Clik here to view.
5 Fairy Stories for the Newly Independent Reader
Fairies are big in our house. We’ve read the books, watched the movies, built the villages. There’s just something magical about the idea of another world of tiny, sparkling, winged people, existing...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Just Try to Put Down The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle, We Dare You!
Chapter one of The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle is approximately three pages long. Three pages. That’s how long it took me to become fully, completely, dangerously hooked. Dangerously, you...
View ArticleClik here to view.
An Interview with Raymie Nightingale Author Kate DiCamillo
Kate DiCamillo is a household name in children’s literature; the author of such titles as Because of Winn-Dixie, The Tale of Desperaux, Flora & Ulysses, and the Mercy Watson series, just to name...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Kate DiCamillo’s Raymie Nightingale is Filled with Heart, Humor, and Heroics
We read for lots of reasons. We read to laugh, to cope with life, to learn, to be inspired; even to be frightened. Some books fall into our hands, are read and enjoyed, but then put away. They’re like...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Jonathan Auxier’s Haunting Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard Will Leave...
If you’re a fan of the old-world style of fairytales; the kind that are a not only magical, but also a bit dark and dangerous, you may be familiar with contemporary storyteller Jonathan Auxier. If...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Young Fantasy Fans will Love Carrie Jones’ Darkly Imaginative Time Stoppers
Time Stoppers opens innocently enough. Annie Nobody once again stands on the front steps of a foster home, staring at the door, hoping but not believing that this one will be better than the last. Or...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Recipe for a Royal Wedding Disaster
In 2000, Meg Cabot introduced the world to Mia Thermopolis, the unsuspecting heir to the throne of Genovia, with her book The Princess Diaries (that’s right…it was a book before it was a movie.) Over...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The 7 Best Books for New Big Sisters
Preparing for a new sibling can be an exciting time. But it can also be a time of confusion, doubt, and questions. Lots and lots of questions. Then the new baby arrives, and, well, there’s just no...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Speak Up! 6 Picture Books for the Shy and Timid
I distinctly remember the first day of third grade. I was new to the school, new to the state, new to the country. And while my English was perfectly clear, it was accented, a fact my classmates found...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ms. Bixby’s Last Day Celebrates One of the Good Ones
Looking back on our school days, we all have teachers who stood out. Some for being outrageously fun. Others for being painfully strict. Some for being incredibly dull. And maybe, if we’re really...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Top 10 Cookbooks for Kids
Cooking is more than just a fun and enjoyable pastime, it’s also a terrific skill that takes a lifetime to master, and will serve you well at every age. So why not get young readers started off on the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
9 Books for Those Who Enjoyed The Little House on the Prairie Series
Last Christmas I bought my daughter the box set of the first five Little House books. We started reading the books aloud sometime in February, and just finished the fifth book last week. It’s been fun...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Words Can and Do Hurt in Abby Cooper’s Sticks and Stones
Sticks and stones may break my bones… We all know the phrase. And something else we all know, that dirty little secret, is that words can hurt. Maybe not physically. But the inevitable name-calling,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Future is Fuzzy in Tom Angleberger and Paul Dellinger’s Thought-Provoking...
Maxine, known to her friends and family as Max, is just your average seventh-grader. Her friends are loyal, if a little bit weird. Her teachers are okay. Her parents love her, even if they do put a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Swashbuckling Adventure and a Hint of Magic in Kate Milford’s The Left-Handed...
Reader, ahoy! Yes, you. Do you like adventure? How about history? Mystery? Inventions? Magic? All of the above? It’s hard to imagine a story weaving together so many elements, but Kate Milford’s The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
We Remember: Eight Children’s Books About September 11th
Most of us remember the morning of September 11, 2001. Where we were; what we were doing; who we called. But as the 15th anniversary approaches, we find ourselves living in a time when many of our...
View ArticleClik here to view.
8 Books For Brand New Middle Schoolers
It’s fall, and time to head back to school! There are lots of books about making the transition into kindergarten, but what about those veterans who have mastered the elementary school halls and are...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Booki Vivat’s Frazzled: One Girl’s Quest to Survive Middle School
“Nothing to worry about.” “Your whole life is about to begin.” “Just be yourself.” These are the words of advice doled out to Abbie Wu in the days leading up to her first day of middle school. But...
View ArticleClik here to view.
October’s Best Books for Young Readers
Fall fans: it’s finally October! There’s a chill in the air and the wind is picking up, which means it’s the perfect time for young readers to cozy up with a brand new book. Fortunately, this month we...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Laurie Halse Anderson’s Seeds of America Trilogy Comes Full Circle in Ashes/i>
With this month’s release of Ashes, Laurie Halse Anderson brings us full circle; to the end of one journey, and the beginning of a next. It’s a journey that began with Chains, in which we first met...
View Article