**What Are You Reading to your children now - or to yourself. Children's books through young adult

Post whatever you like here. Share any favorite books, good books you have recently come across, maybe terrible ones too.

This is a shot in the dark, as I'm not sure how active this group is. I thought I would give it a try and maybe learn something.

These are books we read over July, August, September and October. I'm double-posting this post from another group which is not that interested in children's book.

Favorite book:

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

My seven-yr-old daughter is more interested in chapter books, but without any real sense of what may be good. So, we end up with a lot of not so great books (here's to hoping I never read another June B. Jones). But this one, which I found this on the 2011 ALA Notable list, is a gem. It's has all the standard "juvenile" themes, where kids are bad, but never in way we find all that serious, yet it still managed to catch both my 7-yr-old daughter's and my interest. Angleberger adds some depth as we find ourselves exploring the psychology of strange boy who gives very good advice through his origami Yoda puppet, with a very bad Yoda voice. The book is one classmate's case study, where he tries to determine whether or not this Origami Yoda has real magic.

Other books to highlight, which I found on the 2011 ALA Notable Books List and borrowed from the library (The complete ALA list is here http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/awards/notablebooks/lists/2011/index.cfm )


Shake, Rattle & Turn That Noise Down!: How Elvis Shook Up Music, Me & Mom by Mark Alan Stamaty - includes an entire graphic history of Rock-n'-Roll
City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems, illustrated by Jon J. Muth - Touches on death, or maybe the frog just went away. Parent's call.
Back of the Bus by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Floyd Cooper - A boy watches Rosa Parks from the back of the bus. The changing spirit in him is hinted at through a marble.
Chalk by Bill Thomson - Drawings come alive with magic chalk. No words.



Me, Frida by Amy Novesky - Interesting look at Frida Khalo's visit to San Francisco
LMNO Peas by Keith Baker - a fun ABC book. Good for both my 5 & 7 year old.
Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo & Alision McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile - Very cute, in graphic novel form.
Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan, illustrated by Sophie Blackall - my daughter wouldn't even look at this. Then, one day she told me all about this wonderful book she saw in her school library...and go figure, we had a copy from the library sitting right there...

I'm a huge fan of the Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins. Where her Hunger Games trilogy is very much aimed at young adult readers, the Gregor series is more 11-13, but deals with a lot of the same issues- children facing violence and war, learning who they can trust, finding strength and faith in themselves, protecting those they love. I think it's good for kids to be exposed to the less pleasant aspects of life so they can appreciate the good things and Collins does that superbly without making it too much for kids to handle.

2 - dchaikin - My 10 year old son really enjoyed The Strange Case of Origami Yoda as well and immediately grabbed Darth Paper Strikes Back at the recent Scholastic Book Fair. I haven't read it myself yet so it's good to know another parent thinks well of it.

I just reread The Penderwicks and read the sequel, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street for the first time. Both books left me with a huge smile on my face. Even though I could tell from page one how the books would end, the journey there was just so much fun.

#5 by Sakerfalcon> i enjoyed the Penderwicks as well (still waiting to read the last one). which reminded me about the charming Mysterious Benedict Society series.

of course, there are the WONDERFUL classics, some of my very favorite books actually, The Secret Garden, A Little Princess, Little Lord Fauntleroy, and the more modern The Giver. books every child should read.

More books to share, also from July to October. Apologies for all the pictures, but it looks so nice this way.

Binky

Binky the Space Cat by Ashley Spires
Binky to the Rescue by Ashley Spires
Binky Under Pressure by Ashley Spires
A graphic novel series about a house cat who ponders exploring “space”, i.e. outdoors.

Peter Catalanotto

Ivan the Terrier - The best of the bunch. Ivan ruins fairy tales.
Dylan's Day Out – beautiful illustrations.
Emily's Art - A lot more text then the other two. This explores the idea of the “best” in art.
Peter Catalanotto visited by daughter’s school and she came home with these. He's a magnificent illustrator.

Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Lunch Lady and the Field Trip Fiasco & Annie Was Warned
JJK visited my daughter’s school last year and left us huge fans of his Lunch Lady series. Annie is here because my daughter “stared” in a school movie of this (Kindergarten Class). We met JJK at a local reading recently, and he still remembered the move and even played the movie while reading it.

Others

There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold
Cat and Fish by Joan Grant, illustrated by Neil Curtis – I don’t even remember the story, but the illustrations are wonderful
Lego Star Wars Character Encyclopedia – This is just so much fun to read through. Every single Lego star wars figure ever made is discussed, in alphabetical order.
There's a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer
The Magic School Bus Inside a Hurricane by Joanna Cole, illustrated by Bruce Degen

Sandra, I will try Darth Paper Strikes Back.
Sakerfalcon, I might try the Penderwicks, if they'll work for a 7-yr-old.

>8 dchaikin:: Yes, I think a 7 year old should enjoy the Penderwicks. The characters are aged 12, 11, 10 and 4 but I think a girl of any age should be able to relate to one or other of the sisters.

Those Binky the space cat books look awesome!

>6 leahbird:: I too enjoyed the Mysterious Benedict Society books. I still have book 3 to look forward to.

#9 by Sakerfalcon> i just read #3 not that long ago. the first one is the best in my opinion, but i liked this one better than the second one. apparently there is a book of Benedict's riddles and such, The Mysterious Benedict Society: Mr. Benedict's Book of Perplexing Puzzles, Elusive Enigmas, and Curious Conundrums, out a few weeks ago which sounds fun and cute.

I am working on reading Girls Don't Fly, a YA novel about a teen living in a very crowded middle-class home, hoping to get a scholarship for a study abroad program.

Most recently, I just finished Plain Kate and gave it five stars.

For one of my all-time favorite books -- as a mother-daughter story, as a coming-of-age story, and as an historical novel of Oakland CA and the Black Panthers in 1968 -- I've got to recommend the multiple award-winning One Crazy Summer. It's coming out in paperback, I believe, on December 1, and I'll be getting at least one copy for the sake of the new cover! I love the hardback dust-jacket cover, but an image I've seen of the paperback cover is also really neat.

I bought several additional copies of One Crazy Summer at the Borders close-outs just to give them away. One young lady at my church -- she teaches fifth grade at an inner-city Philadelphia school, with an almost entirely Black class -- is going to try to get paperback copies for each of her kids for reading this spring.

One Crazy Summer is about three sisters whose mother left them when the youngest was still an infant, and they live in Brooklyn with their father and his mother, Big Ma. Eleven-year-old Delphine is the "good" girl who's thoroughly parentified and watches out for her two kid sisters, to make sure they don't disappoint Big Ma by making "negro spectacles" of themselves. Nine-year-old Vonetta is the boy-chasing drama queen. Seven-year-old Fern is everybody's sweetheart, carrying her white-faced doll, Patty Cake, with her everywhere. Dad decides the three girls should get to know their mother (who has moved to Oakland) and sends them out there by plane, which is where the story begins.

The story also has a clever little twist toward the end, which I won't go into to avoid SPOILER. {Arf-Arf-Arf}

I'm reading Caddie Woodlawn to my girls and The Door Within to my son.

Stressed out right now. Re-read Penderwicks at Point Mouette, Penderwicks on Gardam Street, and Apple Bough.

I've just finished King of Shadows by Susan Cooper and am now reading it to my son (with some on-the-fly editing of the language).

I've been reading Seraphina by Rachel Hartman and The Runaway Princess by Kate Coombs for myself...

Just a few days ago posted my 5***** review of Rita Williams-Garcia's P.S. Be Eleven, the sequel to One Crazy Summer (one of my all-time favorite books). Also just recently finished Chinua Acebe's Chike and the River. I've just started some reading of Achebe (and just finished a re-read after many years of Things Fall Apart) since Things Fall Apart figures in P.S. Be Eleven as the book that Delphine's interested in reading.

Currently reading Sugar by Jewell Parker Rhodes and planning to get around to Kristin Levine's The Lions of Little Rock.

