I’m late with this update, but here it is!
There is actually quite a bit.
First of all, it’s summer time, and for me that means that I get to sort all the art supplies from the previous school year. I get to throw out the unusable stuff, put aside the new/usable stuff for the next year, and use up all the little bits that are left over.
Here are some excellent books that we have explored last year. Of course, good books are timeless, so the year doesn’t really matter. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!!
Here are some of our favorite great chapter books. We have enjoyed these right after my kids moved past picture books, but weren’t ready yet for bigger books, such as Harry Potter, and many others. These are funny, light, and are a great next step from picture books.
I love to read, and used to read all the time, sometimes several books at the same time. Last year I woke up one morning and, with horror, realized that I haven’t read one book worth mentioning in the entire year. Sure, I read a few: textbooks, child development books, articles, technical books, even a sappy romance novel or two, but nothing that I truly enjoyed or remembered. I turned to the well-read people of facebook. I asked my friends list on facebook for book recommendations. It turned out into a great discussion about books, and this is a list I got from it. Some of the books I have read, and some I am going to read. I am planning on reading as many as I can on this list. Please enjoy this wonderful list of great books!
1. Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan
2. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgeson
3. Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
4. Holes By Louis Sachar. We also loved the movie, it was wonderful!
5. The Twenty One Balloons by William Pene du Bois
6. The Book of Three, Time Cat, and so many wonderful others by Alexander Lloyd
7. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
8. Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
9. The Secret Zoo by Brian Chick
10. From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler By E.L. Konigsburg
11. A Wrinkle In Time and other books by Madeleine L’Engle
12. The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull
13. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. Who doesn’t love Harry Potter? It is such a wonderful series of books. Just beware: the further you get into the series, the darker the books become. When my son was 8-9, he read the first book, but wasn’t emotionally ready for the last few. We had to wait a bit to finish the series.
14. The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart
15. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. For the longest time I resisted reading these books. Finally, my oldest asked me if he can read them. I don’t say no to that sort of question when it comes to books. He loved them so much that he asked me to read them. When reading these you have to keep in mind that they are not written for adult readers, but for the pre-teens, hence the simpler language. The story was captivating and interesting.
16. Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
17. Books of Beginning Trilogy by John Stephens
18. The Great Book Of Amber by Roger Zelazny. This is for the older reader. Wonderful fantasy, one of my favorites as well.
19. The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
20. Magician: Apprentice, Magician: Master, and so many other books set in Midkemia by Raymond Feist. Also a great fantasy series for a young adult.
21. Jack Blank Adventure Trilogy by Matt Myklusch. There is The Accidental Hero, The Secret War, and The End of Infinity.
22. The Charlie Bone Series by Jenny Nimmo
23. The Dragon’s Tooth by N.D. Wilson
24. 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson. This trilogy also includes Dandelion Fire and Chestnut King.
25. Fablehaven Series by Brandon Mull. Recommended by Heidi from onecreativemommy.com: Another great series where kids discover magic and save the day! Thank you, Heidi. This sounds like something my older one would really enjoy! Will definitely give it a try!
26. Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth. Who hasn’t heard of Divergent by this time. We were late to this party. I read the book first. It is a quick read, and if you enjoy dystopian books, this one is for you. My 13 year old is now reading it and can’t put it down. Definitely a good read.
27. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams. He only read the first book, but is really excited for the next books.
28. Have Space Suit, Will Travel Robert A. Heinlein. This one is on our list to read next, but it is an old time favorite.
I love picture books! Love them! I love reading to my kids and even though some days they seem too old for it I do it anyway. There are so many books for this age. When they were younger my boys don’t only enjoy being read to, they loved any book that they can explore. Books that had textures, made sounds and moved when the pages opened were a big hit. There are so many wonderful books like that, too many to list here, so here is just a few. The first ten books or so are great for babies, with bigger books in the rest of the list. I hope you enjoy these 50 great picture books as much as we did!
My husband and his entire family are all very musical. My husband writes his own music, and to me that always looked like magic. When someone knows an instrument so well they can just produce a melody that is circling around in their head. It is just amazing. I don’t know if it gets more awesome then that.
