Can you publish appropriate age for each title?

Listeners likely know that Rick Riordan of Percy Jackson fame has a new Egypt-themed trilogy, with “The Red Pyramid” as the first book. This is a great read for tween & up (10+) kids to combine with an Egypt-themed visit. Many museums have audio tours for kids (the Secret to Tomb 10A that recently left Boston’s MFA had one, as does the Cleopatra exhibit in Philly). Most major museums have an ancient Egypt section. Boston also has the fun “Tomb” interactive adventure. These are great ways to combine kid fiction with fun learning & family exploring time.

There is a military museum oriented towards children (maybe with an eye towards recruitment), very interactive and computerized, and I thought it was in Philadelphia. I see a New Hall Military Museum there, but can’t tell if it’s the one, or supported with print material for young people.

Another great series for young adults to dive into for the summer is “Chaos Walking” by Patrick Ness. The first book: “The Knife of Never Letting Go” keep me completely entranced throughout. Good for fans of Suzanne Collins. Patrick Ness’ website is at http://www.patrickness.com/books.html and the third (final) book in the series will hit U.S. shores in September.

For the seven to ten crowd, who might like Dahl or Ibbotson, a gentle hilarious read is THE OUTLANDISH ADVENTURES OF LIBERTY AIMES. Great character lessons.

Jonathan Safron and John Green and Michio Kaku are authors my children turned me onto, their reading lists have kept me going. I loved reading through the authors targeting juvenile readers, summer reading is as important as the sun. Our libraries are filled, schools can send books home, non profit books sales, there is NO reason for anyone not to have a great book this summer!

There are beginning to be books that are available as “aps” on i-phones (I think; I don’t have one). The name Frog Dog media comes to mind. A child clicks to the next frame, and there are simple pictures. I think it can click for you. It’s for waiting in the car or at the doctor’s office, etc. You can have the story read aloud as it clicks. And/Or it displays text. This seems to be becoming a Disney-type field, with studios creating the visual as well as audio and words. The well-paid part is the big-name readers of audio. (As I recall.)
But these are written especially for this medium; it’s not Good Night Moon as downloadable.

Can you suggest any books for young adolescent Latino males? They have the highest High School drop out rate in the country and I think good books that speak to their life realities would help greatly. Thanks, Ann

Even though it’s an old series, I loved reading the
“Little House on the Prairie” series. The books are a really interesting look at how people lived during the time of the westward expansion, told through the eyes of young girls. Especially in these times of excessive technology, it’s amazing for kids to come to terms with how people lived without ANT technology, including electricity. I swear that these books made my kids much more resourceful than they would have been otherwise.

Mirror, Mirror sounds to be a delightful poetry collection. What fun!

I might try the style as my entry in NaNoWriMo 2010.

Thanks, On Point! =)

As a kid, my parents read to me every night, but I was always reluctant to read independently. In fifth grade I read a book by Ann Rinaldi and loved it. (Her books are historical fiction and feature a young girl at an interesting time in American history.) Now I am a PhD student who reads hundreds of pages each week. I give a lot of credit to my parents for all the hours they spent reading to me and to Ann Rinaldi for sparking my interest in independent reading.

About simultaneously with your post, Esme’s mother called in to promote her daughter’s book Sahara Expresso (or something like that), about the inner city world of Chicago. It has a stubborn, self-possessed heroine, and she reads it to her 6th grade class each year for 10 minutes at the start of class, and each year both sexes love it and say read more, read more. Jane Clayson says she’ll post the title to the site.
I think that’s close to what Ann is looking for, for Latino teen males. Close, not a direct hit.

of owning books. Try the second-hand bookstores. Like high-chairs and romper suits, children’s books often get “recycled.” They cost way, way less.

If your child won’t read, write for your child. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, but just enough to connect the reality of a living person’s imagination with the printed page.

“Out of My Mind” by Sharon M. Draper is a stunningly written book for young adults written from the point of view of a nonverbal eleven year old girl with severe spastic cerebral palsy. No one knows that this girl is very intelligent until she acquires technology that frees her. The book is about acceptance and seeing the person, not the disability. Wonderful.

Would like to recommend some books by Farley Mowat. Great for boys in first – fourth grade. Mowat writes about his childhood in Canada with great humor. I found it difficult to find good books for boys about boys. Owls in the House and the Dog Who Wouldn’t Be are both great choices.

Read the Little House books as an adult and you will have new found respect for Laura as a young girl and woman in the American West. My 10 year old son and eight year old girl were mesmerized as I read them to them this winter. My boy esp. as he found them interesting about life on the prairie what with the fires, bugs, winds, building, animals it is actually great for boys too. Laura has become my new heroine.
JBA

We are reading the Percy Jackson series this summer, while concurrently reading The Children’s Homer published in 1955 I don’t recall the author/translator. But because they both have a new understanding about Greek mythology they are enjoying it tremendously!

Great show today. While listening, I got online and ordered each of my grandkids a book from your suggestions.

I really enjoyed listening to the program today. I would love to recommend the Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo for the listener who wanted suggestions for her son who needed to rest this summer. Wonderfully delightful read alouds or if he is a recent independent reader. I am an elementary library media specialist and my 1st graders love them! Also my own 3rd grader loves the Books of Ember series by Jeanne DuPrau and the Overlander Chronicles also by Suzanne Collins.

Loved the show!

I would say that though the Little House books were a huge part of my childhood, I think The Birchbark House and its sequels by Louise Erdrich are a must-read for kids who have read Laura’s stories. She tells the story of the native people (Ojibwa) who live in the same area of North America where Laura and her family move to. It’s wonderful and I know that children adore it.

