Family Friendly Classics

Today, I'm sharing classic stories that can be read by the whole family.  Here are a few of my favorites . . .

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Headed for Canada to visit his father for the first time since his parents' divorce, thirteen-year-old Brian is the sole survivor of a plane crash, with only the clothes he has on and a hatchet to help him live in the wilderness.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

No case is too tricky for the world's most famous sleuth and his incredible powers of deduction, in a collection of mystery stories for young readers.

More Books --

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling

Hans Brinker by Mary Mapes Dodge

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle

The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain

Stuart Little by E.B. White

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

White Fang by Jack London

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Back to School!

School has started for most children in the area.  Check out one of these great school stories.  Here's a few of our favorites . . . .

Matilda by Roald Dahl
Matilda applies her untapped mental powers to rid the school of the evil, child-hating headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, and restore her nice teacher, Miss Honey, to financial security.

School Spirit by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel

Like her mother, a professional medium, Kat has been able to see dead people since turning thirteen, and although they would prefer to be normal, Kat and her best friend come to terms with their own talents while helping free the spirit of a girl trapped at their middle school.

The School Mouse by Dick King-Smith

Flora, the world's most educated mouse, saves her family during a crisis.

More Books --

In Honor of Broken Things by Paul Acampora

Lights, Camera, Middle School by Jennifer L. Holm

Never Glue Your Friends to Chairs by Katherine Applegate

The New Kid at School by Kate McMullan
Restart by Gordon Korman

Scary School by Derek Kent

School Daze by Nick Bruel

The School for Whatnots by Margaret Peterson Haddix

The School Is Alive by Jack Chabert
School of the Dead by Avi

Spy School by Stuart Gibbs
Zoo School by Laurie Miller Hornik

Familiar Tales, New Perspectives -- Retellings of Disney Stories

Disney stories are eternally popular.  We love the Disney versions, the original stories they are based on, and retellings with a twist.  This week, we're sharing some Disney stories told from a new perspective.  Here are a few of our favorites . . . .

Evil Thing by Serena Valentino

This graphic novel follows the rise and fall of the deranged and glamorous fan favorite, Cruella De Vil. If it doesn't scare you, no evil thing will....

Prince of Song & Sea by Linsey Miller

Prince Eric is cursed to die if he kisses someone other than his true love. Eric must find his true love, the one with a voice pure of heart or kill the sea witch responsible for cursing him in the first place.

Reflection by Elizabeth Lim

When Captain Shang is mortally wounded by Shan Yu in battle, Mulan must travel to the Underworld, Diyu, in order to save him from certain death. Moreover, Mulan is still disguised as the soldier called Ping, wrestling with the decision to reveal her true identity to her closest friend.

More Retellings --

Broken Wish by Julie C. Dao

Dangerous Secrets by Mari Mancuso

Fairest of All by Serena Valentino

Feather and Flame by Livia Blackburne

Fractured Path by J.C. Cervantes

Go the Distance by Jen Calonita

Prince of Thorns and Nightmares by Linsey Miller

Pure of Heart by Delilah S. Dawson

Rebel Rose by Emma Theriault

Shattered Midnight by Dhonielle Clayton

So This Is Love by Elizabeth Lim

Straight on Till Morning by Stephanie Kate Strohm

What Once Was Mine by Liz Braswell

Summer Travels

Summer is a great time to travel to somewhere new.  Check out one of these informational books on different places to see where you want to go . . . .

Where Is Yellowstone? by Sarah Fabiny

Established in 1857 as the first national park in the United States, Yellowstone has been drawing visitors to its beautiful landscape for over 150 years. Before it became a national park, the region was home to Native Americans for over 11,000 years. Today, tourists come to the park from all over the world to camp and to visit the famous Old Faithful geyser and the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest super volcano in North America. 

Mount Rushmore: Memorial to Our Greatest Presidents by Lisa Kozleski

Discusses the history and sculpting of the images on South Dakota's Mount Rushmore, and provides facts about the four presidents represented there: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.

Everglades National Park by Christina Leaf

From airboats to alligators, Everglades is a unique national park! Fluent readers can explore the habitats, history, and threats to this subtropical wetland with this informative title.

More Books --

Glacier National Park by Chris Bowman

Grand Canyon National Park by Christina Leaf

Great Smoky Mountains National Park by Chris Bowman

Rocky Mountain National Park by Christina Leaf

July = Disability Pride Month

Every July, Disability Pride Month invites us to celebrate a powerful truth: people with disabilities may have different abilities, and that is something to honor and celebrate.  Check out these teen books featuring characters with disabilities . . . .

