As the summer begins to wind down, there is still time to dive into great books that are certain to capture a child’s imagination and attention. With the return to school in a few short weeks, kids need to read books for their own enjoyment before homework commences again.
Take a look at the books reviewed today and the recommendations from your local public library. What a great way to energize a child’s mind; read.
Books to borrow
The following book is available at many public libraries.
“Magic Tree House #28: High Tide in Hawaii” by Mary Pope Osborne, Random House, 96 pages
Read aloud: age 6 – 9.
Read yourself: age 7 – 9.
Eight-year-old Jack and his 7-year-old sister, Annie, have been on many exciting adventures in their magic tree house, and this book is their 28th excursion, back in time to a Hawaiian island of long ago.
Hawaii is even more beautiful than Jack and Annie had expected, and they quickly make friends with a brother and sister who teach them how to surf. But when Jack feels an earthquake rumble under his feet, he knows that a tsunami (tidal wave) is close behind. Annie and their new friends are still out surfing. Will he be able to get to them in time? Will they be able to get to higher ground before it hits?
Like all the books in the “Magic Tree House” series, this quick easy reader has all the right components that will make newly independent readers want to gobble-down every page, and head for another “Magic Tree House” book.
Librarian’s choice
Library: Muhlenberg Community Library, 3612 Kutztown Road, Laureldale
Library director: Melissa Adams
Assistant library director: Eileen Simms
Youth services coordinator: Jackie Mae Clark
Choices this week: “Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast” by Josh Funk; “Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery” by Mara Rockliff; “Talking Eggs: A Folktale from the American South” by Robert D. San Souci
Books to buy
The following books are available at favorite bookstores.
“The In-Between” by Rebecca K.S. Ansari, Walden Pond Press, 2021, 313 pages, $16.99 hardcover
Read aloud: age 8 – 12.
Read yourself: age 8 – 12.
Cooper had always been close to his father, but all of that changed when his dad left three years ago to start a new life. Feeling unraveled and distant from his once close friends, Cooper struggles to get his footing again and is particularly annoyed by the new girl next door, who sits on her swing and stares at Cooper, over and over again.
When Cooper’s pesky younger sister, Jess, uncovers an unsolved mystery of a young boy who died in a train crash multiple decades ago and was never identified, Cooper is intrigued. Their research reveals one single clue to the boy’s identity — a strange insignia on his jacket. Bizarrely, it’s the same insignia the strange girl next door has on her jacket. Was it a school crest or something else?
As events unfold and Cooper and Jess discover similar tragedies, they question what possible connection the girl next door might have to those events and, if she does, could it be somehow that tragedy is coming their way? What, in fact, does it all mean?
A seamlessly written mystery that is dark, foreboding and ultimately a reflection on what it is to be forgotten and unseen, “The In-Between” will have readers on the edge of their seats throughout ever page, start to finish.
“Wild Vet Adventures: Saving Animals Around the World with Dr. Gabby Wild” by Gabby Wild with Jennifer Szymanski, photos various credits, National Geographic Kids, 2021, 192 pages, $19.99 hardcover
Read aloud: age 8 – 12.
Read yourself: age 8 – 12.
For any kid that likes animals, this fascinating book packs a lot of punch as it trots around the globe with veterinarian Dr. Gabby Wild as she cares for many kinds of animals.
Featuring gorgeous photographs on every page and the profiles of more than 80 animal patients around the world, readers learn all kinds of fascinating facts, including habitats, diets and a host of fast facts. Learn about hedgehogs, elephants, orangutans, tarantulas, leopards, pythons and so much more. The net result of this book? A genuine celebration of wildlife and the crucial need to protect it.
Nationally syndicated, Kendal Rautzhan writes and lectures on children’s literature. She can be reached at kendal.rautzhan27@gmail.com.
