Sponsored by Little Bee Books.
Eleven-year-old Beulah “Blue” Warren spends every waking moment surrounded by boys: her three brothers, her father, her best friend, even the family dog, but that’s never stopped her from being her usual rambunctious self. Grappling with the loss of her mother, Blue is determined to do what she wants without fear of consequences. But everything changes on the day she explores the attic and finds her mother’s death certificate. Blue will need to muster all the strength she has to deal with the truth, find forgiveness, trust in her father, and grieve for her mother once and for all.
Hi Kid Lit Friends,
I have been getting a lot of questions about great chapter book series for emerging readers, and I have A LOT of suggestions. I love chapter book series, so here are some of my absolute favorites. Check these out, plus a bonus list if you’re interested!
Power Forward by Hena Khan is about fourth grader Zayd Saleem, a boy with some serious hoop dreams but with serious barriers blocking his way. For starters, Zayd’s only on the D-team. (D stands for developmental, but to Zayd it’s always felt like a bad grade or something.) Not to mention, he’s a bit on the scrawny side, even for the fourth grade team. But his best friend Adam is on the Gold Team, and it’s Zayd’s dream for the two of them to play together. And to top it all off, his parents are not fans of basketball – they would much rather him play the violin than hit the courts.
New York Times bestselling author Sarah Mlynowski hits a home run with the Whatever After series about Abby and Jonah, two siblings living a perfectly normal life in a new town until they discover a mirror in the basement. When they knock on its surface three times, they’re whizzed away to fairy-tale land. The great thing about this series is that there are many books, so fans will have plenty of opportunities to revisit these tangled fairy tales.
My Furry Foster Family is a new series by Debbie Michiko Florence about eight-year-old Kaita Takano and her animal-fostering family. They get into all sorts of mis-adventures with their fosters, which include restless dwarf hamsters, a black lab who loves eating garbage, the shyest kitten in the world, and a bearded dragon with lots of attitude.
Another new series that is sure to capture the attention of young readers is Diary of an Ice Princess by Christina Soontornvat. This magical series follows Princess Lina. Her magic is still under wraps, she hangs out with BFF Claudia every day, and soon their class is taking a field trip to see penguins at the city aquarium! Up in the sky, Lina’s Granddad has decided to invite her mischievous cousin Jack Frost to give Lina extra tutorials in Winterheart magic. But when Jack tags along with Lina to school, his tricks wreak havoc on the big field trip. Can Lina keep her cool and save the day?
Dory Fantasmagory by Abby Hanlon is HILARIOUS. I just love this series, which is wonderfully illustrated. If you are looking for quirky main characters, a kid with a magnificent imagination, a harrowing villain, go no further! This series is sure to delight young readers and make them laugh out loud.
What are you reading these days? Let me know! Find me on Twitter at @KarinaYanGlaser, on Instagram at @KarinaIsReadingAndWriting, or email me at KarinaBookRiot@gmail.com.
Until next time!
Karina
What quarantine looks like! My 10 year old is trying to do distance learning while Nala sits on her paper. Now they know how I feel when I work from home!
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