Book recommendations

Top picks for your kids this holiday season

dear santaNovember isn’t even over and one of my younger son’s favorite activities of late is ‘working on his Christmas list’. This involves browsing the websites of ToysRUs, Amazon, BestBuy and other online retailers for the best of the best in electronics and gaming. Sigh!

Not surprising.

A recent Nielsen poll suggests that 44% of kids in the US want an iPad for Christmas.

what kids want for ChristmasSo I suppose in a way I should consider myself lucky that the top item on my son’s list is something called Skylanders…

Although they may not realize it while they are working on their lists, Lady Montagu put if perfectly when she said, in 1752:

“No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting. She will not want new fashions nor regret the loss of expensive diversions or variety of company if she can be amused with an author in her closet.”

Yes somehow, unwrapping books, no matter how enticing they may be, pales in comparison to the shiny electronic gadgets, DVDs, and video games.

MotherReader has some great ideas over on her blog, including ways to wrap a book, and 105 ways to give a book. You must check them out for inspiration, I know I will! There is nothing I love more than browsing my local bookstore for great picks for my kids, but I’ll be looking for some creative ways to make them stand out amidst Mario and all the rest.

You’ll also find great inspiration over at The Book Chook, where Susan has brought together literacy-related holiday inspiration from around the kid lit blogosphere.

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Top picks for a reluctant reader boy

We’ve had a couple of reading a-ha moments lately that I just had to share. While my older guy has gotten hooked on The Hunger Games trilogy (he’s reading Mockingjay at the moment), and finishes any book he starts whether he enjoys it or not as a matter of principle, my younger guy often flits from book to book. Starting many, finishing few.

(In case you’re interested in The Hunger Games,  check out the new trailer that’s just been released!)

Back to my younger guy. Lately we’ve hit on a few books that he’s thoroughly enjoyed (and finished!), so I feel it is safe to call them top picks for reluctant reader boys. Here they are!

NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society (Book One)

NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society (Book One) Michael Buckley 

He’s about half-way through this first book, and keeps coming to find me to describe where he’s at, and what new, funny think has just happened to Jackson, one of the main characters. To me, that is huge: not only is he enjoying reading it, but it is something he wants to share, as well. Yess!  Check out the review from Amazon.

Darth Paper Strikes Back: An Origami Yoda Book (Tom Angleberger)

My guy enjoyed the Origami Yoda follow up even more than the original, and that’s saying a lot! The bonus instructions for folding your own darth paper were a huge hit, too! Check out the review from Amazon.

Big Nate: In […]

How to pick the best books for your kids: 10 top tips!

Secret to picking best books for kids

I’m going to let you in on a secret. And it’s a biggie. Getting kids to read is simple, really. Astonishingly so, in fact. And I am going to share it with you, now.

Ready? You have to pick the right books.

Books they’ll enjoy. Books at their reading level. Books that cater to their interests, not yours.

I know that’s hard to do! How many times have I caught myself saying: You’ll LOVE this book, it was my favorite when I was your age! Only to have them gawk at the cover or title, read the summary and say ‘Puulllease, mom’. Ok, so maybe some of Judy Blumes titles aren’t ideal for my two tween boys…

So how does one help a possibly reluctant reader pick a book he or she won’t want to put down? Here are my top tried and tested, sure-fire ways to get your kids reading:

  1. Reading-Rewards.com (Book Recommendations tab) Well, you had to know I’d tell you to check out Reading Rewards, right? But I bet you didn’t know that beyond being a really cool online reading log and earning rewards, there’s a Book Recommendations tab that’s full of great reading suggestions. Here’s what you’ll find:
    • Most Popular Books on Reading Rewards, as logged by our almost 5,000 users. Click through to read member reviews!
    • Books members liked: This tab allows you to make selections by age and gender, and see what members like you have enjoyed. A random selection, but you may find some great […]

Reading Rewards Featured User Series: Meet Talitha!

Reading-Rewards.com was launched just over a year ago, and since then we have had just over 4,000 members join. We’re very excited! More than just an online reading log, Reading Rewards also encourages our young members to rate and review their books. These reviews can then be shared with other members, and help kids find great book recommendations.

I’ve wanted to profile some of our users for a while. I love reading their reviews: they often put a lot of time and effort into them, and I hope you enjoy them!

In this first of our ‘Featured User’ series, I would like to introduce you to Talitha, 13 years old, who has been a Reading Rewards member since April, 2010!

Talitha has logged over 246 reading hours on our site (well done!!), and has reviewed 47 books. That is quite an impressive reading list, I’m sure you’ll agree!

We asked Talitha to answer a couple of questions about RR and her reading habits:

Do you have an all-time favorite book? What sort of book do you generally enjoy?

Talitha: I like the Rangers Apprentice books. I enjoy adventure books.

Where is your favorite place to read? When you do usually read?

Talitha: My Bed. I read whenever I can, or when my mom doesn’t catch me :D .

Do you enjoy using the Reading Rewards website? What do you like about it? Could you tell us what would make it better?

Talitha: Yes. I like trying to get ahead of all my friends on the reading levels. I think that when you ask someone to be your friend you should be able to send them a message or something with the request.

Here is a list of Talitha’s book reviews, pulled directly from […]

Winners of the 2011 Children’s Choice Book Awards!

The Children’s Book Council (CBC) in association with Every Child A Reader, the CBC Foundation, announced the winners of the fourth annual Children’s Choice Book Awards at a gala in New York City on May 2nd as part of Children’s Book Week (May 2-8, 2011). Children across the country voted in record numbers for their favorite books, author, and illustrator at bookstores, school libraries, and at www.BookWeekOnline.com, casting over 500,000 votes.

The Children’s Choice Book Award winners are as follows:

Author of the Year: Rick Riordan for The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, Book 1) (Disney-Hyperion)

Illustrator of the Year: David Wiesner for Art & Max (Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year: Little Pink Pup by Johanna Kerby (Putnam/Penguin)

Third Grade to Fourth Grade Book of the Year: Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Knopf/Random House)

Fifth Grade to Sixth Grade Book of the Year: The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles, Book 1) by Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion)

Teen Choice Book of the Year: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan (Dutton/Penguin)

The Children’s Choice Book Awards program, launched in 2008 by The […]