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@captainsnacks said: empowering books for an almost 12 year old?
I love One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia and Front Desk by Kelly Yang. Kaylee would be upset if I didn't mention The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barklay More and Internment by Samira Ahmed.
(I thought Internment was a bit old for a 12 year old, but Kaylee's school librarian recommended it to them last year when they were still 12 and it's been their favorite ever since! Shows what I know.)
intelligibledirigible replied to your post “Basically, I just really miss reader’s advisory. My new job doesn’t...”
Book for a 5-year-old boy about grieving the loss of a pet?
My favorites are Saying Goodbye to Lulu by Corinne Demas and The tenth good thing about Barney by Judith Viorst.
So I was watching a video about the bookriot YA quarterly unboxing just now and I started thinking that I've seen a ton of periodic boxes for YA, a smattering of periodic boxes for adults, but none for kids or middle grade so I gave myself a brain task. If someone was giving me $50 to put together a K-3rd grade box, what would I put in it?
Librarianpirate's imaginary quarterly kidlit box Theme: Imagination
The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywelt Amazon (Affliliate) / Indiebound (better)
Bad Kitty Makes Comics (and You Can Too) by Nick Bruel Amazon (affiliate) / Indiebound
Harriet the Invincible by Ursula Vernon Amazon (affiliate) / Indiebound
EllRay Jakes the Recess King by Sally Warner Amazon (affiliate) / Indiebound
Creative Haven's Entangled coloring book (I like that it’s somewhat intricate but not too specific) Amazon (affiliate) / Indiebound
Some sort of fancy pens (although to be honest at this time of year I'd stop by Meijer and get that 20 pack of gel pens that was $5 because back to school sales are the best)
These adorable bookmarkers that let you grow forests or cities or monsters in your books
So if you were putting together a box of kids books and book related stuff from recent books what would you put in there that I missed? (Also - this was fun. It really made me think. I’ll be putting together a middle grade one soon!)
Quick book recommendation question: any series similar (or better) than monster high school?
Ok - so Monster High is firmly YA. 7th grade and up - so that's what I'm going to give some recommendations for.
If they like the trendy high school girls meet fantasy monsters type thing then try Tattoo by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Temporary tattoos that give super powers make a group of girls the perfect people to save their school from a supernatural enemy. Amazon / IndieBound
If they like the whole "outcast thrown in with normal people who makes good" angle then try The Plain Janes about an outcast thrown in with normal people who makes good. ;) IN this case the "makes good" is she forms a girl gang with 3 other girls named Jane and they do radical art. Love this one. Indiebound / Amazon
If they likes the whole "Romeo and Juliet" thing of falling in love with a different type of monster than you are there are piles and piles of those but try Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor about a Demon girl who falls in love with an Angel boy and all the pain and tragedy that comes. Amazon / Indiebound
If they're younger than 7th grade and got caught up in the dolls and the TV show and the marketing then my favorite read alike (that teens roll their eyes at) is the Pandora series by Carolyn Hennesy starting with Pandora Gets Jealous. Pandora spends the books gathering up the bad that was released into the world when the box was accidentally opened. This Pandora is in high school and deals with monsters and friends and frenemies all while giving a healthy dose of irreverent mythology. Indiebound / Amazon
All of these but Tattoo are series so if they like them they can just keep going which is really great in kids! Keep 'em reading! If I completely misjudged age or why they like these books then come back at me and I'll try again. (Seriously - please come back at me and I'll try again! I would rather you give gifts that'll be loved.)
Also all the Amazon links are referral links because I am a groady sell-out who tells everyone to always buy indie and local then buys things from Amazon because they are so cheap and easy and they get shipped right to my door. When the economy collapses lay it firmly at my feet, guys. I'm the worst.
It's getting to be that time of year!
I've started getting emails from people getting together with friends and family for some pre-holiday celebrating who need some gift book ideas! The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books has released their Gift Book Guide! So - who needs gift book ideas for kids? My ask box is (as always) open for requests.
The Lone Pamphleteer Recommends: Subconscious War
A short documentary about media, reality, and war, featuring the words of Aldous Huxley, Neil Postman, John Trudell, Noam Chomsky, and Marshall McLuhan. Very sobering and well put together.
Hi I have a little friend who is turning 6 an loves john Deere, tractors, lawn mowers, and the like. Do you have any book suggestions for me? Thank you, your past suggestions have been so wonderful.
Ok, so I’m assuming that this little friend already owns the John Deere Big Book of Tractors? If not, I say get on that!
John Scieszka has a series called Trucktown that doesn’t have any tractors in it (why not? Get on it, Scieszka!) but does have great books - both picture books and easy readers so wherever your friend is on the getting ready to read spectrum (I’m assuming he’s a Kindergartner? They can be pretty much anywhere).
If he’s learning to read, Helpful Tractor is really the only easy reader I can find? And I read through it and it’s good. I mean - it isn’t going to be winning any awards but at age 6 the goal isn’t necessarily giving great literature it’s promoting a love of books.
As for picture books there are a plethora! One of my favorites is Arthur’s Tractor: a fairy tale with mechanical parts by Pippa Goodhart. Arthur’s tractor keeps making strange noises and he keeps getting down to fix it but it’s really the princess/dragon/knight drama unfolding in the background making the strange noises. Super fun.
I’m also partial to Otis by Lauren Long. Big shiny new tractor pushes aside small faithful old tractor until one day only Otis can save the say!
As for nonfiction, I most recommend the John Deere one I already mentioned or maybe even something like How to Draw Trucks and Tractors.
Let me know if you need more ideas!
Need book advice. 3rd birthday, little girl whose parents don't let her watch TV. Their goal is like, smart, well educated child. So something educational, liberal bendt, maybe encourages bypassing gender roles but without the word "princess" anywhere near it.
Rosie Revere Engineer by Andrea Beaty is probably more perfect for a 4 or 5 year old? But when giving gift books that isn’t a problem because a 3 year old would love it, a 5 year old would GET IT, ya know? It’s about a little girl inventor until one day her poopy uncle laughs at an invention that still needs work and she abandons inventiong. Then her glorious aunt helps her rediscover her love of inventing.
Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! by Wynton Marsalis is a jazzy “sonic adventure” through the neighborhood. Great for instilling phonological awareness and will make every walk an adventure as you guys also pick out the great sounds in your neighborhood.
Me… Jane by Patrick McDonnell is about Jane Goodall as a child, observing nature, dreaming of helping animals. The first part is like a picture book and the end part has biographical information. It’s pretty fantastic.
My Colors, My World by Maya Christina Gonzalez is just a gorgeous book about all the colors in Maya’s world.
A Fire Engine for Ruthie by Leslea Newman (of Mamma, Mommy and Me et al) is about a girl who’s Nana always wants her to play tea party until Nana realizes that Ruthie is more interested in the toys that neighbor boy Brian gets to play with.
And since you mentioned a liberal bent, Click, Clack, Moo. Cows That Type is the best pro union picture book you’ll find.
