Favorite Books for Kids

Mr Hughes from An Educator's Life has created a linky for people to share their favorite read-aloud books for kids in third through eighth grade.  I have so many favorite books, I simply can't help myself!  I have to share too!

And can I admit to you a little secret?  I read aloud to my kids almost every night still.  My son just turned 12 and my daughter turns 10 in just a couple weeks.  They still adore story time!  Currently, we are reading the last book in the Larklight series, "Mothstorm," by Philip Reeve.  I think the consensus so far is that the second book was better than the first, but Mothstorm is definitely holding its own!  The illustrations throughout all these books are wonderful!  We also listen to audio books in the car when we drive...we are book-junkies!  But that's just some background information so you know we do a lot of reading around here and can make some pretty good recommendations (but don't ask my friend Wendy to verify that!  She'll tell you we always read too many sad books!)

To make this somewhat relevant to my puzzle blog, my first recommendation will be "The Mysterious Benedict Society".  This book, written by Trenton Lee Stewart, is fantastic!  At the very beginning the characters in the book have to take several tricky and puzzling tests.  Those that pass are invited into the Benedict Society and the adventures begin!  The characters in this book are each brilliant in their own way.  I love how they come together to solve problems.  There are 2 other books in the series and a prequel too (a book about Mr Benedict's early life)...all worth reading!

My next recommendation is "Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos" by RL Lafevers.  Theodosia Throckmorton is a cunning girl with a brain full of Egytian tidbits!  Theodosia's parents don't realize how very knowledgeable she is, but she manages to save them time and again.  This would be a perfect read-aloud for your class if you are also studying Ancient Egypt! 

Next up, "The Search for Wondla".  Tony DiTerlizzi is an author and illustrator who just BLOWS my mind!  His books are delicious!  So far there are two books in this series (both awesome!) and we are eagerly awaiting book 3.  Eva Nine is the main character.  She grows up with a robot named MUTHR in an underground Sanctuary.  The adventure begins when she must leave Sanctuary.  She meets some incredible aliens along the way!

I guess its time for some non-fantasy recommendations.  "The Higher Power of Lucky" by Susan Patron is one of those feel-good types of books.  The characters are so well crafted, they stay with you for a long time.  We didn't realize this was a series when we first read it, so we were super excited when we found book 2 and book 3 at the library!  All fantastic!  There are some issues that Lucky and her friends deal with that might be better for older readers, but it does lead to some good conversations.

And "The Penderwicks" by Jeanne Birdsall!  This is such a sweet book!  I am a huge fan of books that portray loving siblings and families.  The Penderwick sisters have lost their mother, but they take care of each other and their dad and a new friend they make on their vacation.  They don't have a huge adventure, but the story-line totally moves.  This is another book that deals with issues that some readers may want to avoid, like death and divorce.

So that's going to be it for today!  I have so many books I could recommend, but I'll save some for later!