Run On Your New Legs series by Wataru Midori
After the loss of his leg, Kikuzato’s dream of becoming a soccer ace comes to an end. But with use of a prosthetic leeg, he finds a new goal -- to become a track star and win gold at the Tokyo Paralympics!

Maybe We're Electric by Val Emmich

In Edison, New Jersey, in a museum devoted to the inventor Thomas Edison, a bitter, self-loathing sixteen-year-old girl with a deformed hand and the seemingly coolest boy in school spend the night during a snowstorm, growing close until a shameful secret threatens everything.

Earth Girl by Janet Edwards

Abandoned on Earth because of her inability to survive on other planets, Jarra crafts a fake background for herself to join a class of norms who are excavating the dangerous ruins of the old cities.

Falling Over Sideways by Jordan Sonnenblick

Harassed at her middle school, not taken seriously at home, and with a "perfect" older brother, Matthew, to live up to, thirteen-year-old Claire has always felt like her life was cursed--then one morning, when she are her beloved father are talking at breakfast, her father suddenly falls over with a stroke, and suddenly everything changes.

More Books --

Because You'll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas

Breathe and Count Back From Ten by Natalis Sylvester

Cursed by Karol Ruth Silverstein

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Heroes by Robert Cormier

The Innocent Treatment by Ari Goelman

Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom

A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnhard

The Speed of Falling Objects by Nancy Richardson Fischer

Sunrise Nights by Jeff Zentner

When My Heart Joins the Thousand by A.J. Steiger

Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest

National Cousins Day = July 24

 Did you know there is a day celebrating cousin?  This July 24th read a story about cousins having adventures . . . .

Ibby's Magic Weekend by Heather Dyer

While spending the weekend with her troublemaking cousins Francis and Alex, sensible Ibby discovers that magic may be more than just smoke and mirrors when it falls to her to save their magician uncle, who disappeared years ago.

Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott

Rose Campbell finds herself in the care of her extended family after her wealthy father dies. Surrounded by her great-aunts, her father's brothers, their wives, and her seven rambunctious male cousins Rose spends a year taking chances, learning new things, and discovering what it means to be part of a large, loving family.

The Road Wherever by John Ed Bradley

With his father absent and his mother working, eleven-year-old Henry "June" Ball must spend the summer on the road with his cousins, "Ford men" who repair old cars.

More Books --

100 Cupboards by Nathan D. Wilson

Cupcake Cousins by Kate Hannigan

The Book of Fatal Errors by Dashka Slater

Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn

The Ghost Road by Charis Cotter

Here Comes Trouble by Kate Hattemer

My Cousin the Alien by Pamela F. Service

Nora and the Texas Terror by Judy Cox

Wed Wabbit  by Lissa Evans

Art in Our World

Check out one of these great picture books about art . . . . 

The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau by Jon Agee

When Felix Clouseau's painting quacks, he is hailed as a genius. Suddenly everyone wants a Clousseau masterpiece, and the unknown painter becomes an overnight sensation. That's when the trouble begins.

I Can Only Draw Worms by Will Mabbitt

Teaches the reader to count to ten using worms that have great adventures or everyday experiences, described but not illustrated due to the author/illustrator's inability to draw anything but worms.

Jeremy Draws a Monster by Peter McCarty

A young boy who spends most of his time alone in his bedroom makes new friends after the monster in his drawing becomes a monstrous nuisance.

When Pencil Met Eraser by Karen Kilpatrick

When Pencil draws on the pages of this book, Eraser erases parts of Pencil's work, and the book itself becomes a canvas for their different takes on creativity - until the two discover their artwork is even better when they work together.

More Books --

Art & Max by David Wiesner

The Artist by Ed Vere

Blue Chameleon by Emily Gravett

The Boy and the Mountain by Mario Bellini

The Concrete Garden by Bob Graham

The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt

Doodleday by Ross Collins

Draw Me a Star by Eric Carle

I Ain't Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont

I Cannot Draw a Horse by Charise Mericle Harper

The Imaginary Garden by Andrew Larsen

Knit Together by Angela Dominguez

Lines by Suzy Lee

Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni

Masterpiece Mix by Roxie Munro

Scribbles and Ink by Ethan Long

Time to Make Art by Jeff Mack

Warthogs Paint by Pamela Duncan Edwards