1.
The Tale of Despereaux
by Kate DiCamillo
The book is (as is usually the case) much better than the movie. Sweet, entertaining and suitably dark in some places, it is a brand new and imaginative fairy tale. The narration is the key. At pinnacle junctions in the story the narrator's voice speaks directly to the reader, reminding or easing minds.
2.A Variety of Books
by Edward Eager
Half Magic, Magic by the Lake and Seven Day Magic all have a group of children who love to read as the heroes and creators of the magic. In addition all books were written in the 1950's and 1960's. They are charming and well written and make parents and children giggle aloud!
3. Arabel's Raven
by Joan Aiken
Arabel is a little girl and Mortimer is her pet raven. Mortimer likes to eat stairs, hide spaghetti and sleep in the coal scuttle! They embark on many grand and interesting adventures and misadventures. My son spent the summer pretending to be Mortimer and making his sister pul him around in a wagon while he called out "Never More!
4. The Mysterious Benedict Society
by Trenton Lee Stewart
These were instant favorites! As soon as we finished the first book aloud, my son grabbed hold of it, secreting it away in his room to read again. And not surprisingly did the same with the sequel! The Mysterious Benedict Society revolves around 4 children who have their own unique gifts. These gifts when combined together make a wonderful team, they thwart the evil genius and his henchmen! the best part is these are REAL gifts....photographic memory, puzzle solver, athletic ability and well stubbornness! The children are not super human, they are smart and capable children. Real heroes that real kids can relate to!
5. Little Le
ap Forward by Guo Yue and Clare FarrowWould my list be complete with out a Barefoot Book? This is the first foray into chapter books for Barefoot and this one lives up to all I have grown to expect from them. Little Leap Forward is an autobiographical account of a boy growing up in Beijing during the Cultural Revolution. Seen through a child's eyes it shows the day to day changes that affected the people at this time. The book does not get bogged down in history or politics, just this one boy's experience and account. The text is almost lyrical and the pictures by Helen Cann are exquisite!
There is something wonderful and magical about introducing your child to a book they love! Catching them with the light on, long after bedtime, just to get to the end of a book or even a chapter. One of my favorite images of my son is of him floppe don his tummy on his bed with a book propped up in front of him! Good stuff!!
Here are some of our favorites.... what have you read with your children this year?
