Tuesday, December 3, 2013

#159 Looking for Tablets, eReaders, eBooks, or Paperbacks for kids this Christmas?

      Many of you are considering buying a tablet for your kids this Christmas. Are you aware that Google offers a wealth of good sites with information about each of the devices?

     After you make a decision to invest in one of these electronic learning tools, you will want to include  some age-appropriate reading materials.  

     I have published eight eBooks for kids listed at  https://www.amazon.com/author/ebooksbylynda.  The following photos display two of the titles that are also published as paperbacks.




     Thank you for thinking of children's literacy when you do your Christmas shopping this year.  It is an investment for a lifetime.

    And please keep reading...


     

     

Friday, October 25, 2013

#158 New Holiday Paperback for Children


     I have just published Margaret's Christmas Cookies in paperback. 

     It is currently available on Amazon.com (or on most of the international Amazon store sites) and BarnesandNoble.com, The list price is $7.95 in the USA. Just click on one of the links above and enter the title in the search window.

     Within a month or two the title will also appear on lists for libraries and those of retail booksellers.

     This short holiday chapter book has a reading level of 4.8 and offers readers some thoughts about the true meaning of gifts and gift-giving not just at holidays, but throughout life.

     For more information about the story and my other titles, please visit Amazon's Author Central.  The link is:




*****


     Tiny Others, another of my titles, is also out now in paperback from the same vendors.  Its list price is $9.95.

     My other six books are currently sold only for Kindle and Nook eReaders, but the two paperbacks above can also be found in that format. The prices for all eight of the eBook versions are either $2.99 or $3.99. 

     Pomegranate, the second of the Agent C novels, will be the next to appear in paperback.  I will announce its publication on this blog within a few weeks.

     And, as always, please keep reading. 


     

Saturday, October 19, 2013

#157 Favorite Halloween Books

     Before I begin to list a few of my favorite Halloween books, I want take a moment to welcome a new member to our reading audience. My stats page indicates that someone from Belarus has recently joined us.  I'm sure I can speak for all of us when I rejoice in this demonstration of world-wide interest and support for children's literacy.  

     This blog at Jumpup2chapterbooks.blogspot.com and my other one at, ebooks4kids.blogspot.com currently have a total of 59 countries in their two reading audiences.  That is amazing, isn't it?!

     Now about Halloween.  The holiday is not without controversy, of course.  As a teacher in a public school, I always tried to be sensitive to my parents' concerns.  We celebrated with a Fall Festival that included pumpkin math and home-made root beer in my classroom.

     However, as a parent, I sewed and glued amazing costumes each year for our two daughters.  I escorted them around the local neighborhood so that they could "Trick or Treat". I also accepted the responsibility of inspecting all of their "loot" for a small percentage of the take.

     Therefore, with only a few days left before October 31st, I will go ahead and recommend a few books on the subject.  If I am not leaving you enough time to order them, I suspect that they are available at your local bookstores or libraries.

     And another thing, please consider giving a few of these titles to your favorite goblins in lieu of candy treats! Remember, a book is a lasting treat.


*****

     For children of all ages:

        The Ghost Eye Tree, by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault (a lovely picture book with illustrations of a time- gone-by, written in gentle verse)

     For emergent readers:

          BOO and I MEAN it! with Junie B. Jones, by Barbara Park

          Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve (A Magic Tree House Book) by Mary Pope Osborn

          Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry G. Allard, Jr. 

     And for independent readers:

          The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (The 1959 Newbery Winner)

          Jennifer Murdley's Toad by Bruce Coville

          Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe


*****

     In future posts I will recommend some of my favorite Thanksgiving and other holiday books.  

     And for now, as you begin to look forward to Christmas, it may interest you to know that my own short chapter book, Margaret's Christmas Cookies is out in paperback.  It is currently available on Amazon.com and on Barnesandnoble.com. I will feature it in my next post.

     And as always, please keep reading.










          

Monday, September 23, 2013

# 156 Compare and Contrast: Children's Literature in Books and in Movies

     


     Tiny Others by Lynda is now available in paperback with a list price for USA currency of $9.95.  (The eBook price for Kindle and Nook remains $3.99.) The paperback is already listed on Amazon.com as well as Amazon's European markets such as amazon.co.uk (United Kingdom), amazon.de (Germany), amazon.fr (France), amazon.es (Spain), and amazon.it (Italy). 


