Answer for Amy's 7 year old

Thanks, Jenny, Sarah, Amy, Denise and Anjanette for your help with suggestions for Amy's daughter.

Here's my two cents, in addition to the great comments that were on the last post.

First of all, I agree with Jenny that every kid is different in terms of what they can handle with content. The best thing is for parents to be very involved in what their children read in terms of subject matter. But kids should read what they like---I took lots of teaching reading classes and the conclusions were all the same: kids learn to read by reading. Kids should read what they like to read, especially at this age. (Amy, I know you agree. I'm preaching to the choir. Just wanted to say I agree with Jenny, that's all.)

You want to catch a 2nd grader and hook him or her onto reading because there really is good stuff coming up: Amy for your daughter, I'd eventually suggest the Shoes books by Stretfield and the All of A Kind Family books and all of FHBurnett and GCLevine and Richard Peck, but she won't be ready for those for a little bit.

I checked out the Katie Kazoo books to see what your daughter's teacher is suggesting. Love Amazon.com where I can look inside the book! I don't have an opinion about KKazoo, but it gave me a gauge as to the level of your daughter's reading. So here's my top five authors/series suggestions:

1. Beverly Cleary. Love this woman for this age group. The Ramona books are great. Start with those, and then see if your daughter would like the rest. I just requested the Ralph books on CD for my boys. Can't wait. Cleary is such a nice, witty grandmotherly type. I bet she makes a mean oatmeal cookie and gives large candy bars to trick-or-treaters. What a sweetie.

With the next three, I don't know the series thoroughly, but well enough that I'd say you should peruse them and see what you think.

2. Box Car Children.

3. ABC Mysteries.

4. Magic Treehouse series.

5. And lastly, I would suggest some good non-fiction. Find a topic she likes, and see what your library has in her grade level.

There are lots of library websites that will suggest books for this grade level, but you can't tell about content. For that, if you get a minute, I'd suggest perusing some home school mom blogs about their curriculum for this age. Find a homeschooler who has values that match ours, and see what she has her kids read. Gotta LOVE homeschooler mom blogs for their resources---and once they find a good thing, they like to share.

Happy reading! If none of this works, message me again and I'll keep looking. This should get you started.

2nd or 3rd grade. Squeak. Squeak.

My friend Amy is looking for books for her 2nd grader, age 7, who reads above her grade level.

Amy wants squeaky clean books. Judy Blume was recommended to her, but you know about Blume. Good writer, can't trust her content. (Are you there, Reader? It's me Blume, and sometimes I'm sketchy.)

I have some ideas, but I'd love some more before I post a list for Amy. Can anyone with kids this age give us some ideas?

little this

I've been in a "little this, little that" mood, reading here and there. Garlic and Sapphires, Guernsey . . . the kids have been sick and I've been having a short attention span.

But long enough to read Harry Potter 7.

Which was good.

Again.

More books to resume soon. Soon I'll be able to think more than just, "Who sneezed? I know that was a BIG sneeze, now where is it?

Chattering Crow

If you haven't noticed, I've put a link to the blog Chattering Crow in my blog list.

Louise Plummer writes it and she makes me laugh. Plummer is a YA writer, a writing teacher, and an honest soul who wouldn't judge me if she walked into my house and found grime on the kitchen floor.

If you're looking for a good blog, check it out. Her last few entries have been DEE LIGHT FUL.

What I Eat by Menzel

Every now and then I get a hankering for some good non-fiction documentary-type reading.

This will do it. I heard about What I Eat, by Menzel, in the Food Section of the San Jose Mercury News. Since the food section is really the only non-biased, not-so-liberal place in the Merc, it's the one section that I read and don't call out to Eric, "Hey, Honey . . . Listen to how ridiculous the slant on this article is!" I'm disgressing. The food section. I like it. Heard about this book.

In What I Eat, which is beautifully written with gorgeous pictures, Menzel examines the daily diet of 80 people around the world. An acrobat in China. A housewife in Iran. A trucker in the USA. A lifeguard in Australia. An art restorer in Russia. A baker in Germany. In every selection, Menzel talks about how food "works" in the life of the person who eats it. Fascination. Interesting. It's rare that I want to actually buy, rather than look at, a coffee table book. But Santa might just show up with this book for me. It's one of those books you can go back to. I scanned most of it, read some of it, skipped the essays for later, and marvelled at all of it.

I'd say, find a copy. That's what I'd say.

And if you are wondering about my picture to go with this, the food pictured is just a sampling of food from today's diet in this house. Samoas from the Indian restaurant we got take out from last night, some apples and tomatoes from my parents farm, string cheese from Costco, and the beginnings of my favorite banana shakes (ingredients: frozen bananas, skim milk, and a dash of cocoa).

Audio books and good bloggers

I would love three recommendations from you:

1. What audio books would interest my preschoolers? They love Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little and Dr. Seuss and I am getting sick of all three so I need more ideas. Must have clever dialogue and a good, wholesome, non-violent plot.

2. I would love good bloggers who write write well and are funny. (Because you can write well and not be funny, or you can be funny and not write well.) I'd like some bloggers who are both. Or, if not funny, then witty or charming. Or interesting. The topic isn't as important to me as the quality of writing.

3. Does anyone follow any other book blogs? Because I'd love to find a handful of blogs who have good book recommendations. Requirements: they can't read smut. No smut. And no froof. And If these bloggers tell me that Nicholas Sparks or Jack Weyland is the best author that they've ever read, I will say, "No thank you." I will say it nicely, but I will say no.

Best Way to Find New Books

My favorite way to find new books is to go the bookstore. There they will be, lined up, ready for you to purchase.

I usually don't want to buy books, I'm just looking for a good read. So I make a list and head to the library---or better yet, a list and I get online and request them from the library.

The problem with the library is that they don't want you to buy the books, so they don' t have to market them. In that way, a library is like a secret club, waiting for you to indoctrinate yourself.

The downside of looking for new books at the bookstore is that the bookstore people usually haven't read them. "Is Little Bee any good?" I ask.

"What?" says the minimum wage clerk.

"Little Bee," I say. "It's right here."

"Oh. I haven't read it."

Thanks a lot. That's helpful.

A librarian could tell me more is my guess. So look at the bookstore, find it at the library, and then come back---right here---and tell me if you found anything good.

By the way, Mel, I know you are out there. Dash me a list sometime of the things you like. Long, long ago you were filed in my Hard-to-Get-On list of women with good literary taste. I'd love to hear your suggestions.