Mike

I need to get my hands on a copy of P.s. Be Eleven. As mentioned before, I feel the same way as you do about the marvelous One Crazy Summer.

All the best!

-----------------

Currently I'm on a mission to read all Caldecott medal and honor books. I'm having such great, good fun with them. The illustrators are incredibly talented. I'm reading a lot of Jane Yolen and Cynthia Rylant

My favorite thus far (a non Caldecott winner) is The day Tiger Rose said Good bye.

Went on a cruise and checked out some books from the ship's library:
Freddy and the Men From Mars - Freddy is always fun.
Top of the World - as are Toot & Puddle, an exceptionally silly outing, but fun.
The Ice Dragon - now I can say that I've read George R. R. Martin.

Looks I didn't report that I'd read The One and Only Ivan and A Monster Calls here. Both really good, but I needed tissues for both - even more for A Monster Calls - I went out a bought myself a copy of it the first opportunity that arose after reading it, definitely calls out for a re-read. The illustrations in both are really good.

#14 -- I picked up the Penderwicks trilogy while dealing with a nasty cold -- they are wonderful for comfort reading!

I love the Penderwicks. I guess it's too soon for a re-read.

I am reading children's fiction in preparation for the National Book Festival next weekend. I started Knights of the Kitchen Table. I found it more easily set aside that The Enchanted Castle - no, E. Nesbit won't be at the NBF, but TEC is on my TBR list and it was a bright, shiny, copy just begging to be checked out. The Year of the Dog has been quite entertaining so far, I'm more that halfway through. Children's fiction suits my attention span right now. If I make it to the festival, I'll camp out in the children's tent. Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is someone I'd like to hear speak. I enjoyed Emily's Fortune and Emily and Jackson Hiding Out. I I'd also like to hear Katherine Applegate - I really enjoyed The One and Only Ivan. It is a special book.

I'm listening to the Penderwicks right now. Work is really stressful and I agree, they are a a great comfort read, just what I need right now.

I really enjoyed Wings by Christopher Myers. Short, sweet, speaks to how we treat people who are different and what we do when others tease someone who is different. Beautiful illustrations.

Currently on The Wouldbegoods and having just recently finished The Story of the Treasurer Seekers, for both using the Kindle edition of The Works of E. Nesbit (16 books). I'm reading Nesbit, along with A.S. Byatt's The Children's Book (based on Nesbit's life), for the September Reading Through Time Edwardian challenge.

I also just bought three Nesbit books that I stumbled across in a couple used book stores, The Railway Children and The House of Arden among them as I recall.

I just found a used copy of The Children of Noisy Village (by Astrid Lindgren ) and am reading it to my 4-year-old daughter. She is really enjoying it.

#23 by CurrerBell>

I don't get as much time to read Edith Nesbit but it has been fun to collect them:

E. Nesbit covers in my collection

Magic City is a favorite, probably because if figures so strongly in Knight's Castle by Edward Eager

James

This weekend:
Carola Storms the Chalet School
Gay from China at the Chalet School
The Chalet School and Robin
The Sky is Falling

Enjoyed them all.

Also enjoyed The Year of the Rat in the last few weeks.

25> OMG Keeline, do you actually have a book to match each one of those covers?

#27 by CurrerBell>

Yes. It comprises a 30" shelf with some backshelving as needed.

James

Not totally on topic, so, for that I'm adding:
Eric Carle's ABC, The Wind in the Willows, illustrated by Inga Moore, Nijntje & Wat zit er in je buik, mama?.

Especially the 2nd frame of this comic struck me:

Strange. no one has yet mentioned The wind in the willows I have been following a group/thread
which has been following some of the 'illustrators' of that great work.

I'lll get back to you when I find a link.

OK, Here it is

That thread prompted me to get the book from the library.

Quick 4**** read of Glass Town: The Secret World of the Brontë Children. It's actually fairly accurate for a children's book (though I think it might have included information on how the two oldest sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, died). Fortunately, it doesn't demonize Patrick Brontë, though I think it may be a bit harsh to Aunt Branwell.