     Within a month, the book will also be available through bookstores, online retailers, libraries, and other academic institutions.


     For more information about Tiny Others, click on the following link.
         https://www.amazon.com/author/ebooksbylynda 

   

      Before I begin with the current post, I want to welcome our newest audience from Switzerland.  You represent the 56th country to join us on one or both of my two blogs.  We appreciate your interest in, and support of, children's literacy.

     And now on with our discussion of paired children's classics and movies.       

     When J.K. Rowlins first published Goblet of Fire, the first of her Harry Potter books, one of the strongest readers in my fourth grade class persuaded his mother to buy him the audio version.  After listening to the entire thing, he came to school and recommended the "book" to his classmates.     

     The young man's mother was a parent helper in our classroom, and she carefully explained her reasoning. Some of it was probably valid.  "The book," she told me, "was too long for him, even though he was able to read most of the words, but he was excited about the story, and at least he was hearing the author's real words."  (The movie didn't even have that to offer.)

     So which is actually better, a 90 minute movie or a 500 page book?


     In truth, you can't compare them very well. They are no more alike than apples and oranges.  Movies have voices, color, and music. Unfortunately, however, they sometimes change characters and often take out whole sections of the story. 


     I believe that both media are valid and useful for kids, but the movies should be offered only after the book is read, and then followed by a good discussion of the relative differences.


     Here is a list of children's classics that have movies available from Amazon.com:


          Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

                  Book by Roald Dahl,  Movie 1971 with Gene                             Wilder 
          Bambi
                  Book by Felix Salten, Movie by Disney 1942
          Pippi Longstocking
                   Book by Astrid Lindgren, Movie with Inger                                 Nilssen in 1969
          Johnny Tremain
                    Book by Esther Forbes, Movie with Hal                                       Stalmaster by Disney
          Davey Crocket
                     Book (several biographies available), movie                                with Fess Parker by Disney in 1950's
          Treasure Island
                     Book by Robert Louis Stevenson, Movie by                                 Disney with Bobby Driscol in 1950
          Peter Pan
                      Book by J.M. Berrie, Movie by Disney in 1953
           Anne of Green Gables
                       Book by Lucy Maud Montgomery, Movie                                   with Megan Follows

     There are others, of course, but some of the older movies are no longer available.  I have always loved George Selden's The Cricket in Time Square, but my favorite film for it has become hard to find. (It may still be available for VHS if you still have the technology to view or copy it to DVD.)


     I hope you enjoyed these somewhat unusual suggestions. Don't overlook the possibility of using the movies as a useful reward for finishing the reading of a book too.


     Until next time...please keep reading.


     


              





Friday, September 6, 2013

#155 I'm still here!

Dear Readers,

     I'm so glad you are still out there! Did you wonder what had become of me? 

     I've been busy publishing a print version of Tiny Others, and have sadly neglected this blog.  My book is nearly ready for its big announcement (drum roll, please), so be patient for another week or so.

     I have a partially finished post for you about children's books that have been made into movies by Walt Disney and others.  It can be valuable to compare and contrast two such media types.

     I think you will find the information useful.

     And while you are waiting...please keep reading.


Saturday, May 25, 2013

# 154 My Favorite Easy Chapter Books for Your Young Reader

     I just reviewed my purpose for writing this blog.

     Up there at the top of each post is a statement that I plan to offer help to young readers with competent reading skills who hesitate to cross that invisible dividing line separating them from independently enjoying books.

     You may be aware of such a person--one who has stopped there on the edge too long and never learned to fly. 

     Some of them grow up to be adults.  You will recognize them.  They are the people who can read, but don't.

     During the first two or three years of formal  schooling, children are nudged to the edge of that precipice. They are constantly exposed to the excitement of learning to read. 

     They learn to break the magical code of phonics and sight words that form sentences, and they learn to please parents and teachers by performing the act of reading.

     But then sometimes they do not choose to read for their own enjoyment.  Why?

     It may be because reading is still an effort.  It is our job to make sure that they will reap enough reward to make it worthwhile until it becomes easier.

    One thing we can do is to provide them with some really good books, from stores, libraries, or friends! A newer technique is to use one of the electronic readers such as Amazon's Kindle or Barnes and Noble's Nook. Some children love to use these devices.

