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The 1st in a series of 3 articles (by age group)

We often receive calls and emails requesting children’s or teens’ book lists throughout the year. However, we had not created a list for any of the previous holiday seasons to help parents and grandparents choose the best books for young, challenged or readers.

To address this, we have gathered together over the past several weeks a series of 3 NEW book lists just in time for your holiday shopping. Each list is dedicated to a particular age group of struggling or even reluctant readers.

Our first booklist here is for ‘tweens and teens. We think this list could come in handy during the 2013 Holiday Season. In fact, you just might enjoy your holiday gift shopping a little bit more this year while at the same find a favorite book to read WITH your child any time of the year! (HINT: See the second book in the list to follow.)

Happy Reading---AND Happy Holidays, dear readers!

Close to Famous---by Joan Bauer (girls, ages 9-13)
Plucky, twelve-year-old Foster McFee is not going to let her inability to read keep her from reaching her goal of having her own television cooking show. In fact, her ambitions engage everyone around her, including an unlikely reading tutor who forces her to confront the vulnerability she is trying to keep hidden.
http://www.joanbauer.com/close_to_famous.html

What Is Dyslexia?: A Book Explaining Dyslexia for Kids and Adults to Use Together---by Alan M. Hultquist, illustrated by Lydia Corrow (ages 8-11)
Children with dyslexia can be left "out of the loop" when it comes to discussions about the reasons for their struggles at school. This book is designed to help adults explain dyslexia to children aged 8-11. Hultquist offers clear examples and explanations, interactive activities for parents (or other adults) and children to do together, and highlights of the courage and strengths of people with dyslexia.
http://www.amazon.com/What-Dyslexia-Explaining-Adults-Together/dp/1843108828/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386288535&sr=8-1&keywords=What+Is+Dyslexia%3F%3A+A+Book+Explaining+Dyslexia+for+Kids+and+Adults+to+Use+Together+by+Alan+M.+Hultquist

Eleven---by Patricia Riley Giff (ages 9-13)
Sam, a talented boy who can't read, is trying to discover his true identity through written documents. This action-packed psychological mystery is both suspenseful & touching. (Kindle edition also available)
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/188-8032550-4058664?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Eleven%20by%20Patricia%20Riley%20Giff

Hank Zipzer: The World's Greatest Underachiever---A series by Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver (ages 9-13)
Henry Winkler's real-life experiences as a young "underachiever" inspire these humorous and exciting stories in the Hank Zipzer series. These books will engage even the most reluctant reader in a fun romp through the days of Hank Zipzer, who always manages to keep things lively and, in the end, helps deliver a message of understanding for all kids, especially for those who share Hank's learning differences.
http://www.hankzipzer.com/

The Lightning Thief---and others in the series by Rick Riordan (boys, ages 10-15)
Boys will like the books in this series. They are filled with excitement, danger and personal triumph. They can also be downloaded for an MP3 player. A graphic novel version is also available.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=The+Lightning+Thief---rick+riordan&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3AThe+Lightning+Thief---rick+riordan

Two-Minute Drill: Mike Lupica's Comeback Kids---by Mike Lupica (boys, middle grades)
Chris Conlan is the coolest kid in sixth grade—the golden-armed quarterback of the football team, and the boy all the others look up to. Scott Parry is the new kid, the boy with the huge brain, but with feet that trip over themselves daily. These two boys may seem like an odd couple, but team up when Scott figures out how to help Chris with his reading problem, while Chris helps him with his football and both boys end up winners.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=+Two-Minute+Drill%3A+Mike+Lupica's+Comeback+Kids+by+Mike+Lupica&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3A+Two-Minute+Drill%3A+Mike+Lupica's+Comeback+Kids+by+Mike+Lupica

River Rampage---and others in the Sam Cooper Adventure series by Max Elliot Anderson (ages 8-13)
Max Elliot Anderson brings a lifetime of dramatic film and video production to the pages of his action adventures and mysteries. His books are written especially for reluctant reader boys 8 and up, but they are also loved by avid readers, girls and even adults. If you happen to be a reluctant reader or are a parent of a reluctant reader, your life is about to change!
To purchase a copy signed by Mr. Anderson, email the author for details at: mander8813@aol.com.
You can also order via Amazon.com at:
http://www.amazon.com/River-Rampage-Max-Elliot-Anderson/dp/193560015X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386291672&sr=8-1&keywords=River+Rampage+by+Max+Elliot+Anderson

Next week’s article & book list: BEST Books for Challenged Older Teen Readers

Sources:

Young People’s Books Focusing on Dyslexia
http://dyslexia.yale.edu/EDU_YPbooks.html

Max Elliot Anderson’s Blog & Website
Blog: http://maxbookreviews.blogspot.com/
Website: http://www.maxbooks.9k.com/index_1.html

For information on customizable reading tools:
www.FocusandRead.com Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
www.BrennanInnovators.com Info & support for struggling readers
314-892-3897

Image courtesy of: Brennan Innovators, LLC at www.focusandread.com

Includes Book Lists by Grade Level

Laugh, Learn and Live is our mantra this summer, and we hope it will be yours, too. Why is that? Well, as the school year draws to a close for many children, many parents are thinking about, “How can I keep my child from experiencing the old ‘summer slide’?” Just keep in mind, Laugh, Learn and Live this summer. We'll show you how this approach can chase away any chance of the "summer slide" visiting your family this year---or any year!

