Fourth grade isn’t easy for Penelope Crumb in Penelope Crumb is Mad at the Moon by Shawn Stout. She proudly wears her gray elephant costume with the huge nose to school for “Be An Animal Day.” Trouble is, it’s the wrong day. That’s all it takes for her used-to-be-best-friend Patsy Cline and other girls to… Read more »
Book Room
A Chicken Squad, in The Middle of Nowhere, on Planet Kindergarten
Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere by Julie T. Lamana (Chronicle Books, 2014) Armani Curtis is turning ten and it’s huge deal, with a big cake, and a certain wrapped box. Then Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans and the Lower Nines and everything, everything changes. This moving story of courage and, ultimately, survival in the face of… Read more »
Guest Librarian Picks: MORE Great Summer Reads!
Summer time leads to adventures of road trips, traveling, camps and more time to engage your brain in reading! These books involve characters who are daring, brave and highly entertaining. If you want to be swept away, pick up one of these books and dazzle your brain power. Younger Readers: Have You Seen My Dragon?… Read more »
The Secret Hum of a Daisy, by Tracy Holczer
Tracy Holczer’s debut The Secret Hum of a Daisy is perfect for the thoughtful, careful reader in the upper-age bracket of the ReaderKidZ spectrum. It’s a tender story that is best read slowly, taking great care to note clue-filled literary nuances of character and setting. The Secret Hum of a Daisy pairs perfectly with a wonderfully… Read more »
In which a young boy confronts vampire bats, deadly snakes, cockroaches the size of hamsters … and that’s just the beginning.
Chapter One. In which Jack is unfortunately reunited with his parents … and we’re off! Jack likes school, staying indoors, and normalcy. His parents like adventure, wandering the world in pursuit of their hair-brain schemes, and remote places. This is one parent-child mismatch that’s sure to give many-a-young reader hours of fun. In Jack the… Read more »
Fun Summer Series Reads: Zapato Power!
Zapato Power: Freddie Ramos Stomps the Snow by Jaqueline Jules, art by Miguel Benitez (Albert Whitman & Co,, 2014 84 pages. Part of the Cybils award-winning Freddie Ramos series) This early chapter book will be a perfect hot summer read to cool off transitional readers. Freddie Ramos possesses an extraordinary pair of super powered shoes. He lives in… Read more »
Backseat Bookshelf and Other Summer Reads
All month, the ReaderKidZ are recommending summer reads for kids grades K-5 and NPR’s The Ultimate Back Seat Bookshelf: 100 Best Reads for Kids 9-14, (August 2013) is a great place to start if you’re looking for a solid list of novels to choose from. Don’t let the given age-range throw you. Many of the books are appropriate for a… Read more »