REading Little Women right now to my girls

We're still reading Christmas books over here.

I started the series Flea's Five Christmases with the kids shortly before Christmas, but it got too dark/disturbing for them after the second one. I was curious about where the author was going, though, so I'm finishing those books up.

With the kids I'm reading Catching Santa by Marc Franco. So far, they're enjoying it a lot more than the Flea series.

bamboozled. Read it myself and then with my Sweetie. Fun!

>35 MDGentleReader: Ooooh...that looks good!

Charlie, my 5-year-old, my husband and I are reading the Winnie the Pooh stories and we're all loving them. They're much more clever than I remember them being!

We finished Catching Santa last night and started The Maze of the Beast by Emily Rodda tonight.

I'm reading an easy version of Little women with my daughter now. Also The Wolf Brother series she loves

Finished The Maze of the Beast last night and started the next one in the series - The Valley of the Lost.

(They're very short books.)

Last month was Eric Carle's birthday, so I introduced a bunch of his books to my toddler class. There were a lot of old favorites that I grew up with, but I also found some Eric Carle's books I had never read before. One of these was 10 Little Rubber Ducks, which I loved so much that I wanted to mention it here.

In June and thus far into July I have finished

Winner's Curse by Ratkowski. YA, first of a series, I think, and yes, I will pick up the next one . . .
Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field. The classic doll story.
Little Pear by Eleanor Lattimore. Old story of a mischievous little Chinese boy.
Jinx by Sage Blackwood. Absolutely great fantasy for young readers. I already got hold of the sequel.
X Isle by Steve Augarde. YA dystopian sci-fi set in Britain after rising seas flood the world.
Wonder by R.J Palacio. Wonder is truly wonderful. Don't miss it.
Meanest Doll in the World by Ann Martin. With terrific illustrations by Brian Selznik

And thanks to the good tips above I added Plain Kate and One Crazy Summer and Monster Calls to my TBR list.

The Glass Slipper by Eleanor Farjeon -- a very straightforward retelling of Cinderella. I am grateful that this is a read-aloud for us as the language needs some minor changes here and there, but the writing and the story are otherwise delightful.

Asterix the Gaul series by Rene Goscinny.

I remember reading Little Pear (as Kleine Sjang in Dutch), had no idea it was a international classic :) nice!

We will be starting an unabridged version of The Adventures of Pinocchio, illustrated by Roberto Innocenti this week. We just got back from Italy, hence my daughter's current obsession with all things Pinocchio.

We started The Phantom Tollbooth before our vacation, but didn't make it through the whole book, so we will probably return to that after Pinocchio.

I just finished Emma Tupper's Diary by Peter Dickinson -- I never read much by Peter Dickinson as a child myself but this is a fast-paced fantasy and I really like it.

And I've just started Silver Woven in My Hair by Shirley Rousseau Murphy, which I'm checking through before (potentially) reading it to my daughter.

Like Merrystar , I've just finished a book by Peter Dickinson but mine was The Kin; Mana's Story - this was the final part of a 4 part series - I enjoyed these - the story of 4 children (Suth, Noli, Ko and Mana) who are among the first people in Africa in prehistoric times.

Last month, I read The Edge Chronicles: Beyond the Deepwoods by Paul Stewart, a couple of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer (listened to those in audio, read by Nathaniel Parker) and a re-read from my own childhood in The Lotus Caves by John Christopher.

Before the end of this month, I'm hoping to make it through at least one more of the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan (I'm up to Book 10 The Emperor of Nihon-Ja) and the next of the Edge Chronicles which is Stormchaser I think.

I'm currently reading A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. I'm on "book the fifth": The Austere Academy. The books are so-so, but I do want to know how the series ends, so I'm working my way through them all.

I'm also just starting to read James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl, but it seems promising. Earlier this summer, I read Fantastic Mr. Fox, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. I really enjoyed all three books, though I did like the movies of Fantastic Mr. Fox (one of my favorite movies of all time) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory more than the books.

