Pleased as pie to join Chris Lenois on WKVT’s Live & Local to talk about fab summer reads for kids of all ages. Listen here to Curious City’s AM debut and browse the title Chris and I covered below!
Snug
By Carol Thompson
Published by Child’s Play
Ages 0-3
Locate a copy at Local Bookstore | Amazon | Library
Tough card format, perfect for babies and toddlers. What makes you feel snug? Is it being curled up in a blanket? Feeling safe in your cosy bed? Being at home? Or being given a hug? All sorts of children are compared to all sorts of animals as we look at the different things that make us feel snug.
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Bow-Wow Wiggle-Waggle
By Mary Newell DePalma
Published by Eerdmans
Ages 2-6
Locate a copy at Local Bookstore | Amazon | Library
What begins as a playful game of fetch between a boy and his dog turns into a wild goose chase that springs from one page to the next in this delightful book. Young readers will find themselves caught up in the bright and charming watercolor paintings as they follow the pair on a frolicking escapade, and ultimately, to an endearing reunion.
ENGAGE! Take a picture or a video of your family reading Bow-Wow Wiggle-Waggle and we will send you the infamous red ball from the book. More info here!
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Rainbow Stew
By Cathryn Falwell
Published by Lee & Low
Ages 4-7
Locate a copy at Local Bookstore | Amazon | Library
It’s a rainy summer day, but the vegetables in Grandpa’s garden are just waiting to be picked. Yellow peppers, purple cabbage, red tomatoes, green zucchini, orange carrots, and more. So many colors! So many delicious ingredients to slice, chop, peel, and dice for a great big pot of mouthwatering Rainbow Stew.
ENGAGE! There are so many summer ways to engage kids in gardening and cooking. The Rainbow Stew website has sweet buckets full of ideas! More info here!
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Sticky Burr
By John Lechner
Published by Candlewick Press
Ages 7-10
Locate a copy at Local Bookstore | Amazon | Library
Welcome to Burrwood Forest, where a village of seed pods are busy having adventures! There are friends like Sticky Burr and Mossy Burr, who stick together, and bad seeds like Scurvy Burr, who irritates them every chance he gets. Watch out for wild dogs and maze trees, loyal insects, and escapes on the fly in a gently quirky graphic storybook that readers are sure to get stuck on.
ENGAGE! There are all sorts of downloadable Sticky Burr games and comics for sticky summer afternoons. More info here!
ALSO! Check out the line of new reader comics from Toon Books! More info here!
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High-Skies Adventures of Blue Jay the Pirate
By Scott Nash
Published by Candlewick Press
Ages 8-12
Locate a copy at Local Bookstore | Amazon | Library
Captain Blue Jay, notorious and feared pirate of the skies, has a fondness for collecting treasure, especially eggs. Unfortunately, sometimes his treasure hatches, and this time the hatchling is the strangest one the Grosbeak has ever seen. No sailor is certain whether the chick is a young god or just an oversized bird who needs too much food, but one thing is clear: the winds over Thrushland are shifting, and dramatic changes are in store for all. Whether outwitting a gang of thieving crows, outrunning murderous fishers and weasels, or rallying Briarloch’s beleaguered sparrows, this motley crew must do all they can to stay together and stay alive. And that’s just the tip of the bird’s feather! Offering a bounty of illustrations and a host of memorable characters — from an endearing star-nosed mole to an unlikely little warrior with a vendetta — here is a treasure for anyone who has ever wanted to take to the skies and see where fortune blows.
ENGAGE! All sorts of swashbuckling fun over on the Blue Jay website. More info here!
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The Water Castle
By Megan Frazer Blackemore
Published by Walker books for Young Readers
Ages 11-14
Locate a copy at Local Bookstore | Amazon | Library
Ephraim Appledore-Smith is an ordinary boy, and up until his father’s stroke he lived an ordinary life. But all that changes when his family moves to the Water Castle-their ancestral home in the small town of Crystal Springs.
Mallory Green’s family has always been the caretakers of the Water Castle-and the guardians of its secrets. She has been raised to protect the legendary Fountain of Youth, hidden on the estate grounds. But ever since her mom left, she’s stopped believing in magic.
Will Wylie’s family has been at war with the Applegates for generations, all because of the Water Castle’s powerful secrets. But Will has rejected legend and magic, putting all his faith in science.
When Ephraim learns of the Fountain, he’s sure finding it can cure his dad. With Mallory and Will’s help, the trio embarks on a mission that brings them deep into their families’ shared history, through every secret room in the Water Castle, and on a quest that will blur the lines of magic and science, creativity and discovery, leaving readers left to wonder: Do you believe in the unbelievable?
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Moxie and the Art of Rule Breaking: A 14 Day Mystery
By Erin Dionne
Published by Dial
Ages 12-16
Locate a copy at Local Bookstore | Amazon | Library
Moxie Fleece knows the rules and follows them–that is, until the day she opens her front door to a mysterious stranger. Suddenly Moxie is involved in Boston’s biggest unsolved mystery: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art heist. Moxie has two weeks to find the art, otherwise she and the people she loves will be in big-time danger.
Her tools? Her best friend, Ollie, a geocaching addict who loves to find stuff; her Alzheimer’s suffering grandfather, Grumps, who knows lots more than he lets on; and a geometry proof that she sets up to sort out the clues.
It’s a race against the clock through downtown Boston as Moxie and Ollie break every rule she’s ever lived by to find the art and save her family.
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Teens and other readers of Young Adult Literature will have the opportunity to listen to bestselling titles and required reading classics this summer. Each week from now until August 15, 2013, SYNC will offer two free audiobook downloads. Learn more here!