     (If you are interested, I publish another blog about eBooks for kids at http://www.ebooks4kids.blogspot.com. Just click on the link above.)

     I am also offering you list of some of my own favorite easy chapter books.  Perhaps some of them will become your child's favorites too.

     *Pippi Longstocking (series) by Astrid Lindgren
     *Stone Fox (a powerful book) by John Reynolds   Gardiner
     *The Marvin Redpost Series by Louis Sachar
     *Horrible Harry (series) by Suzy Kline
     *Junie B. Jones (series) by Barbara Park
    *The Magic Treehouse  Series by Mary Pope Osborne
     *Sarah, Plain and Tall and its sequels by Patricia MacLachlan
     *Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective series by Donald J. Sobol
     *Frog and Toad are Friends (very easy) by Arnold Lobel
     *The Ramona Books by Beverly Cleary

    Summer is coming here in the northern hemisphere, and many children will have school vacations.  

     I hope this list will be helpful as you look for  reading material for your young readers in the next few months.  

     Keep them reading, but make sure you add joy to the experience.  Remember, it still requires some effort at this stage.

     But eventually, it will get easier, and they will become readers for a lifetime.

    

      
            

Friday, April 26, 2013

#153 Reading Aloud With Children

     Welcome to our newest audiences from Taiwan and Honduras.  On the stats page of my two blogs, you represent the 52nd and 53rd countries in which readers join with us in a shared interest in children's literacy.  Helping others learn to read is certainly a worthy universal passion, isn't it?

     I have promised to discuss the importance of reading aloud to and with children in this post. Of course, current research continues support it, but where did it begin?  

     Obviously, it has been around for a very long time, but about thirty years ago, in 1982, Jim Trelease  published The Read Aloud Handbook, and the world began to finally take note of the power in this practice.  The 7th edition of his book is scheduled for release on June 25, 2013.

    More about Trelease's philosophy, book lists, and reviews may be found on the following site: www.trelease-on-reading.com.

     During my own teaching career, "Read  Across America" began to be observed each year on Dr. Seuss' birthday, March 2. Everyone from parents to pro-athletes came to school and read to our students. Reading was valued and celebrated by everyone under the motto:

        "You're never too old, too wacky, too wild,
          To pick up a book and read to a child."

     Book lists with related activities may be found at many web sites.  Just enter "Read Across America" (without quotes) on your favorite search engine or click here on: http://www.seussville.com/Educators/educatorReadAcrossAmerica.php

     ...And in case you need further convincing that the  read aloud movement is alive and well, consider what has happened in Poland.  On June 1, 2001, a national campaign called "All of Poland Reads to Kids" took root and began to grow.  With the firm belief that "reading aloud to children is the best possible way of investing in their future", the foundation celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2011 by launching "All of Europe Reads to Kids".

     You can read more about what has happened there on the following site: http://www.allofpolandreadstokids.org/all-of-poland-reads-to-kids.

     There are undoubtedly many other examples I could have, should have, used. (Seussian influence, I think.) 

     Reading aloud with and to children is so easy, so enjoyable, and so very important.  

     Until next time, please enjoy your reading aloud... with expression...and with our kids.
       

     

     

        

Saturday, March 9, 2013

#152 Readers Around the World

     Welcome to my new audiences in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria.  Just as I begin to think that I have completely saturated the world-wide readership on the subject of children's literacy, a new country or two appears on the "stats" page of one or the other of my two blogs' reports. 

     Thank you for your interest.  You represent the 50th and 51st countries to join us since I started this blog in early November of 1910. (There are actually about 150 other countries on this planet still to be reached with these messages, and I hope to continue finding new ones.) 

     This is the 152nd post published on Jump Up to Chapter Books. Several had to be deleted when I signed an exclusive agreement with Amazon some time ago.  I had originally published most of my stories as separate chapters in an old-fashioned serial format. I had an opportunity to extend the exclusive contracts every 90 days, and now have cancelled them for most of my eBooks in favor of having an expanded market that includes Barnes and Noble's Nook readers.  

     One year ago I decided to further focus my interest in the use of digital readers for children when I began publishing an additional blog entitled Ebooks 4 Kids.  I currently have 21 posts on it with lists and prices of children's eBooks for Amazon's Kindles and Barnes and Noble's Nook readers. Some of these also contain information about parental control and security of the electronic devices. Others have links to internet comparisons of the different types of readers.

