Spring Break Recs: New Middle Grade for 8-13
March 14, 2024 § Leave a comment
I’m not sure I’ve ever counted down to Spring Break quite as fervently as I have this year. I need a break. My kids need a break. And we all need to get off screens. Cue a device-free week of puzzles, hikes, board games, and lots and lots of reading. At least, that’s my plan. (Happy to accept all ideas for how to convince my teens to go along without pitching a knock-down-drag-out fit.) Seriously, though, and I speak from experience: vacations can do wonders for resetting our children’s relationship with recreational reading.
If you have middle-grade readers, then they are in for a treat, because the start to 2024 has been one of the strongest I can remember. At the risk of jinxing our luck, it finally seems publishers have gotten the memo that today’s readers are looking for more action and less heaviness, shorter page counts and bigger servings of humor. There are some big crowd pleasers here. There are also some quieter, thoughtful reads that don’t sacrifice good pacing. Below, you’ll find mystery, thriller, horror, realistic contemporary fiction, historical fiction, and even a touch of sci fi. My word, all that and it isn’t but three months into the year! I wouldn’t be surprised if next year’s Newbery winner was in this list.
Let’s dig in. (And PSST: if you’re local and want to drop by Old Town Books, we have signed copies of several of these titles while supplies last. You can see me while you’re at it, as I’ll be there all day on Saturday, March 16 for our Books in Bloom event!)
« Read the rest of this entry »Valentine’s Day: Self-Love Edition
February 8, 2024 § Leave a comment
In my opinion, Valentine’s Day greatly improved as a holiday when I started thinking of it as a chance to gift myself and my loves ones a new book (or three). Any great book will do, of course, but I do love something that approaches the idea of love in a clever, non-traditional way. Past favorites have included Viking in Love, All the Beating Hearts, and Brimsby’s Hats. (If you’re following me on Instagram, you’ll be getting a new recommendation every day between now and the 14th). But I think today’s picture book takes the (heart-shaped) cake for Most Unlikely Book to Gift for Valentine’s Day.
Pepper & Me is a story about a scab. You heard me. Well, more accurately, it’s a story about a girl who gets a scab from falling down—and then goes on to name that scab, talk to that scab, and befriend that scab. Is that weird? Yup, it’s super-duper weird. Does it also feel authentic, like could I picture my own children doing something like this when they were younger? Absolutely. (I mean, my son did warm to a restaurant straw wrapper that he kept on his bedside table for months.) Is it all kinds of delightful because the story is written and illustrated by the magnificent Italian storyteller, Beatrice Alemagna, the talent behind one of my forever favorites, On a Magical Do-Nothing Day? You better believe it.
All those points aside, what could Pepper & Me possibly have to do with Valentine’s Day? Well, here’s the thing. Initially, our protagonist is repulsed by this scab on her knee. “Hideous scab,” she calls it. She feels marred by its presence and fearful of its persistence. And yet, as the days go on, she turns her curiosity on the bloody aberration and, in doing so, begins to accept, even embrace, it as part of herself. Ultimately, what makes this story one of love is the way it showcases the girl’s emotional journey from resistance to re-framing. It may be the quirkiest expression of self-love to grace the pages of a picture book, but it’s a marvelous way to introduce the idea of what might happen if we learn to love all our parts, even the ugly ones.
« Read the rest of this entry »What Lunar New Year Teaches Us About January
January 25, 2024 § 1 Comment
I’m gaga over the book I’m showcasing today: a cultural lesson, a visual feast, and a dream for kids who miss the interactive flaps of their toddler years. But before I get to that, let’s step back for a second.
Earlier this month, I was sitting next to a friend at my daughter’s basketball game. We were discussing the pressure to get our act together every January. I’m not setting any New Year’s resolutions, I told her. I’m exhausted from the holiday season at the bookstore. I’m exhausted from the holidays themselves. I’m exhausted from travel and making nice with family and eating. I don’t even want to make my bed this month, much less reinvent myself. I definitely don’t want to give up wine.
She shared something she had just read in a newsletter from wellness guru and author, Danielle LaPorte. The lead-in was this: “Hold Up! January is *NOT* the New Year…not actually. Not seasonally, not energetically, not for thousands of years according to the LUNAR NEW YEAR. So, stay in your jams and hold off on the resolutions.”
