Great summer kids’ book series

In the sSummer Seriesummer, kids often read less. Get them interested in a great book series, though, and they’ll be hooked because the characters and setting will be familiar to them. They’ll look forward to seeing what their favourite characters are getting up to next!

Here are some wonderful Canadian kidlit summer series recommended by YA author Angela Misri on CBC Radio’s Fresh Air.

 

For more information about these great books:
PICTURE BOOKS, AGE 3-6
Gabby
Giraffe and Bird
Franklin
Discovering Words
Scaredy Squirrel

MIDDLE GRADE, AGE 8-12 and YOUNG ADULT, AGE 13-18
Scott Pilgrim
Neil Flambe
Jewel of the Thames (A Portia Adams Adventure)
Between Heaven and Earth
The Starling Series
The Night Has Teeth
The Agency
Bookweird
I Am Canada
What Kills Me
Strange Times at Western High

 

 

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Super Hair-O and the Barber of Doom

Super Hair-o and the Barber of DoomIf you read this blog regularly, you’ll know that I love superhero books.

They’re a great substitute for comics, which kids love but which can be a bit too mature for some really young kids.

Here’s a wonderful book. It’s about a kid whose superpowers are in jeopardy when his parents make him get a haircut.

It’s quirky and fun and wonderfully illustrated. Great story, great pictures–your superhero will love it.

By John Rocco, illustrated by… oh geez, this guy’s talented… John Rocco. Oh crap, I just found his website and he’s apparently also the guy who illustrates Rick Riordan’s books. So yeah, he’s talented. (Can I pick ’em? Maybe that’s my superpower. Yay!)

 

Here are some other great superhero books.

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Three things to get your kid reading

49th shelf logoICYMI, here’s a post I wrote awhile back for the wonderful reading website, 49th Shelf.

I talk about the three “must-dos” to create a life-long reader. They still hold true.

Raising a Reader: my guest post on 49th Shelf.

 

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Authors for Indies Day May 2, 2015

authorsforindies logoThere are some HUGE reading events going on throughout Canada and the U.S. today.

Authors for Indies Day
More than 600 Canadian authors will be selling books and giving recommendations at independent bookstores. Check the website to find one near you. I’ll be at Book City at Yonge and St. Clair in Toronto today from 10 until noon. Come and join us!

Free Comic Book Day
As if that wasn’t enough, it’s also the day when you can visit a comic book store and get FREE comic books!

So really, there’s no excuse not to grab the kids and get outside–and read!

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Connect with books by attending a book launch

This picture was taken at my first book launch, for Gabby, at the Intergalactic Travel Authority (cafe and literacy centre) in Toronto.

This picture was taken at my first book launch, for “Gabby,” at the Intergalactic Travel Authority (cafe and literacy centre) in Toronto. Kids also got to meet Gabby’s illustrator, Jan Dolby, who signed books and talked about her process.

If you’re trying to get your kid to read more, a great way to do that is to connect them to the book, in real life. And one of the best ways to do that is to attend a book launch.

Some facts about book launches
1) They’re free! (And they even sometimes have cake! And it’s free!)

2) You don’t need an invitation! Authors want you there–in fact, the more the merrier.

3) If it’s a launch for a children’s book, there will almost certainly be great children’s crafts or other activities there. (Yep, for free!)

4) You should probably plan on buying a copy of the book (although it’s not mandatory). But bring a twenty.

5) After you buy the book, you can get the author to sign it! And personalize it for your child.

So now your child has a brand-new book with a personalized message to them, they’ll have the author’s autograph, they’ll have eaten cake, and they will probably come away with a bookmark or a sticker as well and maybe they’ll even have done a book-related craft. Think they’ll read that book? Heck, you’ll be lucky if they haven’t read the whole thing by the time you get home! And you may as well just turn the car around because you’ll need to go back to the bookstore to buy the rest of the books in the series because your kid will be clamouring for them as well.

Oh heck, ya, there's gonna be cake! At my second launch (for Gabby: Drama Queen) the cake featured toppers by plasticine artist Suzanne Del Rizzo.

Oh heck, ya, there’s gonna be cake! At my second launch (for Gabby: Drama Queen) the cake featured toppers by plasticine artist Suzanne Del Rizzo.

Where can you find out about book launches?
1) Follow your child’s favourite authors and illustrators on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads or through their author site. They’ll let you know when they have a new book coming out.

