my cup of tea (or mug of hot chocolate, since I don’t drink tea), but it is a great book. I think it’s an excellent segue for middle graders into fantasy novels. If I was between 8 and 12, I would absolutely fall in love with this book. (And since I can’t help but think this way, it would make a beautiful, fun movie as well!)
The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a solid, middle grade fantasy novel, and I think most kids will really enjoy it. Depending on your young reader’s reading level, I would say this is good from age 9 all the way through high school. Younger readers will enjoy the fantasy, magic, and seeing how small kids can accomplish big things. Older readers will be able to get into the underlying themes and more subtle details of the novel, particularly the ideas of what makes a family and just how powerful the bond between mother and child can be.
Barnhill has done a fantastic job of filling in the fantasy genre for younger readers, and I think this is a strong contender for the winner of the Texas Bluebonnet Award.
[Top]Review: Born a Crime
“We tell people to follow their dreams, but you can only dream of what you can imagine, and, depending on where you come from, your imagination can be quite limited.”
Trevor Noah, host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, is the king of smart comedy. He can tell a joke while skewering every political party, cultural group, and line of thought, and it’s only later that you realize there was more than a grain of truth in what he said. I couldn’t wait to read this book because I knew it would be good, and Noah did not disappoint. (more…)
[Top]What My Kids Are Reading: May 26, 2017
The 6-Year-Old
Batman’s Guide to Being Cool
From the publisher: “Are you ready to stalk the night, fight crime, defeat your greatest enemy, and find a crime fighting partner who is almost as awesome as you are? Are you ready to do something cool? If you answered “yes,” then this is the guide for you! Discover your inner cool with help from Batman, the coolest super hero in all of Gotham City and, yes, the universe.”
Have you noticed a theme? My 6-year-old still goes for TV and movie character-based books over any other books, and I’m ok with that! He gets excited to read them, and we all know that Batman is the coolest superhero, right? That particular book has large pictures with short descriptions, which works well for this age. I have a feeling we’ll be acquiring the next book, Robin’s Guide to Being Cooler, out in August!
The 8-Year-Old
I Am: Harriet Tubman
From the publisher: “A straightforward biography about Harriet Tubman’s struggles and success for both civil and women’s rights. With a forward-thinking attitude, Harriet Tubman escaped slavery and risked her life countless times to help free 70 others. She became monumental in both the civil rights movement and the women’s suffrage movement. Kids will be inspired by this icon’s tireless work to create a better America. This series features full-color illustrated covers, one-color illustrations throughout, a timeline, an introduction to the people you’ll meet in the book, maps, sidebars, and a top-ten list of important things to know about each hero.”
My 8-year-old did a school project on Harriet Tubman earlier this year (he chose her as his subject because he wanted to find out more about her spying contributions), and this was one of the biographies he read. He’s re-read it several more times since. The I Am series is excellent, and this one is no exception. It does not gloss over slavery and the Civil War, and we had to have some difficult conversations about that time period in America’s history. The information is presented in a simple, but interesting, way, and we both came away from it knowing more than before. I highly recommend this book and the entire series!
What We’re Reading Together
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.”
We are finishing up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone this week, and it has moved from the 8-year-old category to what we’re reading together! I made my older son wait until he was 8 to start the series, but now my 6-year-old sneaks up and sits with us to listen in on the story too, and I’m certainly not going to stop him. They are both absolutely loving it, and they would stay up until midnight reading it if I let them!
Review: Into the Water
“Some of them went into the water willingly and some didn’t . . . Nel Abbott went in fighting.”
Into the Water