LaPorte goes on to explain that our American calendar is a mash-up of the western Georgian calendar (365 days in a year) and the eastern Lunar calendar (254 days), which is why some holiday dates are set and some fluctuate with the year. Our calendar might decree January 1 as New Year’s Day, but many of our citizens whose cultural heritage hails from Eastern Asian countries follow the lead of China and celebrate on the first new moon of every year, otherwise known as Lunar New Year. This puts those New Year’s celebrations squarely in the middle of February, with this year’s beginning on Saturday, February 10.
For those who recognize Lunar New Year as the start of the new year, January is not a time for revving up internal engines. It’s a time for rest. A time for incubation. A time for sweeping away dust and fluffing up our nests. A time for taking stock. In that light, the fact that our bodies want to cling to the blanket on the couch, that our brains want the escape of a book more than a list of “to dos” in a shiny new planner, isn’t something to feel guilty about. It’s the cosmic order of things.
(Apparently, there’s also a whole Mercury in Retrograde thing going on this year that makes it even harder to get anything of significance accomplished in January.)
As my friend introduced this idea, and as I read more about it, a tightness inside me released. We don’t have to celebrate Lunar New Year to learn from its traditions. Curiosity is almost always rewarded with new insights about human behavior and the world we share. And what I was hearing made such intuitive sense.
In recent years, there have been some fantastic children’s books released on the subject of Lunar New Year, not just for those who celebrate but for the rest of us to learn about it, too. (Michelle Sterling’s A Sweet New Year for Red and Dane Liu’s Friends Are Friends, Forever are two favorite picture books you might remember if you follow me on Instagram.) Of the numerous releases this year, there is one that ascends to the top, an extraordinarily illustrated primer on Lunar New Year, including the days leading up to it, encased in a box-like, gold-trimmed cover and boasting not 10 but more than 140 itty-bitty flaps in its pages. The Lucky Red Envelope (ages 4-8) is written and illustrated by Vikki Zhang, a renowned artist trained in traditional Chinese painting, born in China and residing today in both Shanghai and New York. And what a talent she is!
« Read the rest of this entry »2023 Gift Guide: Board Books for Ages 0-4
December 14, 2023 § Leave a comment
We’ve done it! We’ve made it to the end of this year’s Gift Guide! And by “we” I mean a very tired, very grateful, me. Thank you for showing up, once again, with lots of enthusiasm for this year’s Guide. It is an enormous amount of work, but it always feels worthwhile when I hear about the gems you’re gifting and how well the books are received. A special thanks to those of you near and far who have supported my work at Old Town Books by choosing to purchase your books there. Indie bookstores forever!
Thankfully, I’m not too tired to sing the praises of some of my favorite board books of the year. Last year, I didn’t do a board books installment on the Gift Guide, and y’all begged me to bring it back. I hope these picks bring a big smile to the littlest people in your life! (I know my nephews will be quite excited.)
This is by no means a comprehensive list. But it is a list of some of the most original, interactive titles of the year, including those with extra-special gift appeal. Many are part of a series, so I’ve listed any additional titles in the reviews.
I know you’re shocked, but I’m not going to regale you with long descriptions of each. (See tired me.) But they’re board books! They barely have any words! Plus, the art speaks for itself!
Finally, a note on ages. We typically think about board books as serving babies, and that’s certainly true for some of these titles. But I’m also including some that are geared towards the toddler and even preschool audiences! Age ranges are noted in the headlines, and the books are presented in no particular order. Here we go!
« Read the rest of this entry »2023 Gift Guide: Young Adult Books for 12 & Up
December 8, 2023 § Leave a comment
We’re closing in on the finish line, with only two posts left! Today is my Young Adult roundup, with terrific fiction and non-fiction titles for teens (excluding graphic novels, which were included here). It’s a killer list, with a wide range of topics and styles (though it’s still me, so plenty of prickly protagonists and social justice themes, and also I can’t help it if not a lot of boy protagonists are being written so don’t come at me). It also has a fair bit more 12+ titles (versus 14+) than in years past, and that’s by design. With the young adult category growing increasingly more mature (due to it being consumed by more and more adults), middle schoolers especially are at a loss for age-appropriate recommendations. Of course, I’ve also got great ideas here for high schoolers, too (yes, and adults).
My only regrets are that I didn’t get to read Pascale Lacelle’s Curious Tides (14+), a buzzy new dark academia thriller that has been getting rave reviews and that my co-workers loved (think Ninth House with less violence), and Brandy Colbert’s The Blackwoods (14+), a character-driven novel about the price of fame, with a multi-generational window into Black Hollywood (another one that my co-workers loved). Had I had time to read these two books, I feel certain they’d be on this list. Also, for your dragon fantasy lovers, there’s a new story in Christopher Paolinni’s Eragon world; it’s Murtagh (and we have signed copies at Old Town Books!).