One nonfiction book published last year that I must suggest is Elizabeth Partridge’s powerful and readable Marching for Freedom. It’s a moving story of the young people who marched in Selma and Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement.

Three (or more!) cheers for Monica’s suggestion of One Crazy Summer. It’s my favorite of the year–exciting story of independence, political awakening and the Black Panther party. And, it is very, very funny. Perfect for grades four and up.

If you or your kids are interested in the Black Panther Party, Kekla Magoon’s The Rock and the River is terrific for middle and high schoolers.

Now, go read!

Loved the show today. I teach first grade and my daughter-in-law teaches 7&8th. Got lots of ideas for both of us. Ordered some and put a link to your booklist on my facebook page for parents to see.

For the active 6 year old who needs to rest, but also for a broad range of young readers, I strongly recommend The Secrets of Droon series by Tony Abbott.

It’s a fantasy adventure series with strong and engaging characters, both male and female, written with a great sense of fun and humor. There are about 40 books in the series by now.

My son was a reluctant new reader, because the books he could read to himself were so much less interesting than those we were reading to him. We began the first Droon book as his bedtime reading one night, and he got up early the next morning to read it himself, as he couldn’t wait find out what happened next … and with that he was “hooked” on reading!

[...] talks about summer reading for kids. All Things Considered and On Point on the same [...]

Thanks for the show today. I caught part of it while running between Cub Scout Day Camp and cello lessons… and was able to get the rest through the live stream on-line. (Wow, am I glad that was available so I didn’t have to sit in my garage to listen!) We were just trying to figure out what to check out for a nine year old who is a reluctant reader (in a house of book nuts). I’m on our public library’s web page reserving books right now!

I agree with the grandmother who mentioned the Pinkalicious series of picture books. My personal favorite in this series is Purplicious. The illustrations are just fantastic and the Purplicious story has a great message about not being a slave to fashion. Pinkalicious is a refreshing character with a lot to say.

I loved being a guest, and just wanted to thank everyone today who tuned in and called in with such kind comments and their own exciting suggestions! That wasn’t actually mom my phoning in, I was just joking around because the caller was so generous and complimentary (thank you!). Ann, Age recommendations are on my website http://www.planetesme.com for all the books I suggest, and the sites I cited on the show are http://www.indiebound.org and http://www.kidlitosphere.org. Enthusiasts, I also run a children’s book salon at planetesmebookroom.blogspot.com with a children’s lit training component in development, and my book HOW TO GET YOUR CHILD TO LOVE READING has over a thousand teacher-tested, kid approved recommendations. Ann, a couple of great authors that focus on Latino teens are Gary Soto and Francisco Jiminez (younger kids should all know the work of Yuyi Morales). Also, I agree with poster Susan Rice, there’s no reason why every child in this country should not have a great book to read this summer…and if anyone knows a child for whom this is not true, please do your part toward changing that by supporting your local and school libraries, giving books as gifts and building shared home-based collections!

I missed the show, so I’m glad to see the reading lists posted. Anything recommended by these folks is a guaranteed gem! Thank you!

Susan Cooper’s The Dark Is Rising series was fabulous when I was a girl and my children have loved them as well. Also Lloyd Alexander’s books. Both authors write based on Celtic mythology, feature exciting heroines and heroes.
Thanks for posting the lists.

Listening to your show while driving from the Cape to New Jersey. Enjoyed it immensely and as a third grade educator, I am always looking for great read-a-louds as well as good books to refer to my students. My favorites: How to Steal a Dog by:Barbara O’Connor; A Dog’s Life by Ann Martin; Other terrific authors to look at:
Bill Wallace
Avi
Cynthia DeFelice
Andrew Clements
(I could go on…) just a few to try out.
Remember: The BEST gift you can give your child is the gift of “time” and reading to them!!!!

Books for readers 8 – 13, especially boys

Max Elliot Anderson
Books For Boys Blog
http://booksandboys.blogspot.com

[...] [...]

[...] NPR’s On Point has a look at some summer reads – including the True Meaning of Smekday [...]

My 10-year-old loves to read novels that include sports — and powered through John Coy’s TOP OF THE ORDER, James Preller’s SIX INNINGS, and Jordan Sonnenblick’s DODGER AND ME (this one is also goofy-funny, and there are two more in the series).

[...] Esme Raji Codell, Monica Edinger and Pete Cowdin talk about summer reading for kids on NPR’s On Point show. You can see their book recommendations and listen to the broadcast here. [...]

Alas, Bats at the Ballgame won’t be published until September…but Bats at the Ballgame and Bats at the Library are great summer choices. My kindergartner loved both. My almost-4th-grader loved The Red Pyramid and Mirror, Mirror, and I (an actual adult human!) am PLOTZING with eagerness for the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy. The first two books in the series (The Hunger Games and Catching Fire) are un-put-down-able beach reads for grownups!

So many great choices from your guests. Thanks so much for sharing! I saw a bunch of favorite books that I loved and my kids read also.

We did Squirrel’s Birthday for a kid bookclub. It’s so sweet.

We gave Miss Brooks Loves Books (and I Don’t) as a teacher present b/c her maiden name was Miss Brooks (and she married this past April). We gave her Lily’s Big Day for a wedding present — at least, part of it b/c she invited the entire class of kiddos.

Pragmatic Mom
Type A Parenting for the Modern World

http://PragmaticMom.com
I blog on children’s lit, parenting and education

[...] http://www.onpointradio.org/2010/07/summer-reads-for-kids [...]

[...] episode of On Point that aired earlier this month. Visit the website to listen to the interview: http://www.onpointradio.org/2010/07/summer-reads-for-kids. It’s a great discussion which raised a lot of questions for [...]

[...] to it yourself at On Point at NPR, and read the book [...]