I'm trying to get through a lot of classics this summer, because I feel like I didn't read any good, quality books as a child. Now that I'm an Children's Literature major in college, I feel like I need to have some knowledge of classic kidlit. I also read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll, and disliked both of them greatly.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien was amazing. I'm not a huge fan of reading books about anthropomorphic animals, but this book surprised me. It was really, really well written and I highly recommend it. I'm going to order Rasco and the Rats of NIMH (the "sequel" to Mrs. Frisby) by O'Brien's daughter, Jane Leslie Conly soon and see if it's as good as the first.

Earlier in the summer I read Don't Feed the Boy by Irene Latham, and loved it. It's about an 11 year old boy who lives in a zoo because both of his parents work there. His parents never give him the time of day but he's not allowed to leave the zoo grounds. The book is about the boy finding a friend and leaving the zoo. It's quite a good read.

I'm also reading the second book in The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series by Maryrose Wood: The Hidden Gallery. The first book in the series, titled The Mysterious Howling, was a good read. Honestly, I only bought the books because they're illustrated by Jon Klassen, my favorite illustrator/author, but they ended up being very good middle grade novels anyway.

Neil Gaiman impressed me with Coraline when I read it earlier this year, but for some reason it has been taking me months to get through The Graveyard Book. It has gotten rave reviews, but for some reason it's just not able to get my attention. I find it kind of boring, and I don't know why. I'm halfway through it, but every chapter or so, I find myself putting it back on my bookshelf until I look at it enough times and feel guilty that I haven't read it. I'll pick it up again and read another chapter or two, put it back on my bookshelf and repeat the process.

Brought home today from a thrift shop - Time Stops for No Mouse by Michael Hoeye.

> 48 It has gotten rave reviews, but for some reason it's just not able to get my attention. I find it kind of boring, and I don't know why.

That sounds like my experience with every Gaiman book I've ever read.

Mama Kwijt - Chris Haughton

And Ik wil de maan

Yesterday I read Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein and I LOVED it! It's full of puzzles, which I love! I emailed Grabenstein and he replied saying that the sequel to Lemoncello's Library should be published in 2016. He also said that the companion book to Lemoncello's Library, titled The Island of Dr. Libris, will be out in April 2015 (I already preordered it) and is "all about discovering the magic of words and writing."

I also started reading The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand yesterday, and I find it incredibly hard to put down. (I keep picturing the prim and proper female protagonist Victoria as Ray from the movie Uptown Girls and it makes me laugh every time.)

@sweetiegherkin - it's truly odd! I'm all for creepy/scary books, but The Graveyard Book has done nothing for me! I preordered the paperback of Fortunately, the Milk by Gaiman (being released in September) and I'm crossing my fingers that it'll be good.

My son and I both adored Mr. Lemoncello's Library. I will have to keep an eye out for the companion next spring!

I liked Fortunately, the Milk. It's goofy and silly. But I also like the other Gaiman I've read (Neverwhere and Stardust).

My daughter has been requesting The Apple-Pip Princess a lot the last few days. Gorgeous illustrations in that one, and a sweet story.

@merrystar - Neverwhere is one that's been on my wishlist for a while, but I haven't purchased it because I'm afraid I'll be disappointed by Gaiman again. It looks really, really promising though, so I will end up buying it at some point. The Apple-Pip Princess looks like a good book. Jane Ray also wrote/illustrated Can You Catch a Mermaid? which looks super good (I'm a sucker for mermaids - check out The Mermaid and the Shoe by K.G. Campbell - I loved it!). I love love love picture books, so if you need any suggestions for your daughter, I'd love to give you some! (I'm in college majoring in Children's Literature, so I like to pretend I have some knowledge about these things! Ha!)