If you’re looking for more ideas for young teens, there are some fantastic recommendations from earlier this year on my Summer Reading Guide.
Most of the books below are new this fall, with the exception of three. We Deserve Monuments came out in late December of last year, but I haven’t sung its praises on the blog before and that needs to change. The others are Star Splitter and Warrior Girl Unearthed, which came out this past May and, again, are too good not to include.
As always, please shop the Gift Guide at Old Town Books or at a favorite indie near you!
Titles presented in order of target ages.
« Read the rest of this entry »2023 Gift Guide: Graphic Novels for Kids & Teens
December 1, 2023 § Leave a comment
The fifth installment of the Gift Guide is packed with graphic novels! I’ve got some terrific selects for you, both fiction and non-fiction, including some for kids and some for teens. Nearly all are new this fall! As was the case with my middle-grade installment, I gave a lot of thought to things with ultra-kid appeal that still felt original or meaty or really, really beautiful.
Please note that I never include sequels in these lists, and this fall has seen some awesome new titles in favorite series, including The First Cat in Space and the Soup of Doom, Above the Trenches (the latest in one of my kids’ favorite series, Hazardous Tales), and Huda F Cares? (sequel to the hilarious YA graphic novel, Huda F Are You?, a Gift Guide pick from a few years ago). Not to mention the new Cat Kid, just out…
These lists are not necessarily Best of the Year lists, either, because if they were I would include some of the graphic novels I covered in this year’s Summer Reading Guide (part one and part two) or Spring Break Round Up, exceptional titles that are beloved in our house, like Parachute Kids and Lo and Behold. It would include A First Time for Everything, which just won the National Book Award, and Sunshine, which just took home the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, because we love, love, love those.
All this is to say that it has been another banner year for graphic novels, and another year to remind ourselves that with their wide-ranging vocabulary, clever construction, complex characters, and truly incredible art, graphic novels are worth celebrating, not censoring. And with so many of today’s readers ga-ga over them, they’ll make some of the most popular gifts under the tree.
Presented in order of age, with teen titles towards the bottom.
« Read the rest of this entry »2023 Gift Guide: Middle Grade for Ages 8-14
November 28, 2023 § Leave a comment
In the fourth installment of this year’s Gift Guide, we’re turning our attention to middle-grade reads that aren’t graphic novels (those will get their own installment next!). I’m especially proud of this grouping, which includes standard middle grade (ages 8-12), as well as upper middle grade, an expanding category aimed at middle schoolers who might not be ready for the comparative heaviness of young adult literature. All but two are new this fall. (I had to throw in The Swifts and What Happened to Rachel Riley? even though they were included in round-ups earlier in the year, because they are too good not to recommend one more time for the people in the back.)
I was especially picky when choosing these titles—translate: I read and rejected, read and rejected—because I’m finding an increasing disconnect between what publishers are publishing and what today’s young readers want to read. Many of you have echoed my struggle to find shorter, faster-paced stories that hook readers straight out of the gate, that are funny and fun but still amount to something meaningful and authentic. Others have readers who tear through books so quickly that the challenge becomes finding something meaty, challenging, original. Some of you have complained that there aren’t enough realistic middle grade with boy protagonists (you’re correct). Others have kids who only read fantasy or nonfiction. I hope you will find all of these needs answered in the collection below, which truly offers something for every kind of reader.
All these books are in stock at Old Town Books, where I work as the children’s buyer, so especially if you’re local, I hope you will consider supporting our beautifully curated store!
And for those looking for more stand-out 2023 middle grade, check out my Summer Reading Guide here and here and my Spring Break Reading Round-Up here.
Titles are arranged from youngest to oldest, so if you have readers closer to ages 12-14, you’ll want to scroll down.
« Read the rest of this entry »2023 Gift Guide: Illustrated Chapter Books for Ages 5-10
November 17, 2023 § 2 Comments
Today’s installment of the Gift Guide is a small but mighty selection of books perfect for reading aloud or building the momentum of emerging or newly confident readers. This is the first time my Gift Guide has included a collection like this, simply because these types of books don’t typically look or feel particularly gifty. But this year offered some gems, including re-released, souped-up classics, as well as new series written or illustrated by some of the finest and funniest creators today.
There’s an array of ages and levels represented, with some titles considered early chapter books and others designed for strong readers overwhelmed by the longer, more serious titles of traditional middle-grade. The headlines will give you age range suggestions, while the interior photos will help you gauge language and words per page.
