Kids Picks
Summer days are meant to be filled with fun! Hopefully you are spending all of your time with family and friends on the beach, at the pool, or swimming in the bay. Summer days are also exhausting and it’s nice to take a day or even a few hours to just chill. Instead of picking up your electronics, pick up a good book instead. These new hit titles are sure to keep you entertained.
Ages 3-5
“The Lantern House” by Erin Napier
Houses love when they are filled with families. They want plants in the yard, trees to be climbed, and music to fill the rooms. But what happens when the doors are boarded up and the windows are dark? Who will fix the paint when it starts to chip? This house dreams of a new family moving in and loving it again. It can’t wait for new memories to be made there.
“Two Dogs” by Ian Falconer
Perry and Augie are dachshund brothers who love to have fun, but they are home alone and just want to get outside. Augie is cautious and worries about everything, but Perry is filled with excitement for the unknown. They finally get the back door open and head out to get into some mischief. Will they make it back before their owners get home?
Ages 6-8
“Hattie Harmony: Worry Detective” by Elizabeth Olsen, Robbie Arnett
Hattie Harmony is the type of friend everyone wishes they had. She is always there to help out when someone needs her. The first day of school is always a day when her friends need her most. There is so much to be anxious about and Hattie always knows exactly how to calm her friends’ nerves and help them cope. What happens when Hattie has to face some fears of her own? She just might have to try taking her own advice.
“Stella the Super Sleuth: The Case of the Stolen Slippers” by Nicole Bruinekool
Stella is just a normal kid who loves to eat pancakes and never met a mystery she didn’t want to solve. On a typical day, she goes to school and hangs out with her friends. She’s getting ready for the big dance recital when a new case comes to her attention. All of the ballet slippers have gone missing. Will Stella and her friends solve the case before the lights come on?
Ages 9-12
“Millionaires for the Month” by Stacy McAnulty
Felix Rannells, a good kid, and Benji Porter, who loves to break rules, are assigned to be field-trip partners. The boys have nothing to talk about until they find a wallet that belongs to tech billionaire Laura Friendly. Before they return it, Benji “borrows” $20 to buy hot dogs, on the grounds that $20 is like a penny to a billionaire. Laura challenges the boys to spend $5,368,709.12 in a month, the amount of a penny doubled every day for 30 days. If they succeed, they each will get $10 million. The boys rent cars, go to Disney World and buy pizza for the whole school! Everything seems great until they realize that money can’t fix everything, and spending it might not be as fun as they thought.
“Mr. Lemoncello’s Very First Game” by Chris Grabenstein
Luigi Lemoncello, who would go on to invent famous games, is a puzzle-obsessed 13-year-old. He just has a knack for winning games and solving puzzles. When a carnival comes to town, Luigi has the opportunity to work for the world-famous Professor Marvelmous. When the carnival closes, the professor leaves behind a puzzle box and a clue. This clue will lead Luigi and his friends on an amazing treasure hunt to find a prize better than anything they could have wished for. They just have to find it first.
