Alvin Ho, middle child in a Chinese American family says, “I was born scared and I am still scared.” He’s afraid of the dark and of the great outdoors, where bad things like hurricanes, tornadoes, and mudslides could happen. After watching a DVD about the amazing escape artist, Harry Houdini,... Read More

As the youngest of three, I put up with all sorts of teasing and tricks when I was a wee chick, so I completely identified with Henrietta, the smallest of three sisters in this satisfying tale of gullibility and chickens coming home to roost. "We have a secret to tell... Read More

On the night of April 20, 1933, the First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, entertained her friend Amelia Earhart, the celebrated aviator, at a White House dinner party. Amelia described the mystery of flying at night, and then invited Eleanor to come along on a flight to Baltimore and back so they... Read More

And now for the latest Judy Moody book, number eight in the popular series about that pun-loving third grader with PMS. Your readers who don't know Judy yet will dive for the rest of the series, with its good-natured wordplay, riddles, and an ear for how real third graders talk.... Read More

When you're looking for larger, more substantial books to give as presents to the children in your life, books that will be savored and read over and over, don't neglect collections of poetry. Maybe you had to read too many serious anthologies of poetry in high school or college and... Read More

Meet the new girl Gooney Bird Greene, as she walks into Mrs. Pigeon's second grade class one morning in October, wearing pajamas and cowboy boots, and holding a dictionary. The class has been learning about what makes good stories, and they don't seem to be getting it. Malcolm, who has... Read More

Dog lovers will have a blast with this large, personable book of 22 meaty dog-narrated poems, all accompanied by soulful paintings of the notable pooches. Every aspect of dogdom is covered here; titles include: "In My Doghouse," "Pet Me," "Lapdog," "Chowhound," "Chasing My Tail," and my personal favorite, the final... Read More

Not your usual princess story, this one's not a fairy tale, but the story of how Princess Penelope, spoiled rotten by her royal parents, learns to control herself for the sake of one lovely and intelligent pig. For her eighth birthday, the Princess knows JUST what she wants: "I WANNA... Read More

In 2001, Alan Katz started a new trend with I'm Still Here in the Bathtub, a collection of 14 seriously silly song parodies, all set to the tunes of well known songs. I’m partial to the selections in his second volume, though you’ll find gems in all of... Read More

For read-alouds and read-alones, this comedic easy-to-read chapter book series also deals with real life issues. The irrepressible Junie B. Jones is in first grade now, and we continue to laugh and relate to her many predicaments as a student and a real kid. Because the weekend zoomed by speedy... Read More

It’s Freddy Thresher’s turn for show-and-tell on Monday, and he'd sure like to find something as cool as the alligator head classmate Robbie brought for show-and-tell today. When he rescues a baby bird that has fallen from its nest, he names it Winger. If he can keep Winger hidden from... Read More

In a contemporary comedy with, perhaps, the most kid-friendly and irresistible book cover of the year, get ready to procrastinate big time with ten-year-old Moxy who has promised her mother she will write twelve thank-you notes today, the day after Christmas. Tomorrow, she and her twin brother Mark are supposed... Read More

Meet six-year-old Sukie as she runs through the living room with a big plastic tub of glitter in each hand. "No running in the house. This isn't a playground." That's what her parents would say if they saw her. And, "You have to ask before you use glitter. And only... Read More

Fans of the Judy Moody series about an outspoken and assertive third grade girl have been glad to see a whole new spin-off series about her younger brother, Stink, just as Beezus fans love books about her little sister, Ramona, in Beverly Cleary's classic series. Shortest in his family and... Read More

Even though Emma has never thought of herself as especially brave, when Jared Matthews takes her friend EllRay's plastic action figure and threatens to break the wings off, Emma jumps into the fray, grabbing the toy and yelling, "Quit it, you big bully." Instead of thanking Emma, now EllRay's mad... Read More

It’s gratifying to see one of our favorite third grade book characters back in a sequel that is just as funny as her fabulous first book, Clementine. She jumps right in with her chatty narration: “I have noticed that teachers get exciting confused with boring a lot. But when my... Read More