2) Follow some kidlit publishers on social media, such as: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Lorimer, Owlkids, Groundwood, Scholastic and there are zillions more. Just search for them on Facebook and Like their pages–you’ll soon hear about upcoming book launches. Check your child’s favourite books to see who published them, and then follow them on Twitter or Facebook. For instance, I just went to the Fitzhenry & Whiteside (my “Gabby” publisher) FB page and found this upcoming book launch for a picture book called The Old Ways, which will be at Mabel’s Fables in Toronto on April 22.

3) Ask at your local bookstore about what children’s book launches they’ve got coming up.

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Detective fiction — enter our contest to win an ebook

Thrice BurnedThe Sherlock Holmes stories are well loved–by adults and kids. If you’re trying to hook your teens on reading, introduce them to the Sherlock Holmes mysteries.
There’s been a recent resurgence in all things Sherlockian (sorry, did I say “Cumberbatch”? Why yes… yes, I did.) Not only are there new TV series and movies about the curmudgeonly detective, but recently there has been a spate of new “detective fiction” written in the style of Conan Doyle’s great books. One popular example is the new Portia Adams series by Angela Misri.
Misri–who is a good friend of mine–is launching the second book in her series.

 

Q: Angela, tell us a bit about your main character, Portia Adams.
Portia is a bright and curious 19-year-old Canadian girl who has to find her way in the world pretty much on her own. Having lost her mother and closest confidante at the beginning of Jewel of the Thames, she is forced to step outside all her comfort zones and grow up, leaving Toronto behind for busy London. I think Portia has a lot of growing up left to do, including finding a way to trust again and open up her heart to the people around her, something the loss of her mother has impeded. Annie Coleseon is a big part of that. Portia discovered early on in Jewel that many of the traits her peers found irritating about her, like her focus and over-analysis of minute details, could be found in the journals of her grandfather John Watson — as he described his best friend Sherlock Holmes. Suddenly, there is potential that what made her a freak could make her a great detective, and it is in Thrice Burned that she actually figures this out. That she could be more than she had ever dreamed. That she could be an amazing detective in her own right.
Angela Misri with two Calgary fans at the Oolong Cafe in 2014.

Angela Misri with two Calgary fans at the Oolong Cafe in 2014.

Q: What do you think teens find detective fiction so appealing?
There is a thrill you get when you ‘figure out’ a mystery that I have never found in other genres of literature. I read all kinds of books, from non-fiction biographies to science fiction series to the latest YA dystopic fiction. All have their attractions, but none provide that moment of ‘ah-ha!’ that I (and I believe many teens and adults) find addictive. It’s buried like hidden treasure in every mystery book on the shelf, just waiting for you to dig it up!

 

Misri author photo

Author Angela Misri, at the 2014 launch of the first book in her Portia Adams detective series, Jewel of the Thames.

Q: What did you love about the Sherlock Holmes books when you were a teen?
I read all kinds of mysteries as a kid; that is, just feeding my rampant curiosity. It may sound strange, but I found comfort in the idea that a book-smart, logical person could find a niche in the world. I was an introverted, book-reading, socially withdrawn teen who preferred comic books to makeup and Dungeons and Dragons over sleepover parties. While Nancy Drew was a compelling heroine with mysteries to solve, it was Sherlock and his misunderstood personality that mimicked my teenage experience. I was not a vivacious strawberry blonde with perfect fashion sense. I was the misanthrope that most girls my age didn’t understand. I loved the friendship between Holmes and Watson and sensed that my closest relationships would be the same sort of opposites-attract balance (which turned out to be true). As much as Portia is based on pieces of me and pieces of my favourite detectives, her best friend, Brian Dawes, is based on my best friends — who are invariably more social and have far more emotional IQ.

Click on “Continue Reading” and comment on this article to be entered into a draw to win an e-copy of Thrice Burned by Angela Misri. You will also be entered in the draw if you tweet about this article and copy me with @JGCanada. Good luck! NOTE: THIS CONTEST CLOSES ON TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015.

(PS: The comments are now turned on — they’d accidentally been turned off earlier. Sorry!)

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Guinea PI(g): Pet Shop Private Eye. A reluctant PI with a mystery to solve

Hamster and CheeseI’ve had this book on my shelf for a couple of years and I keep coming back to it. So obviously I need to tell you about it.