>55 hannahchristine: I've read nearly all Gaiman's graphic novels, and the only one I enjoyed was the Sandman series. So I'm not what you'd call a fan, heh, but I did enjoy Neverwhere. I'm wary of picking up any more of his books after reading so many of his GNs and not caring for them, and especially after so many people here didn't like American Gods, which is one of those totally hyped books that are "omg must read!!" and all. I suppose eventually I'll check one out of the library and give him another go, but... Anyway point being, I'd give Neverwhere a shot. Can you not get it from the library instead of buying? You could also see about watching the mini-series they did, which is what the book is actually based on, and see if you like that. Personally, I thought the book was a lot better, I wasn't a big fan of the series. But obviously enough people were that he wrote out the book, so, who knows.

merrystar and hannahchristine I love Jane Ray's illustrations and began collecting books with her work in a few years ago - I had several of her bible stories (Noah's Ark, The Story of Christmas) but also her fairy tales Hansel and Gretel, The Twelve Dancing Princesses and The King of Capri, along with some of the collections like The Orchard Book of Mythical Birds and Beasts. Unfortunately, they were popular with other people too, and many were borrowed and either never returned or returned damaged, so my collection has been much reduced.

Another artist/illustrator/author that I've loved is Schim Schimmel - beautiful environmentally themed artwork and stories with a message about looking after the Earth, if that appeals to you. The first of his books I acquired was in an airport bookshop as I was waiting to catch a flight back to the UK - very fortuitous find!

@@PolymathicMonkey - Unfortunately, my local library is small, and often doesn't have the books I'm looking for! I bought The Graveyard Book graphic novel volume 1, and I've enjoyed reading that, though I'm only on the fourth (I think) chapter. I want to check out the Coraline graphic novel; if you read it, what did you think?

@Peace2 - Jane Ray's style isn't my necessarily favorite, but I'm always interested in fairy tale adaptations! Though The Little Mermaid is my favorite, I do like Hansel and Gretel (and all the rest). I bought Hansel & Gretel, illustrated by Monique Felix, at a little used book store in California a few years ago, and I really love the (very creepy!) illustrations. It makes me nervous to let people borrow my books, though not many ask because they understand how attached to them I am. Usually, I do get the books back, but they're never in good condition when they're returned to me. It's quite heartbreaking. And wow! Schim Schimmel is really talented!! I love his work!

I did, I hadn't realized, actually, that they were two separate things. I'd not heard any detail about Coraline, only the title. So I saw it, read it, and only after found out that it's actually the graphic interpretation of a novel. So, I can't compare the two. But I did think it was decent. It's the only one aside of Sandman that didn't really make me scratch my head and go "why did I just waste my time on that?" Heh. It was a bit predictable in places, but not bad. Plus I do enjoy P. Craig Russell's work.

@hannahchristie -- thanks for the offer! Majoring in children's literature sounds like a lot of fun - There are so many wonderful books out there! I love fairy tale adaptations also.

I'll have to see if I can find the mermaid book; unfortunately my library doesn't have it :(. The one I really want to get by Jane Ray is Cinderella, because that is my daughter's favorite fairy tale.

Also I did like the Neverwhere tv series, and I suspect I liked the book because of it. I so rarely bother to read the book if I've seen the "movie" (or vice versa) that I'd forgotten.

@merrystar - Ooh! Jane Ray's Cinderella should be good! I don't really care for the story of Cinderella, but it can be illustrated marvelously if done by the right artist.

Last semester I ended up buying four different versions of Little Red Riding Hood for one of my classes:
- Lon Po Po by Ed Young (A creepily-illustrated tale of three clever children tricking the wolf.)
- Little Red Riding Hood by Trina Schart Hyman (The traditional story, full of intricate borders and clean lines.)
- Little Red Riding Hood by Bernadette Watts (Also the traditional story, but in a book with large pages containing sketchier illustrations.)
- Little Red Riding Hood by Daniel Egneus (May not hold the interest of small children, looks more like the work of a person interested in fashion. Probably for an older audience.)

If your daughter would be interested in this story, I would suggest looking at Hyman's or Watt's versions. They're the same story told in two very different art styles.

Getting lots of good recommends here, but I want to point to a group dedicated strictly to talking about Picture Books:

http://www.librarything.com/groups/picturebooks

It's small, and needs growing.