Everything below is either a stand-alone story or the first in a series. So, before we go any further, you need to know that three of the very best chapter series for emerging readers (also for reading aloud) got new installments this year, so if you haven’t gotten your hands on Dory Fantasmagory: Can’t Live Without You, Cornbread & Poppy at the Museum, and Anne Dares, add these to your gift list. And if you don’t know these series, remedy that immediately, I implore you.
As always, titles are in stock at Old Town Books, though I encourage you to support an indie near you.
Let’s begin! And remember, those with more mature readers may want to scroll past the first two titles here and get straight to the meatier stuff.
« Read the rest of this entry »2023 Gift Guide: The Picture Books
November 14, 2023 § 1 Comment
Welcome to the second installment of this year’s Gift Guide, a collection of the giftiest picture books of the year! (If you missed the first installment on Browsable Non-Fiction & Novelty Books, you can catch up here. And stay tuned for lots more posts, including graphic novels and older kid favorites, coming soon!)
It has been another banner year for picture books, and I didn’t have to work hard to find a wide array of memorable stories, unique executions, and beautiful art. The challenge was how to narrow them down! (And then on Instagram y’all pleaded with me not to leave any out…which is why this list includes a few additional titles beyond what I’ve curated for Old Town Books.) I don’t envy you your decisions!
Most of these books are newly published, though there are a handful that came out earlier in the year, without my giving them proper due on the blog. Suggested age ranges are included in every headline, and for those hankering for more photos of interior spreads, my Instagram feed is always good for that.
If you’re near Alexandria, Virginia, I’d love to see you at Old Town Books, where I’ve got all of these picks stocked. And if you have a wonderful indie near you, I’d love for you to support them, too.
Happy reading, happy gifting, happy golden age of picture books! (OUR CHILDREN ARE SO LUCKY.)
« Read the rest of this entry »2023 Gift Guide: Browsable Non-Fiction & Novelty Books for Ages 2-15
November 7, 2023 § Leave a comment
Houston, we have lift off! Welcome to the first installment of the 2023 Gift Guide. It may be a bit later in hitting your inboxes this year, but trust me when I tell you that the wait will have been worth it. I have never worked harder to find the giftiest books of the year—most of them published just in the past few weeks—and I can honestly say it’s the best Guide yet. In coming weeks, as fast as I can pen these posts, you’ll be getting SIX more installments: Picture Books, Illustrated Chapter Books, Middle Grade, Graphic Novels, Young Adult, and Board Books. Whew, that’s a lot of books!
Today is all about the Show Stoppers. These are the books with max gift appeal. The books that might feel, whether to an avid reader or one who’s more reluctant, a little different than the status quo. When I polled you on social media about what you wanted to see more of on this year’s Guide, the resounding answer was THESE KIND OF BOOKS. So yes, thanks to you, this section is now unwieldy and massive and totally awesome.
Some of these books are interactive. Some are browsable non-fiction that you can leave casually lying around the house for hours of turn-to-any-page, stumble-upon-new-knowledge entertainment. You’ll see new titles in favorite series from past Gift Guides, as well as a host of books that will feel completely new.
Let’s talk for a second about shopping. If you’re in the Northern Virginia area, I would love it if you’d consider buying your books from Old Town Books, where I work and where the entire Kids & Teen Guide is on display. If you live near another terrific indie, please support them! Indie bookstores are vital to book-loving communities and can only flourish with your support. (And hey, while I have you, snag tickets to my two upcoming in-person events here!)
Shall we begin? With the exception of the first two heavy hitters, titles are roughly arranged from youngest to oldest (suggested age ranges are listed in the headlines).
« Read the rest of this entry »Spooky Graphic Novels for the Win, Always
October 12, 2023 Comments Off on Spooky Graphic Novels for the Win, Always
Last week, I told you about my favorite new picture books for spooky season. Today, I’m turning the spotlight on a range of graphic novels, targeting emerging readers to middle-grade readers (up to 13). As the books increase in reading level, they also increase in spookiness. And, trust me, this is welcome news.
Horror continues to be the fastest growing genre for kids. I’ve written previously about why kids have always been attracted to the macabre—and why this is actually very healthy. As this particular generation of kids continues to wrestle with coming of age amidst great uncertainty and unrest, it makes sense that so many would welcome seeing their fears given ghoulish forms and then battled (or befriended) to the death. The power of fantasy has always been that it allows us to consider the darker side of life from an arm’s length away.
