A Few of My Favorite Things (Books)

 This week, I'm sharing some of my favorite chapter books for kids . . . .

Bo at Ballard Creek by Kirkpatrick Hill

It's the 1920s, and Bo was headed for an Alaska orphanage when she won the hearts of two tough gold miners who set out to raise her, enthusiastically helped by all the kind people of the nearby Eskimo village.

The Spoon in the Bathroom Wall by Tony Johnston

Living in the boiler room of the school where her father is janitor seems normal to fourth grader Martha Snapdragon, until she has experiences reminiscent of the Arthurian legends.

The Thirteenth Princess by Diane Zahler

Zita, cast aside by her father and raised as a kitchen maid, learns when she is nearly twelve that she is a princess and that her twelve sisters love her, and so when she discovers they are victims of an evil enchantment, she desperately tries to save them.

The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright

A mysterious dollhouse and dolls that move on their own lead Amy, twelve, and her mentally-disabled sister Louann, eleven, to investigate the mystery surrounding grisly murders that occured years before.

More Books --

Below by Meg McKinlay

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Can of Worms by Kathy Mackel

Dial-A-Ghost by Eva Ibbotson

Fairy Tale Comics by Chris Duffy

The Floods: Good Neighbors by Colin Thompson

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny: Detectives Extraordinaire by Polly Horvath

The Snow Spider by Jenny Nimmo

This Would Make a Good Story Some Day by Dana Alison Levy

Up and Down Scratchy Mountain by Laurel Snyder

Don't BUG Me! I'm Reading!

 This week, we're sharing picture books about insects and spiders.  Here's a few of our favorites . . . .

The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani

The itsy-bitsy spider encounters a fan, a mouse, a cat, and a rocking chair as she makes her way to the top of a tree to spin her web.

Twig by Aura Parker

Heidi, a tall, twig-like stick insect, does everything she can to make friends on her first day at Bug School, but even her teacher, Miss Orb, fails to notice her.

Yoo-Hoo, Ladybug! by Mem Fox

This book invites the reader to search for Ladybug, who loves to hide.

Hank's Big Day: The Story of a Bug by Evan Kuhlman

Hank is a pill bug whose daily routine involves nibbling a dead leaf, climbing up a long stick, avoiding a skateboarder, and playing pretend with his best friend, a human girl named Amelia.

Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert

Illustrates the life cycle of four common butterflies by featuring butterfly and flower facts, butterfly identification tips, and a guide to creating a butterfly garden.

More Books --

A Beetle Is Shy by Dianna Hutts Aston

Bug in a Vacuum by Melanie Watt

Bugs Galore by Peter Stein

Bugs in My Hair by David Shannon

Bye-Bye Big Bad Bullybug by Ed Emberley

Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas

Caterpillar Dreams by Clive McFarland

The Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin

Dreamweaver by Jonathan London

Fly! by Karl Edwards

Goodnight Butterfly by Ross Burach

How to Ride a Dragonfly by Kitty Donohoe

I'm Trying to Love Spiders by Bethany Barton

Kaia and the Bees by Maribeth Boelts

Luigi, the Spider Who Wanted to Be a Kitten by Michelle Knudsen

Miss Spider's Tea Party by David Kirk

Old Cricket by Lisa Wheeler

One Hundred Hungry Ants by Elinor Pinczes

The Perfect Pet by Margie Palatini 

Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian by Margarita Engle

Swarm of Bees by Lemony Snicket

Sylvie by Jean Reidy

Ten Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin 

The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle

Hi! My Name Is Sara.

 This week's booklist features teen books with characters named Sara (or Sarah, or Serah, etc).  Here's a few of our favorites . . . .

I Woke Up Dead at the Mall by Judy Sheehan

Sixteen-year-old Sarah wakes up dead at the Mall of America only to find she was murdered, and she must work with a group of dead teenagers to finish up the unresolved business of their former lives while preventing her murderer from killing again.

Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly

Uncovering an ancient evil, Serafina, a mermaid of the Mediterranean Sea, searches for five other mermaid heroines who are scattered across the six seas, to save their hidden world.

Girl in Blue by Ann Rinaldi

To escape an abusive father and an arranged marriage, Sarah, dressed as a boy, leaves her Michigan home to enlist in the Union Army, and becomes a soldier on the battlefields of Virginia as well as a Union spy working in the house of Confederate sympathizer Rose O'Neal Greenhow in Washington, D.C.

More Books --

Belly Up by Eva Darrows

Burn by Patrick Ness

The Cerulean by Amy Ewing

The Chandler Legacies by Abdi Nazemian

Darkwater by Catherine Fisher

Devil, Darling, Spy by Matt Killeen

The Eye of Minds by James Dashner

Illegal by Francisco X. Stork

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

A Secret Princess by Margaret Stohl

That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger

Violet Ghosts by Leah Thomas