Alysa's Summer Reading

Hello! I did do some good reading this summer that I want to share with you. 

Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst 

My book club read this fantasy novel and it was enjoyed by all. A couple of us thought we were reading a YA fantasy book, but it turns out this one is marketed to adults. The main premise is that in Bekar, people live good lives hoping for rebirth as a human or auger. The worst thing to be reborn as is a kehok - a monster. The kehoks are dangerous, but that doesn't stop people from racing them! We follow a trainer, a rider, and the political turmoil in the country. 

Our group agreed that the worldbuilding and characters were excellent. It was so refreshing not to have a love triangle! And the abundance of strong female characters was awesome. There was a fair bit of violence in the book, but prrrrobably definitely less than The Hunger Games or something. No bedroom scenes. I was so into the book that I ended up telling my kids all the plot of it, just because my mind was so thoroughly engrossed. I definitely filtered out some of the violence in my retelling though, ha! Recommended. 

The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse

This was my pick for book club this summer. It met with mixed reviews in the club, partly because it came on the heels of Race the Sands, and Bertie Wooster is very down on Angela Basset throughout! Those who liked it really liked it, and those who didn't, didn't. I find that's pretty typical of humor books. 

The Code of the Woosters is a middle book in the Jeeves and Wooster series. It was the most accessible title at the local libraries, which is why I chose it over Right Ho, Jeeves, which is probably my favorite (Right Ho, Jeeves is especially good on audio). Anyway, the series follows young bachelor Bertie Wooster in London in the 1930's, who is constantly getting into tight spots and requiring the ingenious brain of his valet, Jeeves, to get him out of trouble. This installment details Bertie's misadventures with a collectible silver cow creamer, blackmail, rifts between lovers that could have dire consequences for him, and more. I noticed it was on a list of recommended classics for eighth graders, and I could get behind that. If you want to dip your toes into the Jeeves and Bertie world, you can always look up some of the old episodes of the BBC TV adaptation on YouTube for a taste. 

How Not to Die by Michael Greger, M.D., FACLM

This thick volume details the research on nutrition in health for a number of scenarios. There are two main sections in the book: the first section has chapters organized by disease, the second section has chapters organized by types of foods. Chapters in section one include How Not to Die from Suicidal Depression, How Not to Die from Breast Cancer, How Not to Die from Diabetes and many more. Chapters in section two include Spices, Cruciferous Vegetables, Berries and many more. 

I became interested in reading this book because I did an internet search for "how to lower your estrogen" and the search results I found referenced the book multiple times. Obviously, I thought, it would be a better source of complete information. And I was right, there really is so much info in the book. The author has made a living of studying medical research findings and publishing them in layman's terms. He runs the website nutritionfacts.org. His grandmother's life was saved when she changed her diet in her old age, and he shares that amazing story in the beginning of the book. 

I didn't read the book cover-to-cover, but I did read large swaths of it, and found it fascinating and motivating. I shared enough passages of it with Benjamin that he took it up himself and started sharing passages back with me. We've both been eating healthier since. I recommend it, if you're interested! 

Oh, I also checked out the How Not to Die Cookbook from my library. It was alright. I've learned how to make vegetable broth now. I took down a few of recipes before I returned it: the one for Veggie broth, one for a dish of beans, rice and broccoli, and the last for a dairy-free "macaroni and cheese" dish.  My favorite healthy eating cookbook is still The Smoothie Project by Catherine McCord.

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

This was the August pick for book club, and I had read it for another book club in another state some years ago. I remembered liking it, and I remembered all of the worst and most violent parts. So, I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed the reread!

This is the first in a series of detective novels set in Botswana. The author helps us get to know our lady detective, Mma Ramotswe, explores her country and family history, and takes us on several of her cases. 