Before we begin, for those who can’t get enough, here’s a link to last year’s spooky round-up and the one before that. (And if you’re local, don’t forget to come by Old Town Books for our spooky fest on October 21; I’ll be there and would love to fill your kids’ hands with books, spooky or otherwise.)
« Read the rest of this entry »Vampires, Witches & Skulls, Oh My: A Spooky Picture Book Round-Up
October 5, 2023 Comments Off on Vampires, Witches & Skulls, Oh My: A Spooky Picture Book Round-Up
It has been another banner year for spooky (in some cases, “spooky”) picture books, and once again, I could not pick a favorite. In fact, I might like this bunch even better than last year’s, and that is high praise! This has officially become my favorite time of year to work at a bookstore. Some people delight in dressing up; I delight in dressing up displays of Halloween books. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: kids today don’t know how good they have it! (I hope that if you’re local, you’ll come see me at Old Town Books, where I’ll be working our Spooky Town Books event on Saturday, October 21 from 10am-5pm.)
The best part? Not a single one of these books actually mentions Halloween. Which means you can choose to pack them up at the end of October…or not.
Before we get started, here’s where I tell you that I was fibbing when I said we were talking strictly picture books today. Five of these are standard picture book fare; another is a picture book for slightly older readers looking to rev up their imaginations; and still another is akin to an early chapter book in length and text. (That last one is my favorite book of the entire year, so do not miss it. Unless you’re easily frightened, in which case maybe miss it. Actually, please don’t miss it.)
« Read the rest of this entry »Embracing Fall Vibes
September 28, 2023 Comments Off on Embracing Fall Vibes
October is a mere three days away, and I hope you’re welcoming it with a new book…or six. Winter might be the obvious choice for squirreling away with a pile of new reads, but the publishing industry would disagree. September and October are when the biggest bounty of titles release. It’s not just that the winter holidays are right around the corner: the subject of fall itself, both its formidable foliage and its singular spookiness, remains a favorite of authors and illustrators to depict.
You have only to glance at the covers of the two picture books above to remember why fall is such a fan favorite. The colors! The leaves! The mums! The jaunty scarves! The jaunty boots! The scarecrows! Fall is a feast for young and old eyes alike.
In the weeks ahead, I’ll be doing round-ups of spooky-themed picture books and graphic novels. But today is about embracing the season itself, and I’m delighted to share two new favorites. (See past faves here, here, and here.) It’s Fall! (ages 2-6) is arguably the most exuberant, infectious celebration of fall I’ve ever encountered, while Hopefully the Scarecrow (ages 3-6) is a softer, quieter story of a girl’s friendship with a scarecrow, marrying the change in seasons with a love of reading aloud.
« Read the rest of this entry »The Curtain Closes on the Vanderbeekers: An Interview with Karina Yan Glaser
September 21, 2023 Comments Off on The Curtain Closes on the Vanderbeekers: An Interview with Karina Yan Glaser
It is at once the saddest and happiest of weeks, because although the seventh title was just released in Karina Yan Glaser’s beloved middle-grade series about a contemporary biracial family with five children and an entourage of rescue animals living in New York City, it is also the last. The Vanderbeekers Ever After may be out in the world, but our time in the company of this dearest of families is drawing to an end.
For our family and so many others, this feels like the end of an era. No series has left more of an imprint on my family’s hearts. No series has been greeted with more excitement in our house. No series has grown more with my children or withstood the test of time, from budding elementary readers to discerning teens. No series has been more fun to read aloud! When my kids look back as adults at the years I spent reading to them, these are the books they are going to remember.
I’ve written quite a bit about this series over the years—I penned a blog post about the beautiful thread of community that runs through these stories and an IG post with my family’s Top Ten Reasons Why We Love the Vanderbeekers—so it felt only right to celebrate (commiserate?) its conclusion by turning the mic on Karina herself. Today, I’m sharing an interview I did over the summer with Karina, where she puts into words what this journey has meant to her. Along the way, she shares how hard it was to write this last book, one of her favorite pieces of fan mail, who might play Mr. Beiderman on the big screen someday, and what’s next for her. As I do when I interview favorite authors (see past interviews with Corinna Luyken and Shawn Harris), I also ask about how she has worked to inspire a love of reading in her own children—and which reads alouds are near and dear to her family’s hearts!
Q: First of all, congratulations! Seven bestselling books, one beloved family. They say all good things must come to an end, but this certainly feels bittersweet for those of us who have adored this family from the very first page. Can you put into words what it feels like to be closing the curtain on the Vanderbeekers?