What is "the summer slide" This term has come to be known as the loss over the summer vacation period of skills learned by children. Parents and teachers fret over this issue each and every year. In fact, come the first weeks of the new school year in the fall, most teachers will be reviewing content and skills from the previous year’s curriculum to be certain that their students will be able to learn the required material during the new school year. One way to prevent this summer phenomenon is to include the components of laughing, learning and living this summer.

One of the BEST things for parents to keep in mind in order to avoid “the summer slide” is to encourage and promote reading in (and outside of) your home. If this is the only thing you are able to provide this summer, it will be a significant step in preventing the loss of reading skills, content and background knowledge for your child. What are the best ways to do this?

One way to do this is to make books easily accessible in your home. For little ones, place baskets, small crates or little boxes of books in easy-to-reach places that will interest them. Fill the containers with Dr. Seuss books to make them LAUGH and help them remember that books can be fun. The living and bedroom areas as well as the kitchen and the car are all good places for books. Safely place a cloth bag or a knapsack on or around a car seat within reach of your toddler or pre-school child. Stock it with an assortment of books that will entertain them for hours on the family vacation. When cooking dinner, ask your older child to choose a book from the kitchen book bin, sit nearby and read aloud to you. This can be a very good thing---for both of you.

Another way to prevent the loss of reading skills over the summer is to have one day or evening a week when your family visits your local public library. You can call it “Library Day” or some other clever name. This scheduled, weekly event will send a very valuable message to your child---that YOU as an adult and parent have a need for books and reading. It will tell your child that they are very important to you. It will also give you the opportunity to observe the kinds of books your child chooses to borrow. Fiction? Non-fiction? Graphic novels?

For teen readers, who may sometimes be reluctant to pick up a book over the summer break, consider enticing them with an appetizer of short stories. This can work especially well for readers with attention deficit issues (ADHD, etc.) Novels or sizable chapter books can be daunting for a struggling reader. The short story genre can be particularly effective with ‘tweens and teens because of this. Also, many boys in these age groups are sometimes not very interested in fictional stories. If that is the case, introduce them to non-fiction articles from magazines (such as Popular Mechanics, Inventors Digest or other publications)or from the internet about a particular area of interest (robotics, current events, nanotechnology, etc.) Try these tips to entice your ‘tween or teen son to LEARN more while reading!

These are just a few ways to promote literacy and help prevent the “summer slide” in your family over the next few months. There are other ways, too. To help you further, we have gathered together what we think are good book lists for various gender and age groups. We hope you will take them along with you and your child on your next “Library Day”. Remember that good readers will experience more opportunities and LIVE more successful lives. So, LAUGH, LEARN and LIVE for success all summer long (and beyond!) by READING with your family!

Book Lists for Young Children

Little Kids’ Books
http://www.carnegielibrary.org/kids/books/littlekids.cfm

Book Lists for Boys

Summer Reading List for Teen Boys---by Jennifer Kendall
http://childrensbooks.about.com/od/toppicks/tp/summer-reading-list-for-teen-boys.htm

Great New Books for Boys
http://www.guysread.com/

Book Lists for Girls
Empowering Books for Girls (all grade levels included)---by Danielle Steinberg
http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/bookfinder/empowering-books-for-girls/

General Book Lists—Some Divided by Grade Levels

HAISLN Recommended Reading Lists 2013
http://childrensbooks.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=childrensbooks&cdn=parenting&tm=9&f=00&su=p284.13.342.ip_p504.6.342.ip_&tt=3&bt=4&bts=4&zu=http%3A//www.haisln.org/recommendedreadinglists.html

2013 Summer Reading List for Students Entering Grades K-6
Links to specific lists by grade level
http://childrensbooks.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=childrensbooks&cdn=parenting&tm=4&f=00&su=p284.13.342.ip_p504.6.342.ip_&tt=3&bt=4&bts=4&zu=http%3A//www.pkwy.k12.mo.us/panda/subjectlinks/elemreading.html

NEW! 2013 Summer Reading Lists
http://childrensbooks.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=childrensbooks&cdn=parenting&tm=182&f=00&su=p284.13.342.ip_p504.6.342.ip_&tt=3&bt=4&bts=4&zu=http%3A//www.bostonpublicschools.org/summer

2012 Teens’ Top 10 Books---from the American Library Association
The Top 10 Teen Books for 2013 will be decided after voting in September 2013.
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/2012-teens-top-ten

Other Reading Resources

The Reading Fanatic---Popular best-selling books (FREE) Choose from 1 MILLION FREE titles. Read anywhere, anytime (All genres) Download FREE eBooks. No registration needed.
http://www.readingfanatic.com/index.jhtml?partner=^AIC^xdm003&gclid=CM3wzrGroLcCFZFFMgodf3oA-w

For information on customizable reading tools:
www.FocusandRead.com Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
www.BrennanInnovators.com Info & support for struggling readers
314-892-3897

Image courtesy of: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/02/new-picture-books-april-2013-_n_2993141.html