While last week’s Pack a Book for Summer! selections were on the lighter side, this week’s books tend to go deeper into the relationships and emotions of family and friends. It’s another eclectic list. Mostly novels, this time. All, but one, new books published in the last two months.

THE FRIENDSHIP DOLL by Kirby Larson

One doll. A journey that spans more than 80 years over two continents. And four girls, each with her own, unique story.

Larson introduces readers to Miss Kanagawa, one of “fifty-eight Japanese dolls sent as messengers from the children of Japan to the children of the United States.”

The story, with roots based in historical events, is a moving work of fiction that follows a “friendship doll” from her arrival on a wintry day in New York City in January 1928, to present day Seattle. Miss Kanagawa narrates small portions of her travels over the years, and while it’s true, she’s only a doll, her impact is felt by those children and adults who cross her path.

As Miss Kanagawa makes her way from one side of the country to the other, her mission as an ambassador of friendship grows, as does her own doll-sized heart. Indeed, each encounter changes, not only the child whose eyes meet Miss Kanagawa’s, but Miss Kanagawa herself, who even at story’s end declares: “I may be showing signs of age – my kimono frayed, my joints stiff, my gofun face  cracking – but … I will be faithful to the task for which I was created…”

A story of love, loss, and friendship, this book, full of heart, will be enjoyed by many, including those, like myself, who never played much, nor cared about dolls.

An author’s note provides more information about the story’s inspiration, including notes about the ways in which the four girls’ stories depart from factual events.

Read more about another of Kirby Larson’s books (The Fences Between Us ) HERE.

Inspired by the true story of Melvin Wine and Jake Krack, PASSING THE MUSIC DOWN, is a lyrical telling of the relationship that developed between two celebrated musicians and “old-time fiddlers” of Appalachian music. The fact that these two fiddlers shared an age difference of seventy-five years makes this story all the more remarkable!

With beautiful language, reminiscent of the cadences and voices of region, Sullivan introduces readers to the beauty and wonder of these two lives “stitched together in a quilt of old-time tunes. Passing the music down.”

Resources, including a list of videos and websites, are found in an author’s note at the end.

Read more about another picture book by Sarah Sullivan, Once Upon a Baby Brother, HERE.

Eleven-year-old Jack has a secret.  He and his mom, on one last summer get-away before the new school year begins, have stopped to spend the night in a campsite on Mount Desert Island, Maine. Jack sleeps in his pup tent, his mom, in a separate tent next to his. When Jack awakes the next morning, his mom is gone. Her tent. The car. Everything.

Jack’s certain she’ll return soon enough and he has no reason for alarm. But the hours click by, and Jacks realizes that in spite of the many miles and hours away from his home in Massachusetts, his worst fears have been realized and he’s going to have to take matters into his own hands.

To my mind, this is the most brilliantly written book for middle grade readers on the topic of mental illness that I’ve seen to date. It’s edge-of-the-seat scary, and yet Jack never seems to be impossibly far away from the care of a kindly stranger or a resolution of some kind. It’s not clear exactly how the story will resolve, but when it does, it’s both realistic and satisfying. Highly recommended.

UMBRELLA SUMMER by Lisa Graff

Annie Richards didn’t always play things safe. She used to love the fluttery feeling of racing on her bike down Maple Hill, timing it just so, and squeezing the brakes just the right amount to land smack-dab in front of Lippy’s Market without a single tire squeak.

That was before. Before she realized how much danger there was in her childish games. Before the accident. Before she knew better. Before Jared, her brother, was gone for good.

But then Mrs. Finch moves into the old haunted house across the street and slowly, slowly Annie and she learn how to close their umbrellas of sadness and move out into the blue and sunny skies of summer.

It may not seem like summer’s just around the bend, but, for many, the end of the school year is weeks away. While in my part of the country there hasn’t been a lot of sun cluing us in to summer’s imminent arrival, the anticipation *is* building.

Summer is, by far, my favorite time of year. I love the heat, the lazy days, the time to catch up on reading that hadn’t been possible during the school year. It goes without saying that most kids love this break from school, as much as I do.