Thank you so much! It is very strange to be ending the Vanderbeekers series. I feel like this series has so closely mirrored my own experiences as a mom raising kids in New York City, and now I feel like the Vanderbeekers are growing up and experiencing independence. It’s a wonderful and tragic thing! 🙂
Q: What was the biggest challenge you faced in writing this final book? What did you want to leave readers with?
« Read the rest of this entry »I found this final book to be very difficult to write, but then again, I feel like every book is difficult to write! I always want to give my best effort with every story, and I wanted the series to describe an arc from the first book to the last. Closing all those little storylines and adding something new to the series that demonstrated the growth of the characters was quite a challenge.
Back-to-School: Meltdown Edition
September 7, 2023 Comments Off on Back-to-School: Meltdown Edition
After sleeping on different beds, bunks, or floors for most of August, one of my kids was desperate to get back on a routine (barely holding it together, if we’re being honest) and the other would have gladly accepted an invitation to extend her Bohemian lifestyle. Still, regardless of age or temperament, one thing’s for sure: neither will be exempt from the back-to-school meltdowns. I’m talking complaints about the lunch they packed themselves (are we really still talking about mushy grapes?), falling to the floor when they’re reminded (again) to set the table, and accusations that nothing I say or do is right, especially if it relates to getting a good night’s sleep or finding a quiet space to do homework or daring to suggest they reconsider their jeans and hoodie since it’s 98 degrees. As I’m typing this, one is raging about the absence of graph paper and can I order it RIGHT NOW.
You might remember that in our house, thanks to Jory John and Lane Smith, we refer to these gripes as Penguin Problems.
The magical solution to back-to-school meltdowns? There is none, of course. We can delude ourselves that the perfect snack or perfectly-timed bath will stave off implosion, but we’re not fooling our kids. Short of a complete ban on speaking or making eye contact, about the only thing that approximates a balm for a back-to-school meltdown is to pull out a book…or two. Our children want us, but they do not want our questions about their day. Our children’s bodies are depleted, but they do not want suggestions for how to refuel. But nestling into our side (yes, even in 98 degrees) and listening to our voice, knowing they’re getting our full selves in that moment without any demands on them? That they can do. That’s the reset.
Usually. Sometimes.
And if those books can simultaneously validate that our children’s world has just been turned upside down, that instead of running around like feral beings they have to sit their bums in a chair and USE AN ACTUAL PENCIL, even better. Which is why, today, I’m showcasing two picture books with fantastic social-emotional content. One directly addresses school drop-off separation, while the other talks about the woes of nothing, not one single thing, going right across a school day. Both of them aren’t quick to offer fixes; rather, their power lies in the way they normalize and empathize, while also reassuring the listener that these feelings will pass.
As a bonus, both books are illustrated by one of my favorites, Hyewon Yum, whose whimsical, warm-toned pencil drawings never fail to bring a smile to my face, even (and especially) as she nails the different stages of a meltdown.
How does that saying go? If you can’t beat ‘em, you might as well laugh at ‘em? (Something like that.)
« Read the rest of this entry »Back to School: One for Laughs, One for Tears
August 3, 2023 Comments Off on Back to School: One for Laughs, One for Tears
Whether you’re (maniacally) laughing or (despondently) crying at the prospect of sending your kids back to school depends entirely on their ages—at least, in my experience. As my kids have gotten older and (a bit?) better at handling unstructured days—actually in need of unstructured time after nine months of homework—I’ve cherished our summers together more and more. There was a time when I couldn’t wait to drop off my kids for their first day of school and run home to an empty house. These days, I find myself poignantly aware that our years of summering together are running out, and my heart feels more heavy than light when September rolls around. (Full disclosure: my kids are currently at sleepaway camp for two weeks, so ask me later this month, after we’ve road-tripped home from Maine with three stops to visit with family, because I might be kicking them to the schoolyard.)
Whether back-to-school season feels like friend or foe, I can at least promise you some good prep reading. I’m focusing today on two especially unique releases, though I could easily have sung the praises of a variety of new titles (some of which I’ll feature on The Gram over the next few weeks and all of which are currently on display at Old Town Books), including Kaz Windness’s Bitsy Bat, School Star (for anyone who has ever felt boxed in by the “right” and “wrong” ways to do school, starring the cutest neurodivergent bat); Lucy Morris’ May’s Brave Day (a charming presentation of mustering courage on the first day of school and whose illustrations elicit classic feels); Becky Scharnhorst’s How to Get Your Octopus to School (if we’re going to fight about lunches and coats then we should at least get to laugh about it); Supriya Keller’s My Name (the newest in a line of important picture books about honoring classmates’ names); Liz Garton Scanlon’s The World’s Best Class Plant (guaranteed to help ease the disappoint when your kid learns that their classroom has neither pet rat nor pet rabbit); and, finally, Stephen Krensky’s I am Ready for School (the latest in a favorite board book series for wee ones starting preschool).
