Books

First of all, congratulations to Kate Walner, the winner of the Summer Reading Challenge. Even though we already had the Grand Prize Drawing, you can still turn in your reading record and get a prize.



Next, I promised to post the list from the book talk last night. These are some of my favorite books, and I highly recommend them!



Age 6-8
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo: A china rabbit learns about life and love when he is passed from owner to owner.
The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry: Four “old-fashioned” children are left in the care of a nanny when their parents go on a dangerous cruise.
The Magic Pickle by Scott Morse: A young girl is caught up in an international vegetable war when a magic pickle bursts out of the lab beneath her bedroom.

Age 8-10
The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch: Two kids find a mysterious box, recovered from the home of a dead magician.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick: Part novel, part picture book/graphic novel: a boy lives in the walls of a Paris train station.
Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi: When Emily and Navin’s mom is taken by a giant spider creature, they must call upon their great-uncle and his magical amulet for help.

Age 10-12
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: A young boy is orphaned as a toddler and raised by the residents of a graveyard.
The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester: A girl in the Midwest learns to fly, and is sent to a boarding school for kids with special abilities.
Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale: A graphic novel by the acclaimed YA authors.

Age 12-13
Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley: The son of a Dragon Preserve owner finds a baby dragon and attempts to raise it illegally.
Steinbeck’s Ghost by Lewis Buzbee: A boy in Salinas begins seeing the ghosts of Steinbeck and some of his characters, and attempts to save his local library from closing.
The Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan: Based on the true story of the lions who escaped during the bombing of Baghdad Zoo.

Age 14-16
Paper Towns by John Green: Quentin’s neighbor brings him on an epic night of revenge and then disappears, leaving clues for him.
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale: A retelling of Rapunzel set in medieval Mongolia and told from the point of view of her handmaiden.
The Professor's Daughter by Joann Sfar and Emmanuel Guibert: The daughter of an Egyptologist falls in love with a mummified ancient pharaoh.

Age 16-18
City of Thieves by David Benioff: Two boys escape the death sentence and must find a dozen eggs in Leningrad during the siege.
Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway: Audrey’s ex-boyfriend writes a hit song about her and she becomes instantly famous.
Y: The Last Man and Ex Machina by Brian K. Vaughan: Two politically charged graphic novel series by the head writer of Lost.