Funny books are the perfect go-to when kids are ready to step up to chapter books. What kid can resist reading a book that comes with loads of laughs, right?
Continue reading “9 super funny chapter book series for kids (that aren’t Wimpy Kid or Treehouse)”
Ah, Harry Potter. You brilliant boy wizard, you. Single-handedly responsible for driving gazillions of kids to pick up a book and read. But what about when that kid has devoured all seven volumes – that’s 1,084,170 words btw – of Potter and co’s adventures? What should a kid read next after everyone graduates from Hogwarts and Voldemort finally gets what’s coming to him?
Continue reading “What to read after Harry Potter”
Remember those Rebel Girls books? The ones that started a publishing phenomenon when they burst onto the book scene a few years back? The ones that spruiked the achievements of amazing women from all over the world in a way that was just right for young girls? Well, come say hello to Rebel Girls’ equally bold, equally brilliant, new sister.
Continue reading “Review: Ada Lovelace Cracks the Code”
I start my first job in a school library this week – I know, right. I can’t believe it either. So I figure what better way to celebrate my new library career than with a smashing list of the best books set in libraries.
Presenting, for your middle-grade and YA reading pleasure, a list of 15 incredibly entertaining junior fiction and YA fiction books about libraries. From libraries where ghosts or demons roam to libraries where kids band together to smite censorship (or just to find a really, really good book), there’s a story to suit every kind of kid library lover.
Continue reading “15 must-read chapter books set in libraries”
YABBA-dabba-do! Australian kids have voted and here’s the top four books they like best, according to the 2019 YABBA Awards.
Continue reading “These are the top 4 books Aussie kids like best”
Welcome to junior cricket season. Time to pull the cricket kit out of the shed, dust off the deck chairs and learn to deal with grass stains on white pants.
I have four seasons of junior cricket under my belt and still don’t understand how the scoring works. I have no idea when to yell ‘Howzat!’, (hot tip: apparently it’s not when your kid’s bat finally connects with the ball). And I am clueless when it comes to telling a bouncer from a yorker. At least I’m on the front foot when it comes to cricket books.
Continue reading “The 9 best books about cricket for kids”
High school kids and books don’t always mix. School librarians will tell you that getting teens to read a book or borrow a book or even just pick up a book… well, let’s just say it’s sometimes tough going. But when it does happen, when you work a little library magic and connect the right kid with the right book, it’s better than sprinkles on a cupcake.
Continue reading “These are the most popular books in a high school library”
So your kid likes Percy Jackson books but has already demolished the Heroes of Olympians series AND the Greek gods follow-up? And now they’re whining about how they have no good books to read? What’s a desperate parent to do?
You could just grab the closest chapter book, toss it to your kid and hope for the best. Or you could consult this list from I Think the Cover Was Red and give them something they’ll really like. Yup, good choice.
Continue reading “What to read after Percy Jackson”
It’s been a while since a book made me cry. It last happened five years ago. I was reading Bridge to Terabithia with my eldest kid. And I had to stop at that bit when I became too emotional to keep reading the words out loud. It happened again last week with Lenny’s Book of Everything.
Continue reading “Review: Lenny’s Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee”
The world has gone superhero crazy. You can’t look at a screen – big or small – without getting sucked into the Marvel v DC superhero vortex. And while Thor, Hulk, Loki, Wonder Woman, Spiderman and crew are pretty impressive, there’s another bunch of superheroes worth introducing the kids to.
Continue reading “5 super awesome superhero chapter books”
When I was a kid I loved – I mean really, really loved – scary books. Give me a spooky chapter book and a dim lamp at bedtime and I was the happiest kid around. Even if it took quite a bit longer than usual to fall asleep.
If you have a future Stephen King or Joe Hall fan on your hands, give them a horror leg-up with these 9 incredibly scary junior fiction reads. From possessed dolls to haunted houses and malevolent ghosts, there’s a frightfully good book to suit every ghoulish taste.
Continue reading “9 spooky chapter books for kids who like a fright”
I Think the Cover Was Red ... 