Families are just now beginning to think about packing up and heading out to enjoy short weekend get-aways, backyard camp outs, and day trips to the beach. All manner of vacation-time excursions have already been planned and all that remains is the last day of school to make it official!

This is also the time of year when families, not packing for vacation, are gearing up for packing of a different sort. A move to a new home, in a new town or state, near or far away.

Whatever your summer plans, or whether your summer includes suitcases or boxes, be sure to fill up some of those sunny days with a collection of good books.

Third grader, Clara Lee, wants nothing more than to be this year’s Little Miss Apple Pie at the Apple Blossom Festival. If she won, Clara Lee knew just what she’d wear on the float the day of the big Festival – the Korean style skirt and jacket her Grandpa had given her. But in order to win the contest, Clara Lee would have to make a speech during a special assembly in front of the whole school. She’d be competing against fifth graders!

When her Korean grandpa tells her that “Good Luck” is in on its way, Clara Lee begins to believe that maybe *this* is the year to reach for her “Apple Pie Dream.”

CLARA LEE and the APPLE PIE DREAM is a wonderful new book for those who love CLEMENTINE, IVY AND BEAN, and JUDY MOODY.

RIBBIT, RABBIT by Candace Ryan, illustrated by Mike Lowery

A top 10 pick on the Indie Bookseller’s 2011 Spring List, RIBBIT RABBIT is a picture book about two best friends, Frog and Bunny. They swim – “Ribbit Rabbit. Dip it, Dab it.” – and play – “Ribbit Rabbit. Zip it, Zap it.” – and have good times. Sometimes, they even fight – “Ribbit Rabbit. Nip it, Nab it.”  Eventually, they make up and remember why they’re best friends – “Ribbit Rabbit. Rib-bot Rab-bot.”

With fun wordplay and equally fun illustrations, this book can be paired with NOT A BOX, by Antoinette Portis. Add a collection of recyclables such as egg cartons, small boxes, ribbons, crayons, buttons, and assorted crafty items and look forward to hours of creative art and imaginative summer play.

BALLPARK MYSTERIES: #1 The Fenway Foul-Up and #2 The Pinstripe Ghost by David A. Kelly, illustrated by Mark Meyers

It’s baseball season and what better books to hook young baseball fan/chapter book readers than this brand-new series that follows cousins, Mike and Kate, as they travel with Kate’s mom, a sports reporter, to Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium and Dodger Stadium.

As they read, kids will enjoy not only trying to solve mysteries, such as the whereabouts of Boston Red Sox player, Big D’s, stolen bat (Fenway Foul-up) or discovering the true story of the ghost of Yankee Stadium (The Pinstripe Ghost), but they’ll also delight to find facts and folklore about each of the teams/stadiums woven into the narrative. Dugout notes are included at the back of each book.

For kids looking for more books with a baseball theme, check out ReaderKidZ post, Play Ball!

THE GREAT HAMSTER MASSACRE by Katie Davies, illustrated by Hannah Shaw

Anna and her brother want a pet. Of course, their mom says no. But Anna is not one to be easily deterred. As she explains it, “A lot of times, when someone tells you a reason why you can’t have something, the reason isn’t really true…Other times, … the reason might be true, but it still might not be the real reason why they don’t want you to have it.”

Two Russian Dwarf hamsters, exactly what Anna’s been longing for, eventually make their way to Anna’s house, where she sets them up with an old fish tank, instead of a cage, and a wheel, and some tissue paper for a nest. When tragedy strikes, Anna and Tom launch a full-scale investigation, complete with notepad, magnifying glass, police badge, dictaphone, and a list of 8 suspects.

Part-diary, part-mystery, and very funny, this is a book for kids who enjoy humor with a slightly twisted bent.  Anna’s voice is fresh and solidly middle-grade, and the characters are quirky, and “British.” As such, some of the humor and nuances of the characters and situations may not be entirely appreciated by some readers.

All-in-all, it’s a fun book and, with several more due to be published in this series, I expect it will gain a loyal following of readers, anxious to discover Anna’s next escapade.

