Books dominated the gifts my boys received this Christmas 2018. Between aunts and uncles, grandparents, parents and Santa, the boys made out like very successful book bandits indeed. I would have been very jealous about their haul, except that my own gifts included some great books too: Becoming by Michele Obama and These Truths: A History of the United States by Jill Lepore, Cover This Country Like Snow by Kristine Zeigler (a dear friend), and Every Grain of Rice by Fuchsia Dunlop. As for the kids, they are slowly but steadily making their way through their piles (and are ..read more

Magazine subscriptions are a great way to engage reluctant readers. Magazines provide content in bite-sized chunks; almost always contain wonderful photographs, graphics, and comics; and include ideas for hands-on activities. There’s also nothing quite like the feeling of getting something fun in the mail every month with your name on it. In a post some months ago, I’d suggested a list of nonfiction magazine subscriptions for children of all ages. I recently came across another magazine, a newbie on the scene, that I wanted to add to this list and share with you: Smore Magazine. Smore started ..read more

My previous Roadtrip Roundup has been the most popular post on Read, Kids, Read! to date. Here are another 14 audiobooks I am delighted to recommend. Some will make you laugh, some may make you cry. All will make the miles fly faster and enrich your time together with your kids. Disclosure: Links below are affiliate links, i.e. purchases you make via these links result in a small commission to me at no cost to you. These support the blog and keep it going. Thanks! Title: The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish Author: Neil Gaiman Narrator: Neil Gaiman Length: 13m Age group: 4 ..read more

The National Book Awards were announced yesterday, November 14, 2018. Among the four categories is the award for Young People’s Literature. Lists of award winners and finalists are always fun to browse (See the 2018 Globe-Horn Book Awards.) Well, if you haven’t heard already, the 2018 Winner of the NBA Young People’s Literature Award is… THE WINNER: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo THE FINALISTS   THE LONGLIST Boots on the Ground: America’s War in Vietnam Book Cover SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave The post 2018 National Book Awards appeared first on Read, Kids, Read ..read more

I had a Eureka! moment at Lightroom, one of my favorite bookstores in Bangalore, this summer. You see, I have been searching long and hard for an engaging, illustrated series for the 7-11 set that isn’t saturated with middle-grade cynicism, loser-cool, or gross-out potty humor (Books, I love you guys, but you know who you are!). And when my eyes alighted on The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffin and Terry Denton, I knew I had found what I was looking for. Born from the limitless imagination of this author-illustrator duo, the Treehouse series features the freewheeling adventures of two friends ..read more

Hamilton: The Musical has finally come to Boston! And after a long wait for a birthday present given years ago, my lucky family and I got to see the show last night. And people, the show did not disappoint! In fact, it was 2 hours and 55 minutes of incredible. Unlike my kids who know most of the lyrics inside-out, upside-down, and back-to-front like many kids across the country, I’ve been a bit of a Hamilton ignoramus. But these two resources helped me get quickly up to speed, and were great companion-pieces for my kids as well. Title: Hamilton: The Revolution Author: Lin-Manuel Miranda and Je ..read more

A confession: When I visit a museum of any kind, I LOVE visiting the gift shop, sometimes even more than the museum itself. Stocked with unusual finds and carefully curated books, there is always the thrill of discovering something new that you can take home with you. On a recent trip to the St. Louis Art Museum I discovered Mini Masters, a wonderful series of board books that I am excited to highlight. Each book focuses on selected works from a single artist. The paintings are paired with lilting text that draws attention to the details while being a joy to read aloud. These are per ..read more

Title: The One and Only Ivan Author: Katherine Applegate Format: Single book, audiobook Audiobook narrator: Adam Grupper Audiobook length: 3hrs 46min Age Group: 10+ There once was a 400lb western lowland gorilla named Ivan, who lived in a concrete cell in the middle of a shopping mall. For 27 years, he entertained human shoppers and gawkers, but had no contact with others of his kind. It is from these dire, real-life circumstances, that author Katherine Applegate spins a soaring and unforgettable tale. In the novel, the fictional Ivan muses about an often-dreary life i ..read more

The 51st Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards were announced on May 31, 2018, just in time to round-out summer reading lists. Here’s a visual guide to the winners and honorees. (I love dipping into past award lists for great book ideas. If you’re like me, see my 2017 post, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Globe-Horn awards and listed the 2017 winners.)     PICTURE BOOK They Say Blue Winner When’s My Birthday Honor Book A Different Pond Honor Book     FICTION & POETRY The Poet X Winner The Parker Inheritance Honor Book The First Rule of Punk Honor Book   NONFIC ..read more

  As you may recall, I published a post some months ago about how my boys refused to read Harry Potter. My older son started reading the series when he was way too young, and abandoned it when it started to freak him out. My younger son took his brother’s lead and refused to pick them up. Hope sprung anew when I discovered the unabridged, illustrated series. My younger son got a peek at Jim Kay’s gorgeous illustrations, relented and was hooked. But I was curious to see whether he would transition to the non-illustrated originals when he came to Book 4, since only the first 3 are available ..read more