With today’s post, I’m choosing to focus on two completely different approaches to the back-to-school conversation. One is laugh-out-loud funny, because nothing cuts through the stress of change like humor, while the other is a somber, exquisite, and ultimately hopeful meditation on weathering the bittersweet loss of summer.
« Read the rest of this entry »2023 Summer Reading Guide: For the Middle (& Early High) Schoolers (Ages 10-16)
June 8, 2023 § 1 Comment
The final installment of this year’s Summer Reading Guide is here, and it’s mostly targeted at middle schoolers, although the last few suggestions will be great for early high schoolers, too. (Before you ask, YES, graphic novels are included here as well!) For those with 10-12 year olds, I highly recommend you also peruse my list for Elementary Readers, with titles for 8-12 years.
All the books below are newly published! But, a reminder that if you missed my Spring Break Reading Round-Up earlier this year—traditional books here and graphic novels here—there are some fabulous middle-school titles on there. For instance, I’ve now had three middle schoolers tell me that What Happened to Rachel Riley? is the best book they’ve EVER read. Dan Santat’s graphic memoir, A First Time for Everything, is a must for summer reading, especially for those getting ready to head off to high school. The graphic novel adaptation of Bomb is perfect for your history buffs. And Simon Sort of Says, if your kiddo can handle some heavier themes (overlaid with lots of humor and beautiful friendships and parental relationships), is likely to garner gazillions of accolades come awards season.
Then there are all the books still on my to-read pile, so you’ll have to stay tuned to Instagram for updates on those. (Including what my high schooler will be reading in the UK for the next few weeks!)
Here we go! Books below are presented from YOUNGEST to OLDEST. Links, as always, support Old Town Books. (View and shop all our Summer Reading Guides—for adults, too!—right here!)
« Read the rest of this entry »2023 Summer Reading Guide: Elementary Readers (Ages 8-12)
May 25, 2023 § 1 Comment
Today’s installment of the Summer Reading Guide features favorite new releases for 8-12 years, mostly traditional novels but concluding with three graphic novels. If you have Emerging Readers, check out last week’s recs here. And if you have Middle School Readers, stay tuned for next week’s recs for 10-15. Some of you may have kiddos that straddle two lists—the more the merrier!—and keep in mind that many of these would make terrific read alouds or audio books as well!
Wait! Before you scroll down, hear me out. Earlier this year, I did a Spring Break Reading Round-Up here and here with other incredible new books. If you missed it, make sure you check out that list in conjunction with the one below. A few of them, like Lasagna Means I Love You, It’s Boba Time for Pearl Li, and Link & Hud are actually set during the summer! You might also want to reference last year’s Summer Reading Guide for this age group (here and here), as many of those picks (ahem, Skandar and the Unicorn Thief) have sequels just out, and others are now in paperback.
If you’ve got a fantasy lover, they’re in for a treat because I’ve got a whopping SIX recommendations below. If you’ve got a kid off to sleepaway camp, I’ve got a book with ALL THE FEELS (be sure to also check out Camp Famous, just out in paperback, which my daughter read and loved at the end of last summer, too late for the 2022 Guide). If you’ve got a reader easily intimidated by long books, the first three recs are for you. If you’ve got a kid only hooked by zany plots, like survival stories or reality TV, I’ve got you covered. Animal lovers? Check. STEM interests? Check.
Alas, there are books I haven’t yet read that may well have made the cut. (Deadlands: Hunted, a new series billed as Wings of Fire meets Jurassic Park, got rave reviews from my co-workers, with the sequel out as soon as this fall!) As I tackle more, I’ll post reviews on Instagram of anything I love, so follow me there for more recommendations.
Finally, if you’re planning to purchase any of these, especially if you’re local, please consider supporting Old Town Books, where I do the kids’ buying. My links will take you there. (We also ship!) And for those who want to meet with me directly, I’ll be holding Office Hours on Sunday, June 4 and Sunday, June 25 from 10am-4pm, so bring your kids, your questions, your slumps, and we’ll have a great time.
