Great Read Aloud Books

With the holidays approaching, it is a great time to read a story together as a family.  So this week, I'm sharing some great chapter book read alouds.  Here are a few of my favorites . . . .

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
An epic fantasy about a young girl raised by a witch, a swamp monster, and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, who must unlock the powerful magic buried deep inside her.

A Long Way From Chicago: A Novel in Stories by Richard Peck
A boy recounts his annual summer trips to rural Illinois with his sister during the Great Depression to visit their larger-than-life grandmother.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own.

The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher by Dana Alison Levy
Relates the adventures of a family with two fathers, four adopted boys, and a variety of pets as they make their way through a school year and deal with a grumpy new neighbor.


More Great Read Alouds --
Babe: The Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith
The BFG by Roald Dahl
Buckle and Squash: The Perilous Princess Plot by Sarah Courtauld
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
Mr. and Mrs. Bunny -- Detectives Extraordinaire by Polly Horvath
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones by Will Mabbitt
The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer
The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through January 3, 2020.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

Once a year, the youngest baby in the Protectorate is taken and left in the woods for the witch.  The witch steals the baby and eats it . . . .

Once a year, a witch finds an abandoned baby in the woods and rescues it.  She takes it to a loving family on the other side of the forest . . . .

One year, Xan the witch discovers a baby girl that steals her heart.  That year, Xan falls in love with the baby and feeds it moonlight enmagicking her.  This is the year that everything starts to change . . . for Xan, for the baby, for the forest, for the Protectorate, for the world.


I have loved all of Kelly Barnhill's books.  They are very sophisticated original fairy tales for children.  So I was looking forward to reading her latest.  Then it was declared the winner of the Newbery Award and I immediately checked it out.  I absolutely loved this book.  It's probably my favorite Newbery winner since The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  The characters capture your interest while the plot twists keep you reading.  This is a great read for all children and teens.

Double the Story, Double the Fun: Stories of Twins

This week I'm sharing stories of twins . . .

The Magic Half by Anne Barrows
Eleven-year-old Miri Gill feels left out in her family, which has two sets of twins and her, until she travels back in time to 1935 and discovers Molly, her own lost twin, and brings her back to the present day.

Hollow Earth by John Barrowman
Possessing extraordinary powers, including the ability to bring artwork to life, twelve-year-old twins Matt and Emily are sought by villains trying to access the terrors of Hollow Earth, a place where demons and mythological beasts lie trapped for eternity.

The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill
When a Bandit King comes to take the magic that Ned's mother, a witch, is meant to protect, the stuttering, weak boy villagers think should have drowned rather than his twin summons the strength to protect his family and community, while in the woods, the bandit's daughter puzzles over a mystery that ties her to Ned.

Hippomobile by Jeff Tapia
Ten-year-old twins Jimmy and Stella start a campaign to save their dying small town (population 49) by restoring the amazing hippomobile, an old-fashioned vehicle made out of a horse wagon.

The Runaway Twin by Peg Kehret
Thirteen-year-old Sunny, accompanied by a stray dog, takes advantage of a monetary windfall to travel from her Nebraska foster home to Enumclaw, Washington in order to find the twin sister from whom she was separated at age three.


More Books --
Astrotwins: Project Blastoff by Mark Kelly
Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies by Andrea Beaty
Hunter Moran Saves the Universe by Patricia Reilly Giff
Loot: How to Steal a Fortune by Jude Watson
Lost and Found by Andrew Clements
The Quirks and the Quirkalicious Birthday by Erin Soderberg
The Tapper Twins Go to War (With Each Other) by Geoff Rodkey
Troubletwisters by Garth Nix
We Are Not Eaten by Yaks by Alexander London
The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop by Kate Saunders


Check out these books on display at the Arnold Branch through April 1, 2016.

My Summer Vacation . . .

It's summer!  So let's read some books about kids and their summer vacations . . .

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
In the historic town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Jack Gantos spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore involving the newly dead, molten wax, twisted promises, Girl Scout cookies, underage driving, lessons from history, typewriting, and countless bloody noses.

Aliens on Vacation by Clete Barrett Smith
Unhappy at being sent to stay with his grandmother at the inn she operates, The Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast, Scrub discovers that each room is actually a portal to space and the inn's visitors are aliens who are vacationing on Earth.

The Mostly True Story of Jack by Kelly Barnhill
Jack is practically invisible at home, but when his parents send him to Hazelwood, Iowa, to spend a summer with his odd aunt and uncle, he suddenly makes friends, is beaten up by the town bully, and is plotted against by the richest man in town.

Dreamer, Wisher, Liar by Charise Mericle Harper
Ashley's summer is filled with babysitting, letters to her best friend at camp, and a wish jar filled with secret revelations that help her understand her mother in a whole new way.


More Books About Summer Vacation --
Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Summer Vacation by Tom Greenwald
The Cottonmouth Club by Lance Marcum
Crow by Barbara Wright
The Get Rich Quick Club by Dan Gutman
Hunter Moran Hangs Out by Patricia Reilly Giff
Justin Case: Shells, Smells and the Horrible Flip-Flops of Doom by Rachel Vail
Notes from a Dog by Gary Paulsen
The Sasquatch Escape by Suzanne Selfors
Sparrow Road by Sheila O'Connor
Spitting Image by Shutta Crum
Sports Camp by Rich Wallace
Summer of the War by Gloria Whelan


Check out these books on display at the Arnold Branch through July 31, 2015.

The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill

The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill

Two brothers fell into the river.  The wrong one survived.

When Ned and his twin tumble from their raft into a raging river, only Ned survives.  The villagers are convinced that the wrong boy lived and spend their time either mocking or ignoring him.  Ned spends his time alone and not speaking.  But when the Bandit King comes to steal the magic that Ned's mother, Sister Witch, protects, it is Ned that finds a way to keep the magic safe.

The wrong boy will save your life, and you will save his.

Meanwhile, in the enchanted forest that borders Ned's village lives Aine, the practical and resourceful daughter of the Bandit King.  She is haunted by her mother's last words to her about "the wrong boy".

When Ned and Aine's paths cross, can they trust each other long enough to stop the war that's beginning between their two kingdoms?

This was a great fantasy story for kids.  The elements of magic, adventure, family drama, grief, and friendship are weaved together seamlessly for a story that you can't put down.