Some of the cases are lighthearted and some are heavier, and the book strikes a good balance. I definitely categorize it as "for grownups," but then again as a teen I read a lot of Agatha Christie. Anyway, since I had read the book before and many of the cases outcomes came back to mind as I was reading, I was able to really enjoy the superb writing in this book and appreciate some of the humor and foreshadowing that I couldn't enjoy last time, because I was on the edge of my seat, metaphorically. I might read more in the series . . .There are apparently 21 books in the series now, wow. 

This is another series (like Jeeves and Wooster, above) that has been made into a television show. After reading the book I did look up the first episode of the show on YouTube, just to satisfy myself that I was pronouncing Mma correctly (and to pass the time as I folded laundry). Unfortunately I can't recommend the series, because it makes the main characters into buffoons. I was offended, on behalf of Mma Ramotswe. (Incidentally, Bertie Wooster is also a buffoon, but he is meant to be a buffoon.)

Surprise! The New Top-Selling Book of Everead!

I've been blogging about books here on Everead since July 2008. I just love to talk about books, and when I found out I could get a little bit of credit for recommending them to people, I became an Amazon Affiliate. 

In 2014 I wrote a post recommending some books for a friend's 13 year old son, and that post really took off. I mean, I think that at least for a while there it would come up on the first page of results if you searched google for "books for a 13 year old boy." Apparently the favorite book from that list was Wildfire Run by Dee Garretson, because that was the top-selling book of Everead for over 4 years. (See my posts about it here.) 

But recently I took a look at the reports on my Amazon Affiliate account, and folks! We have a New Bestseller! 

Drumroll please...

Crunch

by Leslie Connor!

I couldn't be more pleased to have another excuse to talk about Crunch. I first read it in 2010 and there are at least 6 posts that mention it here on Everead now. I met Leslie Connor at an SCBWI meeting, and heard her speak at KidLitCon. It's a pleasure to make you aware (or more aware) of this fine book of hers.

Like Wildfire Run, Crunch is a hidden gem of a book. Not many people know about it, but it is absolutely worth reading. I'd particularly recommend it for fans of The Penderwicks books.

The premise of the book is that the Mariss family has 5 kids, and they run a bike shop. 14-year-old Dewey is our main protagonist. His dad is a truck driver, so his parents take a short drive together. All of a sudden . . . the gasoline crunch of the 1970's hits. The Mariss parents are stuck away from home longer than expected. Dewey and the rest of the kids aren't just locking the doors, watching TV and waiting for them to get home, though. They've got to keep the bike shop running and because gas in short supply, the shop is doing big business. Then, things start to go missing.  

Crunch is a middle-grade realistic fiction novel, great for ages 8+, and it would be a fantastic book to read aloud. It is a standalone book, not part of a series. It won top honors from Cybils judges.

As I said in my original review, I felt this book was completely real. So authentic, and uplifting. It gives the reader a lot to think about. I don't often re-read books, but I have read Crunch at least twice. I haven't read Crunch in years, but one quote from it has stuck with me all this time. In fact, I said it to my husband in the kitchen the other day. It's an aphorism that Mr. Meriss shares with Dewey: "An ounce of maintenance is worth a pound of repairs."

I'm also a fan of Leslie Connor's book Waiting for Normal. The "strawberry shaped objects" of that book have stayed with me. Connor has been hitting it out of the park for a long time, and I really need to catch up on her recent releases! She's won numerous awards for The Truth According to Mason Buttle and All Rise for the Honorable Perry T Cook. Those two books go together, I hear. A Home for Goddesses and Dogs came out in early 2020.   

Benjamin (age 12) has read Crunch multiple times, and says "It's really good." He's hoping I'll read it aloud to the family in honor of it's new status. I'm on board! I think Jubilee would love it, since she really loves biking. She asked 

Well, discovering that Crunch is the new top seller of Everead was perfectly timed, for me. See, I hope to get a bike for my birthday this year. 🚲 And since about March of this year, I think we've all been thinking a little bit more about what happens when supply chains hit snags. 