Because of my father’s business, as a child, I was repeatedly transferred to various elementary schools all over the US. I remember being asked if my dad was in ‘the service’. At the time I didn’t know what they we asking. But, prolific author Kimberly Willis Holt certainly does, as is revealed in her absolutely charming Piper Reed series.  Every one of the five books in the series is truly remarkable. Holt has masterfully created an inquisitive, warm, funny, sensitive, likeable protagonist who struggles with dyslexia and discovering the nuances of being a Navy brat.

There is a scene in the latest book in the series, Piper Reed, Rodeo Star, where Piper must say goodbye to her friends who have been transferred to Norfolk. Her friends are in the SUV and she must let them go. She sees their mother coming outside carrying her purse. Piper says “…so I knew what that meant. My stomach ached something awful, like I’d swallowed a basketball (45).” The words I knew what that meant speak volumes. Piper is familiar with the pain of separation. She’s been in this place before. Yet, spunky Piper will survive because that is what Navy brats do.

Consider reading this lively Piper Reed series with your child over the summer months, won’t you? Together you’ll laugh, cry, and  possibly bond a bit closer while doing so. If not this series, I cannot  more vehemently encourage you to read with or to your children often throughout the summer months. Sharing a story, connecting with a character, discussing the delights and dilemmas characters face – these are all memories to treasure together forever. I know this to be true. I read with my kids when they were little and we’re all still glad we did.

For now, wishing you lots of summertime love, laughs, and entertaining page turns.

Debbie Gonzales

Summer is a time to read for FUN – whatever and whenever.  When I was a kid I would hide a book under my shirt and climb up in my grandmother’s apple tree, away from chores and little brothers.  My dad was a basketball coach, and to raise money for team uniforms, the players and Dad would borrow an old pick-up truck and drive around collecting stacks of newspapers to take to the paper mill for money (way before these green recycling days).  If my big brother and I helped, we got to sort through the stacks for comic books – our summer reading!    Libraries did not exist anywhere near our small town in central Illinois.  No book stores either.  Just me and Archie, Superman, maybe Nancy Drew and a few spooky mysteries –  books and comics that I read and re-read within the secluded canopy of an apple tree.

Here are a few fun choices that kids will find irresistible – books for “truck-guys,”  and a shivery mystery to sneak-read with a flashlight while snuggled in a sleeping bag with a good friend close by, a tummy full of roasted marshmallows, and ghosts circling the tent.

Last and quite challenging, Shaun Tan’s whimsical and head-scratching, LOST AND FOUND.

Happy summer everyone!

DRIVE by Nathan Clement may be the  biggest, best construction site and truck book ever.  When your young reader has re-read DRIVE, hand him Clement’s  JOB SITE.

GRANDPA’S TRACTOR by Michael Garland is a book for a child to share when visiting with grandparents. What a delight to page through with an early-reader on your lap. The discovery of a broken down old tractor sparks the unfolding of memories that bring smiles and captivate interest, even if the young reader or listener has never seen an old red tractor.  The text and illustrations trigger remembering and imagining – a beautiful book to share.

THE MYSTERY AT MARLATT MANOR by Anne Loader McGee is a fun “who-done-it” with the right ingredients for a summer’s spooky read: a haunted manor, a missing fortune, a disappeared daughter, friendships forged through detective snooping, and a ghost named Violet.  Tuck this ghost story in your children’s backpack as off they go for a night of camping and ghost stories in the back yard.

LOST & FOUND by Shaun Tan is an unusual collection of “short-story-picture book tales” that will give any reader some head-scratching. This collection is not a graphic novel, not a comic; it is full of fun and serious, mysterious, fascinating, important-to-think-about ideas and images. This book includes three of Shaun Tan’s picture book/short tales and will interest readers of all kinds – from the most reluctant to the brightest.  For readers who enjoy puzzling details, LOST & FOUND offers a wide variety.  Shaun Tan’s movie short, “The Lost Thing,” won an Oscar this year.  Read the story. Watch the movie. Imagine tentacles and tubes…and rabbits.