Onwards! Maycember is almost over, and I can almost taste all the reading in store for us all!
« Read the rest of this entry »2023 Summer Reading Guide Kicks Off With Emerging Readers (Ages 5-9)
May 18, 2023 § 1 Comment
I’m delighted to kick off this year’s Summer Reading Guide with a round-up of new favorites for emerging readers. (In the weeks ahead, we’ll be covering Elementary Readers (8-12) and Middle School Readers (10+).) Below, you’ll find selections for those just learning to read, those starting to get their reading legs underneath them, and those who have strong reading skills but aren’t ready to make the transition to the longer chapters and more complex plots of middle-grade books.
The pressure on parents to keep new readers from backsliding over the summer can feel like a lot. I’ve been there! A couple things to remember:
- Leave books within reach! Dining tables, sofas, bathrooms, playrooms, cars…they can’t complain they’re bored if a book is RIGHT THERE.
- Embrace comics! Our children are coming of age in a highly visual world. Comics not only help with decoding, but they give kids the same instant gratification that they long for from screentime.
- Have a kid who has trouble getting started? Thinks every book looks boring? Scaffold the onboarding experience by reading the first few pages or chapters to them.
- Incentivize with reading challenges, BINGO boards (we’ve got a great one coming to Old Town Books!), or make up your own treats to reward their progress.
- Picture books count as reading! In fact, their rich vocabulary and gorgeous art make them just as attractive and valuable to elementary children.
Hopefully, the recommendations below—all new releases!—will help you kick off a terrific summer of reading. (And if you need more, check out last summer’s guide here!)
Titles are arranged from easiest to hardest, with age ranges provided at the top of each description and an interior photo at the end to help you gauge words per page. Especially if you’re local, I thank you SO much for shopping at Old Town Books, where I do the kids’ buying and where I’ll be hosting office hours on Sunday, June 4 and June 25 from 10am-4pm, if you want personalized recommendations. Come see me!
Let’s begin!
« Read the rest of this entry »A (Literal) Train of Thought
May 11, 2023 § 2 Comments
When I was almost ten, our family moved from a large, ramshackle house in the lush green suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to the fifteenth floor of an apartment building in Manhattan, and I did not handle it well. My parents adored New York City—they had lived there before having kids and couldn’t wait to return—but all I saw was no backyard, a shared bedroom with my younger sister, and more people and noise in a single day than I’d known in the decade I’d been alive. In a memory that still makes me cringe—though I was a deeply feeling child I prided myself on my poise—I pitched a fit in front of our realtor, yelling to my parents about how dirty and smelly and noisy the city’s streets were, while we rode an elevator to another prospective apartment, from which the sounds of car horns and ambulance sirens and buses pulling away from the curb would only be slightly dampened.
Kids generally underestimate their ability to adapt, and I quickly grew to love the city. But I never entirely shed the feeling that I was an outdoor kid living in an indoor city, and I sought out changes of scenery whenever I could. Sometimes, the escape was literal, like the summers I spent at sleepaway camp in Vermont. Mostly, I escaped through books—or through my imagination, spurred on by the stories I read. A handful of tap water before bed was the icy, life-saving stream water from My Side of the Mountain. The six-block concrete walk to school was an enchanted yellow-brick road, visible only when I looked down at my quickly advancing feet. I was a dreamy child, something I’ve never been sorry about passing along to my daughter, even when her liberal interpretations of reality have been known to try my patience.
With it being Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the timing seems perfect to share one of the most beautiful picture books of the year, as it is both written and illustrated by Dan-ah Kim, born in Seoul, South Korea and now living in Brooklyn, New York. I dare you not to gasp aloud as you page through these glorious spreads. But I don’t only adore the book for its artwork. Its story speaks directly to that child I once was, the one who never kicked and screamed in an elevator again but definitely felt like it, even as she found love and belonging and wonder in city life. That the book is inspired by real subway stops in New York City doesn’t hurt, either, though its message of creativity and imagination is undoubtedly universal.
The Train Home (ages 4-8) is an inventive story about a girl who conjures up a train for a magical journey away from the noisy reality of her city apartment. Along the way, amidst the alluring, refreshing, fantastical scenery of her imagination, she surprises herself by yearning for the home she has left behind. Ultimately, like the dichotomy that exists in the art—some spreads fancifully populated, others pared way back—the story is a reassuring validation that the desire to escape and the desire to return home are never mutually exclusive. Rather, they exist in a tug-of-war dance alongside our own journeys of growing up.
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What to Read to Your Kids 