I received a sample for this review/feature. Opinions expressed are my own.
Summer is here and I have a list of 5 fabulous chapter books by New York Times Bestselling author Dan Gutman that are just perfect kids ages 8 to 12. No princesses or “girly” themes here so they would be especially great for boys but of course girls can read and enjoy them too. Have your child make a list of books they want to read this summer and once they have read them all you can offer them up a small prize or experience for completing it. Big Sis is doing a reading list and marking each off in a bid to get a Girl Scouts reading fun patch this summer. A great book and a little encouragement can help your kids want to read all summer long.
Start at the beginning with the first installment of the brand new series Flashback Four: The Lincoln Project. Four kids are sent back in time by a mysterious benefactor to capture one of the most important moments in American history: Abraham Lincoln giving his famous Gettysburg Address. The series blends fascinating real history with an action-packed and hilarious adventure. They’ll have to work together to ask the right questions, meet the right people, and capture the right moment. And most important?not get caught! Back matter separating fact from fiction and real black-and-white photographs make Flashback Four the perfect mix of true history and uproarious fun.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane?no, it’s Johnny Hangtime! A book about a stunt kid’s daring escapades. Jumping off the Empire State Building, fighting on the wing of a biplane, and parachuting onto the back of a horse are all in a day’s work for thirteen-year-old Johnny Thyme, a stunt kid known in the movie business as Johnny Hangtime. But Johnny’s phenomenal feats are a movie industry secret. Ricky Corvette, the superstar teen for whom Johnny doubles, wants his fans to think he does all his own stunts.Johnny is devoted to repeating the career of his legendary stuntman father, but what’s he going to do when his favorite director asks him to perform the super-dangerous stunt that killed his father? Will following in his daredevil dad’s footsteps take him over the edge?
With more than 10 million books sold, the My Weird School book series really gets kids reading! In this fourth book, My Weirdest School #4: Mrs. Meyer is on Fire! series, the students of Ella Mentry School are learning about fire safety. Mrs. Meyer of the local fire department has been brought in to teach the students, but she is the weirdest safety expert in the world. She likes fire just a little too much. Will Mrs. Meyer catch on fire? Will she retire? What will transpire? Dan Gutman’s hugely popular My Weird School series has something for everyone. Don’t miss the hilarious adventures of A.J. and the gang.
In Genius Files #5: License to Thrill the wackiest road trip in history comes to an action-packed conclusion in book five of the New York Times bestselling Genius Files series. When we last left our heroes, twins Coke and Pepsi McDonald were in Roswell, New Mexico, and they had just seen a strange beam of light. Now their cross-country road trip is about to take a detour that’s out of this world?literally! Once the twins get their feet back on the ground, they embark on the final leg of their trip, which will take them from the Hoover Dam all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge. Chased by nefarious villains, the twins will be trapped with a venomous snake, pushed through a deadly turbine, and thrown into a volcano. And craziest of all, their parents might finally believe them! With the real-kid humor that has earned him millions of readers around the world and featuring facts and photographs from the weird-but-true locations in the story, this fifth and final book in the Genius Files series is the most thrilling adventure yet.
With more than 1.5 million books sold, the Baseball Card Adventures series brings the greatest players in history to life. Featuring black-and-white photographs and stats throughout, Willie & Me is the perfect mix of history and action for every young baseball fan. A boy named Stosh travels back in time and meets the greatest baseball players in history. One night Ralph Branca shows up in his room begging for Stosh’s help. In 1951, Branca threw a fastball to Bobby Thomson that would become the “Shot Heard Round the World,” a home run that won the National League pennant for the New York Giants. Branca says the Giants were cheating, and he needs Stosh to use his power to go back in time and set things right. Stosh wants to help but he quickly learns that you can’t change just one little thing in history. If he erases the Shot Heard Round the World, he may forever alter the life of a young rookie named Willie Mays. Drawing on wisdom from all the players he has helped before?plus the surprise return of some familiar faces?Stosh uses his power to travel in time using baseball cards for one last trip, in a fabulous finale to the adventure of a lifetime.
I will admit I have not read these to Big Sis as she has been busy with all end of the year school activities. I will have to re-read them all and this time with her this summer. She has already written out each on her reading list.? These are not quick read chapter books but instead ones with some length to them which means you can really dive deep into the story. So for younger readers it will be easier if you read it directly to your child and then let older kids such as 10-12 try them on their own. However your child reads them they are each great in their own ways with stories that make you want to stay up all night to finish.
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