Find the Perfect Book Match for Your Summer Reading

I'm so excited to tell you about this great opportunity--just a click away. How many times during the summer when your mom or dad suggests you do some reading, you say, "But I don't have any good books."???

When you follow this link to Lexile's Find a Book, you'll be able to enter your grade and what type of books interest you. Presto! Find a Book will zap out a list of titles for you to check out faster than you can slurp down an ice cream cone on a 90-degree summer day.

Pick out a few titles which sound too good to miss. Go online to your local library. See if they have the books. Put holds on them and plan a trip to the library. In no time at all, you can be relaxing with the best of summer reads.

Not so much into reading...no worries. You can indicate what your reading level is when you enter your info into the Find a Book database. A long list of just-right books--for your interests and  correct reading level--will magically appear.

Yeah, but why bother reading during the summer. It's vacation from school time.

So true, but a professor of education at Harvard University, James Kim, did a study. He found that students who don't read over the summer can fall behind in their reading levels by as much as two months. That means you'll have lost ground during the summer. You'll start next school year just trying to catch up to where you left off the year before. That doesn't sound like fun.

But, according to the professor, if you read at least 8 interesting books at your reading level during the summer, you won't fall behind. In fact, you'll probably increase your reading level.

Awesome! Wouldn't that be a cool surprise for your new teacher as well as your parents.

Public libraries usually have great summer reading programs. You may be able to earn prizes reading this summer and beat the summer slide--loosing ground on your reading skills. 

So this summer, do your sliding into home plate--not down hill on your reading.

Libraries are truly COOL places to hang out in this summer. Check one out.

Let me know how you do with your reading and what's the best book you read this summer. 

Summer Reading, Websites, and Recipes for Kids

Holly and I took a field trip to the dog park today. There we met Joey and his mom and their beautiful and friendly Irish Setter, Flash. After Holly showed Joey all the cool tricks she can do, we humans eventually got around to the really fun stuff--talking about books.

Joey was on the lookout for some good summer reading. I offered him a couple of favorites:

THE GOLLYWHOPPER GAMES by Jody Feldman

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman

The Gollywhopper Games received the 2008 Midwest Choice Book Awards Honor for Children's Literature. And the book is also up for possible readers' choice awards in both Alaska and Texas.

The Graveyard Book won this year's Newbery Award as well as honor book in the recently announced Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards. Follow the link for the other selections.

Of course, a library is a great place to visit this summer for expert advice on good books. Plus, they usually have special programs designed for kids of all ages. 

Some other fun things to do this summer can be found online. Visit the AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION's list of great websites for kids. I've mentioned a few of the websites before, like

ReadKiddoRead and Giggle Poetry. But there are lots more suggestions for summer adventures from math to art to science to film making.

Joey also shared with me that he enjoys cooking. Yum! Yum! Don't forget that I have some tasty recipes on my website. Dirty Worms seems like an appropriate dish for summer fare. For more recipes, click on this link. There you'll also find games, crafts, puzzles, and more reading adventures.

Father's Day Gift Ideas

Father's Day is fast approaching. Dads love a homemade gifts.

Why not try writing a special poem for your dad?

Remember when we did some ACROSTIC poems here? Try that idea for a Father's Day poem.

Mega-special map reader.

Yaw-some pancake maker.

Dynamic

Arm wrestler.

Dizzy trampoline jumper.

Inventive homework helper.

Super-duper coach.

Good hugger.

Rainy day game leader.

Extra-

Amazing-

Totally the very best ever--Dad !!!

*****

Or write a story for your dad. You can make one up--a fiction story. Maybe write how your dad saved the planet from the giant worms from Pluto. This would be a fantasy story because it couldn't happen in real life.

Or write a fiction story about something silly that could really happen--like your dad deciding to open a pet store, but he ends up with way too many pets and you need to come to his rescue.

Or write a nonfiction story about an adventure that you and your dad shared in real life.

The possibilities are endless. Add your own illustrations too. Dads love that.

Father's Day is June 21. Get started today and make your dad's day something special.