Haven't heard enough yet? Take a look at some of the five star reviews on Amazon. 😉

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book 1: The Mysterious Howling
by Maryrose Wood

Ages and ages ago, Ashley told me to read The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place. But I didn't. Then, last week when I went to the library I saw book one The Mysterious Howling on display and it looked like just the perfect thing to pick up. So I snagged it. I loved it.

I'd like to think this is the sort of book I would write, if I wrote a middle grade novel. It's a little silly, our main character has just graduated from The Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females. And it's very sweet, she is a thoughtful governess and loves her three new charges dearly. It has intrigue, but I don't find it particularly suspenseful. I knew at once what the "mysterious howling" must be. I still love it.

It reminded me of The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry, and that's a high compliment. I read the beginning of it to Jacob and it reminded him of Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett- another compliment.  I've put the second one on hold at the library; it looks like there are 5 in the series, and the final volume will be published this year. I heartily recommend this book to intelligent readers young and old.

Books for a 7-Year-Old Girl

Hello Friends! A friend recently asked me on Facebook if I had any recommended reading for her daughter. I feel like it is the season! My own kids have started school and the boys, ages 7 and 9 and starting 2nd and 4th grade, have reading homework each night. 

My 9-year-old Benjamin is supposed to read for 30 min/night and my 7-year-old Levi is supposed to read for 15 min/night. What this means for us is that they have an excuse to start reading something, "for homework" and then they get glued to it and I enjoy the peace and quiet and don't stop them until they've finished the whole book. 

I snapped this photo of them reading the Lego Magazine on the kitchen floor before school,
in case they tried to convince me that they hadn't read anything yet, when bedtime rolled around. 

Bottom line: we're needing more and more books around here!

Related: They're reading too much, some days. Is this possible? I submit yes. 

Anyway, Lessa asked the following:

Any book recommendations for a 7 year old girl? Recent favorites have included the Ramona series and the Penderwick series. Reads comfortably to a 6-7 grade reading level.

I responded:

Yes! Have you done Sideways Stories from Wayside school yet? My 7 year old has recently LOVED them. :D Also Odd Duck by Cecil Castelucci. and how about Saffy's Angel (and the series that follows) by Hilary McKay? I have heard excellent things about All-of-a-kind Family, but have not yet read it myself, if she's into the old-fashioned feel. Betsy-Tacy is also a great old-fashioned series!


And Lessa followed up:

Thank you!! We've read Betsy Tacy and enjoyed it, but I'll check out these other books for sure. And how could I have forgotten the delightful silliness of Sideways Stories from Wayside School?!

So here is a little bit more about each book I recommended for Lessa's daughter (You can click the cover images to shop or see more reviews on Amazon.):

Wayside school series by Louis Sachar -- This series has three very very silly books in it. Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Wayside School is Falling Down, and Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger. They follow the kids (and wacky teachers) at an elementary school that was accidentally built as a skyscraper instead of a long, flat building. These books have been around long enough that I read them when I was in elementary school. It was a total treat to read the second one aloud with my boys, recently. They were giggling, reading ahead, and begging for one more chapter. For some reason we only owned the second book, so I gave the first book for Levi for his recent birthday.

Odd Duck by Cecil Castelucci - I picked this one because I can't resist a good graphic novel, and this one was the most Ramona-like graphic novel I could think of. I mean, Ramona is an odd duck. This book follows one odd duck as she meets another, and deals with their friendship. The art is beautiful and while some pages have panels, a lot of them are full bleed, which makes the book look a lot like a picture book. An extra long, thought provoking picture book about friendship and ducks.

Saffy's Angel by Hilary McKay - I picked this one because this series is one of the best-kept secrets of middle grade fiction. The characters seem so, so real to me. That is one of the absolute charms of both The Penderwicks and Ramona books, so I thought good character development was a must. This book follows Saffron Casson as she discovers her family isn't what she thought it was. In my opinion the series just gets better and better as it goes along.