Thanks hannahchristine! I have the oddest feeling we've read or at least looked at the Trina Schart Hyman version before on one of our "grimm" trips to the library, but red riding hood is not a story we've read too frequently. On a guess she found the wolf scary, but I should try it again with her.

I didn't know there was a picturebook group but it makes perfect sense that there would be!

We've been reading Deer Dancer by Mary Lyn Ray the last few days, which makes a nice change from all the fairy tales.

I just read From Anna and Hey World, Here I am! and Different Dragons. Enjoyed them all, I thought Hey World, Here I am! was the most original. I am officially a Jean Little fan. I've downloaded two more of hers in Kindle format.

Read in August -

In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Opdyke. YA
City of Ink Drinkers by Eric Sanvoisin. J fantasy
Jinx's Magic by Sage Blackwood. J fantasy
Ludie's Life Cynthia Rylant. YA narrative poetry
Dark Side of Nowhere Neal Shusterman. YA Sci Fi
Stitching Stars: the Story Quilts of Harriet Powers Mary Lyons. J non-fic
Charles Dickens: the Man Who Had Great Expectations Diane Stanley. J biog

>64 MDGentleReader: From Anna is on my short list of the absolutely best books ever. There's a sequel, Listen for the Singing. Be sure to read Mine for Keeps. And Once Upon a Golden Apple is a cute picture book. And I could go on, and on, and on . . .

We are currently reading a beautifully illustrated edition of Pinocchio at bedtime and during afternoon snack.

Up next is Sarah, Plain and Tall

I have been reading All of a Kind Family with my daughter, which is one of my own favorites from childhood.

>65 nrmay: I read In My Hands a couple of months ago and was impressed by the author's bravery. I hadn't realised when picking it up that it was a YA novel (it had been on my shelf for about 5 or 6 years) and I thought it was well presented for the age group, but I'd have also been interested to read a 'fuller' version.

I've just read The Battle of the Olympians and the Titans by Cari Meister with my nephew as he's been on a bit of a Greek Myth and Legend kick of late. He's now trying The Lion's Slave by Terry Deary (he of Horrible History fame). He's about to learn about the Tudors at school (a period I know next to nothing about I'm ashamed to say), and unfortunately our library doesn't seem to have any of the Terry Deary Tudor Tales, like The Prince, The Cook and the Cunning King or The Maid, The Witch and the Cruel Queen. Does anyone know of any other 'fictional' accounts of Tudor life suitable for an 8 year old?

For myself, I'm tucking into The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan with Brilliance of the Moon by Lian Hearn next on that particular TBR pile.

>69 Peace2:

If you liked In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer, you might try I Will Plant You a Lilac Tree: a Memoir of a Schindler's List Survivor by Laura Hillman. Both are true accounts; this one is a Jewish teenager's experience during the Holocaust. Also YA.

Recently read The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear and Locomotive, both books that I picked up as a present for a youngster in my family. These books seemed to be geared more towards boys, but I think plenty of girls might enjoy them as well. Personally, I liked The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear a little bit more as it was rather entertaining, but I can also definitely see why Locomotive was an award winner.

When I was a kid, I absolutely loved Dr. Seuss's books and read and re-read over and over again his titles that were available in my public library growing up. Over the past few months, I've been slowly working on filling in the blanks of my library's Seuss collection (as well as re-reading some of the ones I cherished). Last week I picked up three new (to me) Seuss titles: I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today!, If I Ran the Zoo, and The Big Brag. I also found Gerald McBoing Boing, a book based on the movie of the same name, written by Dr. Seuss. I read this last one with my babysitting charge yesterday, who giggled over it and immediately wanted to hear it again!

Rereading one of my very favorites!
The Exiles by British author Hilary McKay.

Very funny story of four wonderful sisters who love books. There are two terrific sequels.
All her books are great.

>70 nrmay: Thanks for the suggestion - I've added it to my wishlist!

I'm making my way through The Edge Chronicles - so far I've read Beyond the Deepwoods, Stormchaser and The Stone Pilot by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. The characters are descriptions are great and the illustrations fit really well - the two work perfectly together. I've added a few more of these to my collection and hope to get through the series over the next few months.