     Although I often use my blogs to recommend my own eight eBooks, they also cover other topics of interests to young readers, parents, grandparents, teachers, and librarians.

     Some of you may have been with me on this entire journey, and I appreciate your indulgence while I offer some of my new readers this overview. I appreciate your loyalty.

     Next time I will cover something fresh and new, and hopefully, we will all be on the same page (no pun intended). 

     I plan to write about the rationale and suggestions for partner-reading between adults and children.  Some call it simply "read-aloud". Please join us.

     Meanwhile, please keep reading.  



  

Sunday, January 27, 2013

#151 Ten Reasons to Read Books

     Welcome to our new readers in Ireland.  My blog stats  indicate that you represent the forty-ninth country to join us on one or both of my two blogs.  Thank you for sharing our interest in children's literacy.

     In this post, I will share a list of reasons why children might want to read books.  When given kids' many choices, what makes reading books all that important--especially when the young readers already know how to read, and they don't actually need the practice?

     My list is not complete, and I invite you, my audience, to add additional reasons in the comments section at the end of this post.  I will feature them next time.

     And so, without further discussion, here are ten reasons for kids to read books:

     1.  You can become someone else.  This is not limited to a real person. It might be an animal or a two-headed alien from outer space.  You may find that you have powers or abilities that the real you lacks. Let yourself imagine that you are the one in the story doing amazing things. The trick is to "get into it", and allow yourself to experience what the main character is doing in the story.

     2. You can go someplace else, and it can be a free ride.  This could be a favorite place where you have been or it can be a trip to the moon and back.  Just identify with the character in your book, and you can go right along with him/her.

     3.  You can go to some other time, even moving backwards and forwards--to the past or the future.  Books can be your very own time-travel machine.

     4. You can decide how things should look in a book.  Reader are given permission to use the words in a story to create their own mental images.  Think about this; anyone who has seen Disney's Peter Pan is forever tied to Disney's images of the story, but if readers have never seen the movie, they are allowed to create the pictures for themselves.  What creative power!

     5.  You can explore new ideas.  For example; what if we could travel at the speed of light?  What would animals say if they could speak to us?  What if we could trade places with one of our parents for a day?  What if we could control the weather?

     6.  You can learn how to use words in new ways.  You might learn some phrases from other languages, or how to compare unlike things to each other.  You might learn to create new ginormous words by combining two existing ones (like giant and enormous?).

     7.  Books can provide inexpensive or free excitement.  If you really let yourself get into the plot of a book, the climax sometimes feels like the huge, steep hill on a roller coaster.  Your heart pounds, and you can't put the book down until you get past the nerve-wracking part.  That thrill is even free when the books are borrowed from libraries or friends.

     8.  Books are exercise for your brain.  There's a lot being said in today's world about the need to exercise our bodies, but brains need exercise too.  When we read, we constantly anticipate what will happen in the story.  This kind of prediction works like a filter of our memory and previous knowledge when we try to figure out a book's plot.  That mental exercise helps to keep our brains sharp and strong.

     9.  You can use books to escape from the here and now.  No one has to be bored when they can get into the excitement of a good book.  Just let it carry you into the middle of something more interesting than whatever is not happening in real life. Books can change your mood.

     10.  Books can inspire you to do things you never knew you wanted to try.  They allow you to dabble in experiences without risk of failure, and try something new.


*****

     There now, go find a book and really shadow the main character as he/she moves through the story.  Get into it.  

     And remember, if you can think of some more reasons to choose reading books, please add a comment in the space provided on the bottom of this post.  I will publish any that I receive next time.

     My other blog, eBooks for Kids currently has a post about a way you can borrow eBooks for your Kindle.  Check it out by clicking on the link above.

    For now, please keep reading...

        

Sunday, January 13, 2013

#150 How to Pick Out a Good Book

     Welcome to our new audience in Saudi Arabia.  You represent the forty-eighth country reading one or both of my blogs as reported on my stats pages.  Thank you for joining us in our efforts to develop children's reading interests.



     I am using a special promotion from Amazon.com to offer a free Kindle download of my middle-grade chapter book, Tiny Others (Agent C Series) by Lynda, on January 19, 20 and 21. This eBook may also be ordered using a Kindle App on computers, smart phones and various tablets as well as on your Kindles. Just click on the Amazon link above and enter the full title and author in the search window on the appropriate dates.