All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor - As I mentioned above, I haven't actually read this one. But I really want to, now that I've read what Amy had to say about it. I even checked it out from the library, but it was a short loan period and I maxxed out my card that time, so this one returned unread. I understand it's about a family of girls growing up in NYC in 1907. And Amy said it is the perfect book to read in November.

Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace - I picked this one because I've caught Levi re-reading it again lately. (I also caught him leaving it on the bedroom floor, in violation of the No Books on the Floor rule I instituted this summer.) I was glad to hear that Lessa and her family had read and enjoyed it already. I need to get more of the books in the series, myself. They're lovely and pleasant. They follow best friends Betsy and Tacy through their growing up years, and are based on the real-life friendship that the author cherished growing up.

What books would you recommend for a 7-year-old who reads well and loves Ramona and the Penderwicks? I'm sure the more books we can recommend here, the better. 

A Modern Boy's Reading of The Babysitters Club

Benjamin has torn through the Babysitters Club books this past summer, and has continued to reread some of them this school year. When I tell people he's reading them, they're kind of incredulous. He is a seven-year-old boy, after all. Not the target audience. :) But they're good books and my mom brought me my whole collection when she came to help us move.  I thought my collection had been donated them to the library! So it was a pleasant surprise to see the books again.

I knew I had to keep them in easy reach for Benjamin for a couple of reasons:  Because I loved them at his age, and because if I suggested that he read them I knew he never would. The only way to get him to read them would be to have them in easy reach. They're so colorful and appealing, how could anyone resist? And I think they're books worth reading! I learned a lot about babysitting and childcare from reading them. And Ann M. Martin won the Newbery Honor you know, for her book A Corner of the Universe. She's a good writer. Sidenote: I got to see her speak once. I wrote a little about it here.

My point here is that I have had such a great time watching Benjamin read the books.The things he has said have made me laugh and really taken me back to my babysitters club days. Whether we were learning about the pop culture of the past or discussing the real-life issues the series talks about, we've had a great time.



1. "Stacy has diabeets." Hey, if I had never heard anyone pronounce the word diabetes, I might think that's how you said it.

2. "Logan is an associate member of the Babysitters Club. He doesn't have to go to meetings." Ah, I had forgotten that Logan was an associate member! Haha. Of course I had not forgotten about Logan. No, indeed. One of my first literary crushes.

3. "Dawn is a health food nut." Hahaha. And you are a Pokemon nut, son. I haven't heard anyone use the word nut like that in quite a while. :-D

4. "I want a peanut butter sandwich. Kristy and Mary Ann had peanut butter sandwiches at lunch and Dawn said, 'That's so Connecticut'." Order up! I would be happy to assist you in solidifying your identity as a resident of Connecticut by making  you a PB&J.

5. "What does it mean 'tie up your parents' line?" We had a great little dinner table conversation about how telephones used to work. You could see the light bulb come on over his head. "Oh! So that's why Claudia has a private line!"

6. One day I was doing my makeup in the bathroom. In pops Benjamin. "Bart wants to go steady with Kristy." "Does she want to go steady with him?" I ask, not wanting to give anything away. "We don't know!" he says. "She didn't answer him and then next book is not a Kristy book. So we probably won't know until the next Kristy book! Unless someone mentions it out loud..." Oh, the suspense.

7. "Dawn has two holes in each ear, but Claudia has one in one ear and two in the other..." Oh man. Now I know why I was so obsessed with ear piercings when I was in elementary school! I remember that I couldn't wait to get my ears pierced (my parents made me wait until I was eight) and that pretty soon I was dying for a second piercing (never happened). I had not realized the ear piercing discussions in The Babysitters Club were influencing me all along. If you can get a 7-year-old boy excited about how many holes 12-year-old girls have in their ears, you know that's persuasive writing.

8. "Claudia reads Nancy Drew mysteries but she hides them because her parents don't approve..." Ha! I had forgotten that. Nobody could forget that the Kishi's are a model of disapproving parents, but putting the kibosh on Nancy Drew? That's when you know they're supposed to be ridiculously disapproving.