I've also started The Squire's Tale series by reading Squire Terence and the Maiden's Knight by Gerald Morris. This series retells the stories of the Knights of the Round Table. I'm not enjoying it as much as I am the other series, but it's okay.

Lately I've been enjoying the books by Helen Palmer (aka Mrs. Dr. Seuss). Her legacy is completely overshadowed by that of her famous husband, although the couple of books I've read so far - I Kissed a Seal at the Zoo and A Fish Out of Water - have been delightful. With both titles, I shared them with kids I was babysitting (ages ranging from 4 to 7), and they were enthralled by these books. I'll be looking out for more books written by her, but it appears that several of them are now considered rare/collectible.

The Serial Garden by Joan Aiken and The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren have been common read-aloud requests for both of my children lately.

I have just completed Panic by Lauren Oliver. It was decent. The storyline was interesting (though it almost seemed like a The Hunger Games ripoff), but Oliver's writing overall is subpar. I'm going to give her a second chance with Vanishing Girls but I don't know if that one will be much better.

I purchased Duck, Death and the Tulip today because the art is absolutely magnificent.

I have just noticed, while rereading A Letter for Leo and The Lion and the Bird, how strikingly similar the plots are of these two picture books. I found that The Lion and the Bird is much better overall, though, in the writing and illustrations.

From March 2015 to present....

Terry Pratchett, Nation
Maryrose Wood, The Unmapped Sea
Paul Durham, The Luck Uglies and The Luck Uglies #2: Fork-Tongue Charmers
Sage Blackwood, Jinx, Jinx's Magic, and Jinx's Fire
Elizabeth Goudge, The Little White Horse

And currently about two-thirds of the way through Laura Amy Schlitz's Splendors and Glooms

I love the Little White Horse! I should get that out for my kids soon.

My house has been stuck on Little House books -- we finished the original Little House on the Prairie books and are now about halfway through the books about Laura's daughter Rose (eg. Little House on Rocky Ridge ). The Rose books are new to me, but I think I like them more for the ongoing story of Laura and Almanzo than for Rose herself.

>79 merrystar:. I like the Caroline, Charlotte and Martha books better than the Rose ones.

Read the fourth in the Penderwicks series - Penderwicks in Spring. Wonderful. Love the series.

The Gaither sisters are back! I'm just starting Gone Crazy in Alabama, which came out in April as the third and final volume of the trilogy, following on One Crazy Summer and P.S. Be Eleven (and see my 5***** review of the latter).

I just won Madame Martine and Tricky Vic: The Impossibly True Story of the Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower in a giveaway from This Picture Book Life. The latter was much more interesting than the former, and the illustrations were extremely unique.

Just finished Old-Time Toys by Bobbie Kalman - interesting history and color photos.
and
It's Raining Laughter, children's poems and photos by Nikki Grimes

Highly recommend Storm Warriors by Elisa Carbone.

I picked this book up in the National Parks Shop on the Outer Banks. Historical fiction, it centers around the Pea Island Life Saving Station in the 1890s. The station was manned by a heroic team of African Americans. Great adventure and historical detail. It was an ALA Notable Book and won the Jefferson Cup Award.

Finally (finally!) reading The Dark is Rising with my son which I've wanted to do for awhile now. Loved that book at his age. My daughter has started The Magic Tree House series with us.

I'm just barely starting M.T. Anderson's Symphony for the City of the Dead, which will be coming out toward the end of September and which I won on Early Review. It's about the Siege of Leningrad and Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony, so it ties in nicely with the RTT group's third-quarter read on WW2. Anderson tends to write rather high-level-reader YA, so this definitely has an adult spill-over and I'm not sure how many YAs will be interested in it. I do want to get it read fairly promptly, though, to post my ER review.

J/YA books read in August that I liked -

Matilda Bone Karen Cushman
The Boy Who Spoke Dog Clay Morgan
The Bitter Kingdom Rae Carson
Little Humans Brandon Stanton
Preacher's Boy Katherine Paterson