It’s a story about a reluctant guinea pig private eye.

See? Compelling, right?

Here’s why you (I mean, your kid) will like this series:

1) The aforementioned fact that IT’S ABOUT A GUINEA PIG DETECTIVE.
2) It’s got a bit of an edge.
3) The dialogue is not only realistic, but it’s actually funny.
4) You can almost feel the fluffiness of these guinea pigs. I mean, really.

How does the guinea pig become a private eye? Glad you asked. The pet store owner slams the door and the final G from GUINEA PIG falls off. When the hamster sees the sign he comes running over and hires the Guinea PI on the spot to find a missing sandwich.

Here’s a taste
The grumpy Guinea PI (whose name, appropriately, is Sass) asks a bunch of hamsters, “Did any of you guys see someone steal the sandwich?”
To which they reply, in turn:
“I was sleeping.”
“I was sleeping.”
“I was sleeping.”
“I was sleeping.”
“I was working out. Okay, okay. I was sleeping.”

Just like at my house. Sigh.

How do they finally solve the mystery? To tell you the truth, I’m not really sure. It’s… er… complicated. It involves a nearsighted pet shop employee, a naughty snake, a hamster that thinks he’s a koala, some fish that can’t multi-task and a bunch of other animals with attitude. But the kids reading the book will be able to sort it all out, and that’s the main thing.

But don’t take it from me–check out the website and order these adorable softcover books. They’re lovely and, apparently, less than seven bucks. Deal!

Visit the author’s website for more information and ordering info. The first book in the series, Hamster and Cheese (get it? get it? Sandwich — ham and cheese?) was published in April 2010 from Graphic Universe, an imprint of Lerner. The books are written by Colleen Af Venable and illustrated by Stephanie Yue. It looks like there are six in all–so far.

 

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Four picture books to get your kid reading

I sometimes ask publishers to send me specific books that I think will “get kids reading.” Here are a few books I think will hook kids into reading and keep them reading.

I’ve included links to each author and illustrator’s website. Author websites can be a great for additional information, resources, teacher’s guides and similar books. You (and your kids) can also send the author questions; you’ll find that most of them will respond–and getting a reply from the author, even if it’s only through Twitter, can be a very exciting thing for a child.

PICTURE BOOKS (Age 3-6)

Boy raised by librariansThe Boy who was Raised by Librarians

Some books are better for kids, and some books are better for the parents who read them to the kids—this is great for both. It’s about Melvin, who spends a lot of time at the library, and the librarians who help him with everything from snakes to acting to baseball cards. The book follows him from elementary school to high school… and after. It’s a lovely book, well written, with smart, humorous illustrations and it shows libraries as the warm, interesting, welcoming places they are. In these days of ebooks and tablets, it also shows kids how important librarians are.

Written by Carla Morris, a retired librarian. I couldn’t find her website but I found this wonderful interview in which she talks about what gets kids reading. Illustrated by Brad Sneed and published by Peachtree. They’re @PeachtreePub on Twitter.

 

Norman, Speak!Norman, Speak!

A family adopts a dog from an animal shelter. But Norman clearly isn’t very smart. He doesn’t understand even basic commands like “sit” or “come.” It isn’t until the family goes to the dog park that they discover Norman doesn’t speak English—he speaks Mandarin. I love the premise behind this book: that “different” doesn’t mean “wrong” or, in this case, “stupid.” It’s a smart, well-written and well-illustrated book that will stay with you and I highly recommend it.

Written by Caroline Adderson  and illustrated by Qin Leng @qinleng on Twitter. Published by Groundwood.

 

peachgirl1Peach Girl

If this story seems a bit quirky, it may be because it’s a take-off of an old Japanese folk tale (originally about a boy). It follows a plucky girl who was left on a couple’s doorstep, uh, after she burst from a giant peach. (Quirky. Folk tale.) This fierce girl goes hunting for an ogre who supposedly “has teeth like knives and eyes that shoot flames.” Well, of course the ogre is nothing of the sort, as the girl and some pals she has picked up along the way discover. It’s an unusual story and maybe that’s why I like it – and why I think kids will like it, too. Disclosure: the illustrator, Rebecca Bender, is a friend of mine but I requested this book (and wanted to review it) last year, before we’d even met.

Story by Raymond Nakamura on Twitter @RaymondsBrain, illustrated by Rebecca Bender, published by Pajama Press.