9. "That's what Claire Pike calls everybody. She's the baby of the Pike family. She's 5 years old and she's in a silly stage." Oh kid. you're in a silly stage, too. :-D

10. "Who are the three stooges?" This of course led to some YouTube education.

11. "What if Watson Brewer came to our lemonade stand . . ." We were having a lemonade stand one Saturday, and received a generous donation. This let us to speculate about what Kristy's rich stepfather would do if he stopped by.

12. "I should have known!!!" This random exclamation near the end of one of the books caught me off guard. Benjamin went on to explain that now that he knew the twist, he could easily see the book's foreshadowing.

13. "It takes me about 7 minutes to read a chapter; and there are about 15 chapters in each book, so it takes me about two hours to read a Babysitters Club Book." Not only does Benjamin love reading, he loves math.

14. "What's The Monster Mash?" This one comes up in Kristy and the Secret of Susan, when autistic-savant Susan plays it on the piano. This led to a discussion about autism, and a monster mash dance party.



Which one of these made you smile? And what book or book series do you remember fondly from childhood? One person who comments will win a BSC postcard from me and Benjamin. Contest ends 3/31/16. Congratulations to commenter Cami! You have won!

6 Books I Loved in Childhood

¡Hola amigos!

Yesterday's post was full of thoughtful details for parents who want to know how to limit their kids' reading; it took me a long time to write -- I spread it out over three days. So today I want to do something quick and easy!

When I asked for ideas of things to post about, a couple friends wanted to hear about what books I enjoyed in my childhood. When I was a kid I saw an episode of Sesame Street where Bert talks about how nobody's favorite number is 6, but it's his favorite (ah! here it is.) I decided 6 was my favorite number, too. So let's have 6 favorite books from my childhood.

My Great Aunt Arizona by Gloria Houston -- I would like to own a copy of this book. Something about the red-headed Arizona captured my imagination. Maybe it was that I lived in Arizona. Maybe it was that I grew up hearing stories about my ancestors from my dad. Maybe it was that she sat reading on the front steps. Maybe it was that she had red hair, like some of my lucky cousins. Anyway, it's a beautiful book.

we're being lazy remember?
so this is the only book I'm linking to.
it's a beauty.

Pickle Things by Marc Brown -- Everybody knows Marc Brown for Arthur, of course, but I love Pickle Things. It's out of print, so it's ridiculously expensive online. It's great though. "Pickle things you never see, like pickles on a Christmas tree. . . . You never hear a pickle sing, or see a pickle leave a ring." It rhymes, it's silly, and it's brilliantly illustrated. What more could a child want?

Swan Lake by Mark Helprin, illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg -- Speaking of awesome books that are out of print, this one is a favorite of mine. I remember my parents reading it aloud to us kids and I remember it being amazing and sad and incomprehensible and so romantic. Rereading it as a teen and as an adult has been a great delight.

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett -- Speaking of books I reread as an adult, A Little Princess was awesome to reread. I remembered loving it as a child, and watching the movie and thinking the movie was very different from the book. When I picked it up again after I had kids of my own I loved it all over again, and even found myself feeling sorry for Miss Minchin, something I never did in childhood!

Sleeping Beauty by Mercer Mayer -- Oh man, I remember poring over these illustrations for a long, long time. Again, Mercer Mayer is best known for the Little Critter books, but this fairy tale retelling is what captured my imagination. It's been years since I've seen a copy.

Animalia by Graeme Base -- I used to look at these illustrations for hours, too! I'm lucky enough to own a copy of this one, and have shared it with my kids. It goes through each letter of the alphabet, with a rhyme and a ridiculously detailed scene which features innumberable objects that start with that letter. It's kind of like an I Spy book, except less stressful. (I could never find all the things on the I Spy list, you know? But finding everything in these rhymes isn't too hard, and then going above and beyond and finding more and more was just so enjoyable).