     Don't you wish you knew a bit more about the book though?  

     In this case, Amazon's order site will give you more information, but what if you were looking for a good book in a book store or library and you had no idea if you wanted to read a book like Tiny Others, (only one that was in paper and print instead of an eBook for Kindle).

     What are some ways you can tell if you will enjoy reading such a book before you buy it or check it out?

*****

     The first thing you will probably see is the book's spine:
     It might look like this.  The author's name is Lynda (first name only? Yes.)  The book title is Tiny Others, and it is part of a series called Agent C.  The reading level says it is 4.3.
*****
     Pull it off the shelf and take a look at the cover:


     It looks like a pencil is writing the title on some paper. Does the paper look old or something?  Why are some of the words faded?  It looks like Lynda also has done some illustrations.  Pictures might be good, don't you agree?  

     There is some kind of a stamp near the top.  It is an old Santa-looking guy, and the tiny words under him read, "Agent C".

*****
     Turn the book over.  There is usually some stuff about the story on the back cover:


     Did you notice a couple of trees and some information about the book's setting,  "Summer vacation in the mountains"? Two of the characters are named Savannah and Chip.  Savannah is twelve, and she has found a story hidden in in some old paper.

*****
     Let's open the front cover:

     Here is an inside title page with those same trees as we saw before. Didn't you think that the forest would have pine trees?
*****

     A dedication page is next:

DEDICATED TO:

     Lynn, who knows for certain that a fairy princess born without wings can learn to fly. 


    (Is there something about such a fairy princess in the book?)

*****
     Then we find a page about Agent C:


     Agent C is an embedded reading coach.  He makes a cameo appearance in several of Lynda's stories.  In Tiny Others, he takes the role of Mr. Pippin, the little shopkeeper who delivers something special to the main character, Savannah.
     This object, a mysterious ream of old paper, causes the story to change from that point forward.
     When something causes such a dramatic change, it is called a "catalyst".
     The "C" in "Agent C" stands for the word "catalyst".

*****

     The table of contents page can give some interesting clues about the story--especially if the chapters have titles, and they do:

           CONTENTS


Chapter 1----Pippin’s Market 

Chapter 2----The Geode

Chapter 3----Chips

Chapter 4----The Forest

Chapter 5----Awakening

Chapter 6----Naming a Princess

Chapter 7----Frolic in the Wind

Chapter 8----Secrets Shared

Chapter 9----Surprises

Chapter 10---Broken Ties

Chapter 11---Taming the Wind

Chapter 12---Whispered Warnings

Chapter 13---Whirligigs

Chapter 14---Crossing the Chasm

Chapter 15---Dark Wings

Chapter 16---Confronting Fear

Chapter 17---Into the Caverns

Chapter 18---Forest of Despair

Chapter 19---Suspended Time

Chapter 20---Promise in Gossamer

Chapter 21---A Seedling

Glossary of Plant Names



     There is lots of information in there.  Looks like this book has some adventure, doesn't it?

*****

     And now we come to the first page with an illustration:


Chapter 1
Pippin’s Market
     “Bump!  Bump!  As our tires rolled over tar-filled cracks on the wet mountain road, their vibrations pounded my senses like the beat of a kettledrum.  Windshield wipers added a sound like brushes on snares, and raindrops on the car roof tied the whole thing together like a crazy syncopated melody.
     
     Suddenly, I realized that my brain was doing it to me again.  It was spinning another wild idea for my entertainment. 

***** 
     Just two more book parts to talk about--

     Did you notice the page at the end of the table of contents called "Glossary of Plant Names"? The Tiny Others in this story all have the names of plants or plant parts because they are inhabitants of the forest. This dictionary tells you more about the real-life plants they name. For example:

     Aloe...a plant with thick leaves, believed by some to have healing properties

*****

     ...And finally we come to the author's page. It looks like this:

*****

     That ends our little tour of Tiny Others (Agent C Series) by Lynda.   

     If you are interested, I have a summary of the plot on my other blog at http://ebooks4kids.blogspot.com. Just click on the link to go there.

     And don't forget to download your free eBook on January 19, 20 or 21.  Please let others know about this offer too. (If you miss this opportunity, the book will still be available on Amazon.com for only $3.99.)

     As always, please keep reading...