Find an interesting interview with Shaun Tan HERE:

What’s a Boy to Read This Summer?

by Ann Jacobus

To find out, I went to an expert. Laura Wolfram is the Director of Library Services at Town School for Boys in San Francisco, where I volunteer.

Laura, kids often have assigned summer reading. What can you recommend that the boys generally LIKE to read over the summer? What’s hot right now?

It very much depends on the individual boy and his tastes.  For sports fanatics, there are great sports series books out there for a variety of reading levels.  A lot of third and fourth-grade readers enjoy the Jake Maddox series, for example, and older readers are often excited about Tim Green’s more sophisticated sports-themed novels.  Boys who want adventure, fighting, and maybe fantasy often gravitate towards John Flanagan’s The Ranger’s Apprentice series, or the Alex Rider novels which feature a teenage spy.

I think series books are great summer vacation reads, since they tend not to feel like something a teacher might assign, and because once a kid gets hooked on one book series, it’s pretty easy for him to figure out what to read next without much guidance from a teacher or librarian.

Readerkidz and I could not agree more.

That said, there are plenty of standalone books that make for wonderful summer choices, too. Roald Dahl‘s books, for example, are perennial favorites, especially The B.F.G. and The Witches.   Still, the most consistently popular books among our students are all series books. Kids like continuity and familiarity.

Graphic novels are also a huge draw for many of our readers.  These can be a great way to support reluctant or struggling readers, or alternately, a way to motivate more advanced readers to branch out and explore new genres without committing to a full-length chapter book.  For example, the Amulet graphic novels provide an exciting entryway to the fantasy genre.

I know graphic novels are hot. I spend more time crouched, re-shelving in front of 741.5  than anywhere else in the library.

My sound byte on summer reading is that it absolutely must be fun.  It doesn’t matter whether a book is too easy, too hard, too familiar, too long, or too short.  What matters is that the book provides a satisfying reading experience for the individual child.

Also agreed! Kids + reading + fun = life long readers. How about a grade-by-grade break down? Starting with…

Kindergarteners

Boys love the Dogzilla and Kat Kong books.  Animal books in general — both fiction and non-fiction — are very popular among boys at this age, as are books about trains, cars, construction equipment, and trucks.

1st & 2nd graders

This is the age when boys start asking for war books, which can be a sticky subject for some parents.  Our first and second-graders love books about military equipment, like weapons, tanks, helicopters, and other vehicles.

Of course, there are plenty of non-war books for kids this age, too! The Geronimo Stilton books have been steady favorites among second graders for the past few years.

3rd graders

Megan McDonald‘s STINK books have a lot of appeal for boys this age. Stink is the troublemaking brother of Judy Moody, the eponymous character of one of McDonald’s other series. Our third-grade boys have also turned into big mystery readers lately. The A to Z Mystery books are popular, as are the Joe Sherlock series and The 39 Clues.  The current non-fiction craze among our third graders right now is the You Wouldn’t Want To series of books, each of which addresses the unappealing aspects of life in a particular historical period.  They’re a terrifically fun way to learn about history.

4th graders

This is the age when some boys dive into the Artemis Fowl books. The Nicholas books by the French author René Goscinny also appeal to boys starting around 4th grade, continuing well into sixth or even seventh grade.

5th graders

A number of 5th graders are obsessed with The Far Side collections and happily read them over and over again.  Calvin and Hobbes continues to be a popular choice, too.  Other boys stick to longer novels.  Recent favorites have included Cinda Williams Chima’s Warrior Heir, Dragon Heir, and Wizard Heir, a trilogy of non-serial but related novels.  A lot of guys find that they simply can’t put down Jeff Stone’s Five Ancestors books. The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Shadow Project, and The Strange Case of Origami Yoda have also been hits among this year’s 5th grade.

Thank you, Laura! Have a great vacation. I wish everyone a happy, book-filled summer.

P.S.  I’ve got two more personal recommendations for older middle grade readers: OKAY FOR NOW by Gary Schmidt, and DEAD END IN NORVELT by Jack Gantos (out in September).