What were some of your favorite books in childhood? Of course I've barely scratched the surface of my own childhood, here. I loved The Babysitters Club and Nancy Drew and Madeline L'Engle and so many more.

Chapter Books for an 8 Year Old Boy: 10 exciting series to keep him reading

My friend Jessica contacted me on Facebook to ask for some recommendations for her son. You guys, I haven't seen her kids since they were tiny! How fun.

Jessica says her son is about middle-of-the-pack for reading with his class, and she asked especially that I give her recommendations for traditional chapter books, rather than graphic novels. I love graphic novels, but ok, I'll rein myself in.

My son Benjamin, who is seven years old and an advanced reader, is informing a lot of my recommendations in this post. Book cover images will link you over to Amazon, and if you make purchases through my links I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

10 exciting chapter book series

The Secrets of Droon by Tony Abbott
This is series that my 7 year-old son, who is an advanced reader, really enjoys. He gets them from his teacher's classroom library. So, admittedly, I haven't read any of the The Secrets of Droon. But from what I've seen they look fun and imaginative and about the same length as Magic Tree House books.

The Bailey School Kids by Debbie Dudley and Marcia Thronton Jones
When Benjamin started bringing these home, it took me back to my school days. I loved these books! There is a whole series of them, including Ghosts Don't Eat Potato Chips and Angels Don't Know Karate and so forth. In each one there is something mysterious about the adults at the Bailey School and definite evidence for fun supernatural shenanigans.

Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol, narrated by Greg Steinbruner
We listened to some of these on audio recently and they were super fun to experience together. We would pause the audio when prompted and try to work out the solutions. I just found one on the library discard shelf the other day, and Benjamin was so into it that he didn't want to put it down when we got in the car. They also encourage him to re-read: he was telling me he wanted to read the case again before he checked the solution, to see if he could work out the answer for himself. Hooray for critical thinking!

Wayside School by Louis Sachar
These aren't new but they're still hilarious! The Wayside School has many fun characters and zany problems. I think these are a must for an eight-year-old! The humor is silly but not crass, the writing is excellent and the characters are well developed. A modern classic.

Alvin Ho by Lenore Look, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
These are new and they're hilarious! Alvin is a first-grader, but rest assured that kids of all ages and adults are amused by the antics of this adorable Asian-American. He has "so-so performance anxiety disorder" and can't actually speak at school, or when he gets in too deep in other situations. This lends to funny moments, poignant moments, and I think it builds empathy for kids who suffer from anxiety. I know it did for me.

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Classic! Benjamin prefers to read these in graphic novel format, and Levi loves the one we have on audiobook. I think he's listened to it upwards of 10 times. My husband Jacob read these in his own childhood. If you haven't tried these yet, give them a shot.

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
I've read some of the books in this series, and we've listened to some on audio as a family. The audiobooks are done by a full cast. We all loved them . . .except for one of the narrators, sigh. So good though! I definitely recommend the books. Dragons and wizards and enchanted swords aplenty.

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
Every library is gonna have these and they're worth the read. If he doesn't like the first one, leave it at that, but if he does, there are 12 more!

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
I admit that I haven't read this series myself, yet. But I do plan on it! I've heard so, so much good about them. And with the movies out, they're back on the radar of kids and teachers, too. 

Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
This book was fun and funny and "Hello, Star Wars you are so popular right now!" I liked this one well enough that I would totally read it aloud to my kids. It is a six book series.

Ok Jess, I know that you said you're NOT looking for graphic novels, but I just had to put a few of them on this post.

 

I know for a fact that he has already read the Jedi Academy series, but I just had to stick that one on here, in case others haven't heard of it. Also, our family favorite, Mameshiba. They're perfect for the eight year old (and they make me and Jacob laugh, too!) And the graphic novel adaptations of L. Frank Baum's classic Wizard of Oz books that Eric Shanower adapted and Skottie Young drew. Those are so good! I bet the original Oz books would be a big hit with an eight year old as well.

What do you think? What would you add to this list?