 

Locomotive

I know lots of kids who are fascinated by trains. Those kids, especially, will love this book. And you’ll love it too because there are bits you can read to your child, including lots of onomatopeaic Locomotive by Brian Flocawords, and bits you can read just to yourself. And through it all, the illustrations are lovely—detailed, with lots of references to the 19th century. The story is the history of the locomotive as it crosses the United States from Nebraska to California. This is a book you can read in many different ways—as a story, by just looking at the illustrations and talking about them, as a type of history book. It’s a book you and your child can read again and again, for many years—or until they drop their interest in locomotives (which may be never).

Written and illustrated by Brian Floca on Twitter @BrianFloca, published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.

 

 

 

 

 

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Taboo Buzz’d will get ’em reading

Taboo buzzd gameHere’s a really fun game that will get your kids reading, and they won’t even knowing they’re practising their reading.

Best of all, this game is electronic, which will make kids like it even more.

Taboo is a popular board game–Taboo Buzz’d is an electronic version of it. You have to get your partner(s) to say a certain word. But you’re not allowed, yourself, to say any of the four “taboo” words.

Here’s an example: Try to get someone else to say sandcastle but you can’t say beachpail, water or moat. Or blend but you can’t say colours, mix, combine or together.

It’s pretty difficult — and fun. And with the electronic (“Buzz’d”) version it’s super-simple, which
means kids can concentrate on the words and the synonyms and the game play without any distractions.

How to play
You press the big orange button on the hand-held unit to start the game. A screen gives you the word plus four taboo words. If your teammate guesses the word, you press the orange button again. If you just can’t get them to guess your word, you can press the “pass” button. And if you accidentally say a taboo word, you press the big purple “taboo” bar on the top of the unit and your team loses a point. Each round continues with six games. The unit keeps track of the scores for two teams.Taboo Buzzd package

The reason the game is so good is that they’ve chosen really appropriate “taboo” words. It’s pretty difficult to think of a way to play the game without using those words. And of course, that’s where all the fun is. “Oops! I said necklace!”

Taboo Buzz’d is most fun when you’re playing with teams of two or more, but my son and I were even able to just play it ourselves, albeit the scoring was kind of wonky but that was fine. The game is aimed at kids 13 and up, but I think younger kids would find it fun. You could modify the rules so that younger kids had to use the taboo words. It would still be silly and fun–and they’d be reading.

Taboo Buzz’d by Hasbro, age 13+, 1,000 words per unit, requires three AAA (not double-A) batteries and they’re not included, so make sure you pick some up when you buy the game. It sells at Toys R Us, Amazon, etc., for about $22. Worth it.

On a different topic: I apologize for the backwards apostrophe in the headline of this article. I can’t get it to go the right way. Frustrating.

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Bored reading to your child? Here’s one you’ll both love

A Brush Full Of ColourThe best way to “get kids reading” is to read to them. Sit them on your lap with a good book—as often as possible. But sometimes that can get a bit tedious, especially when what the child wants to read isn’t particularly interesting to you.

Here’s a book that will be as interesting for you as it will be for your child.

A Brush Full of Colour is a vibrant, fact-based picture book about Canadian artist Ted Harrison.

While the book takes you (the parent) through the life of a great painter, it will also take your child on a journey of a different kind—of beauty and exploration. The paintings in the book are colourful and magnificent. You don’t even have to be able to read to enjoy looking at the gorgeous images.

A few tips for parents reading this book to their child:

  • Don’t read it word-for-word. You can skim the text and pick out some relevant points to tell the child as you flip the pages. “When he was little, Ted Harrison painted the inside walls of his outhouse!”
  • Don’t read it to the child at all. Sometimes the best way to experience a book is to look at the pictures and talk about them. For younger children you can say, “Point to something wintry.” For older children you can say, “What do you think was happening when he painted this?”
  • The book includes “prompt questions” under each photo caption. For instance, “What features are missing from the faces of the people?”
  • The book also asks the reader to compare different paintings. Flipping back and forth through a book is a great way to enjoy it. You don’t have to read all books from front to back!
    Brush full of colour inside

A Brush Full of Colour: The World of Ted Harrison was written by Margriet Ruurs and Katherine Gibson and features many paintings by Ted Harrison, who also wrote the foreword for the book. It was published by Pajama Press and is available Sept. 19; $22.95.

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