     


Wednesday, January 2, 2013

#149 Techniques for Increasing Comprehension and/or Desire to Read

     I had planned to discuss reading comprehension in this post, but when I received a parent's comment concerning the need to increase their child's desire to read, I decided to combine the two subjects. 

     They are are often closely related, but unfortunately, even when young readers have the skills required to comprehend, they may not be using them, and therefore, find no joy in reading books.

     Reading Level is not always the best indicator of success or lack of it.  When J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books came out, I observed children plowing through books far above their tested reading abilities.  Thank you, Ms. Rowling.  

     On the other hand, I read A. A. Milne' Winnie the Pooh for the first time in college when some of my friends made fun of my lack of cultural awareness.  I still loved my reading experience, and I'm glad I didn't miss it.

     In the 1970's at Harvard, Howard Gardner began to publish his research on the subject of multiple types of intelligences. He originally identified seven of them; visual-spatial, body-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, linguistic, and logical-mathematical.  

     A child who is strongly intelligent in linguistics, for example, might love books, but one who is visually-spatially intelligent prefers illustrations, drawing, or arcade type games.  (Gardner's work is summarized nicely on the following web site: http://www.tecweb.org/styles/gardner.html )

     Learning styles are related to these strengths, and it is important to offer appropriate support if young readers are to choose to read books just because they like to.

     Comprehension might be increased with auditory input.  Reading aloud, alone or with a partner can help.  Some readers are auditory learners and need to add this sensory tool.  Encourage them to try mumble reading. (Don't we, as mature readers sometimes have to resort to reading difficult instruction aloud in order to understand them?)

     Attention to detail can be increased by providing a drawing pad and pencils.  Drawing characters, settings, maps, and floor plans often taps into spatial abilities, and helps readers learn to visualize the "word pictures" they are reading.

     Try selecting books in a child's high interest areas.  Animals lovers might like reading The Trouble with Tuck by Theodore Taylor.  (When Helen faces a difficult decision about her blind golden lab, she comes up with an amazing solution.)  Sports lovers will find a wealth of stories--both fiction and biographies.  (Matt Christopher's books fill one or two shelves in every school library, and he writes for girls as well as boys.)

     Another factor might involve the reader's need to multi-task.  Young readers who are especially bright sometimes lose interest in reading because is too "single minded" for them. They find the process boring. 

     I have provided a little "treasure hunt" at the back of my middle-grade eBook, White Rabbit Time (Agent C Series) by Lynda.  It offers readers a list of elements common to both my story and Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.  Some readers have the ability to keep a list like that in the "back pocket" of their brain as they read a story. Oh, those busy, busy brains some children have!




     Some developing readers complain that reading a book "takes too long".  Any librarian will tell you that some children choose books by the width of their spines.  Actually, this isn't a problem if the thinner books are still good literature.

     A sample of wonderful "thin" books is provided below:

     Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
     100 Dresses by Eleanor Estes
     Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
     The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck
     The Twits by Roald Dahl
     The Great Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pinkwater.

     I have also been guilty of tearing apart a paperback to offer it as an old-fashioned serialized story--one chapter at a time. I once had chapters secretly delivered and hidden in various places around my classroom.(Hoboken Chicken, in the list above was a big success this way!)

     Reluctant readers often need more support, especially in the first chapter or two, because books tend to have more description and less action just when their readers are trying to get interested.   

     Maps can help with establishing settings. Theodore Taylor's Teetoncey: Stranger from the Sea always makes me want to visit the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  This book is also a trilogy, and there is nothing like a dangling thread at the end of a book to encourage reading the next one in the series! 

     Mystery books also tend to pull the readers along.

     Some books need to have historical foundations established. Ellen Klages' The Green Glass Sea and its sequel White Sands, Red Menace about the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, New Mexico are examples of these. They offer fascinating stories told from the perspective of the children who lived on the site with their families.

     Sensitive children will love reading about the courage 
of August Pullman in R. J. Palacio's wonderful book entitled Wonder. Born with a facial deformity, August was  home-schooled until he entered fifth grade. 

     I hope you will find some of this information helpful.

     Don't hesitate to ask your children's teachers to share their thoughts about their learning styles.

     Visit with the school librarian.  He/she will probably have more book lists to offer, and prowl through a book store or two.  I think the best ones have old, used books-- sometimes those that are out of print and unavailable anywhere else. 

     In the mean time, please keep reading.