I didn’t make it to Wordstock this year, but I did pick up several of their buttons with cute book-related phrases (available at local bookstores). Eat. Sleep. Read. pretty much sums up life around our house.
My daughter and I joined a book group at our neighborhood library last spring, and we have read so many good books, I can’t keep them to myself. Recession or not, ‘tis the season for buying books, and we have plenty of recommendations for elementary school-age readers.
At the top of my daughter’s list of favorites right now are The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey. Written by Trenton Lee Stewart, these engaging books involve a group of gifted misfits, a narcoleptic benefactor, and a powerful villain. Sadie was so enamored with them that she dressed as Kate, one of the main characters, for Halloween and didn’t care that no one knew who she was supposed to be.
Another recent favorite is Peak, by local author Roland Smith. This one is for anyone who likes adventure, whether from the comfort of their armchair or hanging from an ice cliff at 20,000 feet. It’s about a 14-year-old boy who attempts to summit Mt. Everest. Both my 10-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son loved it.
One of the best things about being in the book group is reading things that we normally wouldn’t. When I picked up A Single Shard, by Linda Sue Park, about a boy in 12th-century Korea who learns to make pottery, I thought it would be incredibly boring. It turned out to be one of the best things we read last year. Funny, warm and interesting, it’s especially appealing to kids who like to make art.
Two other books that made me cry (always the sign of a winner for me) are So B. It by Sarah Weeks and A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban.
Happy Holidays and happy reading!
Posted by Anne

December 7th, 2008 | Category: Metro Parent