Easy Reader Series for Girls

Do you have a close personal relationship with a 5 – 7-year-old girl who doesn’t understand why you keep insisting that she go read something when she’d rather do something more fun like eat brussel sprouts or clean her brother’s room?

As promised last week, here are a few “I Can Read” choices that they’ll love.

Amelia Bedelia and the Cat by Herman Parish

Leave it to Amelia Bedelia to find a real cat on a day it’s “raining cats and dogs.” She names him Tiger, and in no time, the two are inseparable and as happy as clams.

But then Tiger gets into trouble. Will Amelia Bedelia go out on a limb to save him?

The cat’s out of the bag—this is an irresistible Amelia Bedelia adventure!

Pinkalicious: Pink Around the Rink by Victoria Kann

After Pinkalicious colors her white ice skates with a cotton candy pink marker, she feels ready to spin, glide, and soar with the best of them. But as the color starts to run off of her skates, she is embarrassed. When Pinkalicious thought she was going to leave her mark on the skating rink, she didn’t mean it so literally. . . .

This I Can Read story will have young readers laughing out loud—until they get pink in the cheeks!

Fancy Nancy: Pajama Day by Jane O’Conner

Nancy is all set to wear something special for Pajama Day at school. But when Bree and Clara show up in matching outfits, Nancy feels left out. Will this Pajama Day be as fun as she thought?

School Library Journal’s Best Books of 2010

HERE’S SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL’S BEST OF LIST.

VERY COMPREHENSIVE LIST SORTED BY AUTHOR FOR ALL AGES.

While some of the novels here include some historical settings and contemporary concerns, it is fantasy that continues to reign supreme. More original than ever, these selections are frightening, edgy, wildly funny, electrifying, and magical, with protagonists fighting evil in brilliantly created new landscapes, realms, and kingdoms, as well as in our world. This year’s humor is found mainly in the fantasy; most of the realistic books revolve around more serious events—children surviving Hurricane Katrina, a teen trying to understand what his ex-marine brother is going through, three boys who survive by sifting through trash mounds.

APPELT, Kathi. Keeper. illus. by August Hall. S & S/Atheneum. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-5060-8.
Gr 4-7-Ten-year-old Keeper and her guardian live happily with BD (Best Dog) in a tiny Texas coastal community until the day things go terribly wrong. The impressionable youngster decides to take advantage of the blue moon’s magic to meet up with her mermaid mother to make things right and puts her life at risk in the process. A lovely, lyrical book about loss and redemption. (July)

BARRETT, Tracy. King of Ithaka. Holt. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8050-8969-1.
Gr 8 Up-When soft and spoiled Telemachos sets out to find Odysseus, the father he barely knows, he encounters danger, betrayal, treachery, and terrifying creatures as he searches land and sea, accompanied by a brazen but loyal centaur and a runaway weaver. In the end, his quest has become one of self-discovery and maturation. With vivid characters and nonstop action, this is a perfect introduction to the classic tale. (Nov.)

BLACK, Holly & Justine Larbalestier, eds. Zombies vs. Unicorns. S & S/Margaret K. McElderry Bks. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-8953-0.
Gr 9 Up-Two authors, each unabashedly zealous about her cause, assemble 12 creature-centric stories intended to settle that age-old debate: Which are better, zombies or unicorns? Penned by YA’s elite, these edgy, finely crafted tales reach far beyond the expected shambling corpses and shimmering steeds to ponder themes of love and loss, moral dilemmas, and the state of modern society. (Oct.)

BOYCE, Frank Cottrell. Cosmic. HarperCollins/Walden Pond. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-183683-1; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-06-183686-2.
Gr 5-8-Twelve-year-old Liam Digby looks so much like a full-grown adult that he’s accepted as an in-flight chaperone for a thrill ride that sends a group of kids into simulated space. When the experiment turns into the real thing, he faces the challenge of his life. This wild adventure is as funny as it is serious, and Liam’s problem-solving skills, based on his success with role-playing computer games, serve him well. (Feb.)