In my Imagination Soup Writers Homeschool Writing Curriculum, growing writers will be starting out writing personal narratives using children’s books as examples. Personal narratives allow children to speak with experience and authority because they’re stories based on their real lives. In my curriculum, as I did when I taught writing workshops in the school system, […]
Continue ReadingGood Chapter Books That Kids Love to Read
Get chapter book reviews, recommendations, and lists for your home or classroom to read and suggest to the kids in your life whether you're a parent, teacher, librarian, or grandparent.
These beginning, middle grade, and YA books are all well-written and feature the best books in publication that resonate with readers, show the diversity in our world, and merit buying or borrowing from your bookstore or library.
Find chapter books for the following ages and grades for girls and boys:
8th Grade to High School, Ages 13+
Teachers and parents, if you're looking for a good book to read to your children, check out these lists:
Parent Death in Middle-Grade Books (Ages 8 – 12)
Children who experience a parent’s death, the loss of a mother or father, feel overwhelming emotions. Reading well-written middle-grade books like these may help some kids cope with the loss of a parent with stories showing that other kids have experienced loss and grief also. Stories can also show the possibilities of dealing with grief. […]
Continue ReadingMentor Texts to Teach Juicy Word Choice in Writing
When we teach children to use rich, wondrous words by filling them up with the sound of many wonderful words. We must read to them them authors who use astounding word choices. We must encourage them to read high quality mentor text picture and chapter books filled with precise, lyrical, sensory words. Katie Wood Ray, […]
Continue Reading25 Children’s Chapter Books on Kindle Unlimited (Ages 6 – 12)
Whether you’re looking for an easy chapter book or a middle grade chapter book, here’s what’s available on Kindle Unlimited for your kids ages 6 to 12 to read. A reader recently asked me to write this list for her kids who both were looking for good books on their Kindle apps with their Kindle […]
Continue ReadingInteractive Adventures: Read, Write, Draw Books for Kids
All readers, especially reluctant readers, need books that motivate them to read. Which is why I want to share these interactive adventure books that ask readers to fill-in, draw, and doodle to help the story move along. Talk about motivating and fun! Read, Write, Draw! Interactive Books for Kids Escape This Book Tombs of Egypt […]
Continue ReadingCompelling Hero’s Journey Chapter Books
What is the hero’s journey? It’s a story about an imperfect hero who goes on an adventure where he or she learns lessons through mistakes and triumphs, wins some sort of victory, and returns home a different person. Joseph Campbell famously wrote more about this concept in his book, The Hero With a Thousand Faces. […]
Continue Reading8 New Chapter Books, June 2020
Ready for a batch of new book to add to your library holds list? I have 8 new books for you to consider. New Chapter Books, June 2020 Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk HISTORICAL FICTION / GREAT DEPRESSION When Ellie’s family loses everything in the Great Depression, they move to a Maine mountain. She […]
Continue ReadingImpressive New Graphic Novels (June & July 2020)
Get your kids reading more with graphic novels. Here’s what’s new — and good. (I’ve starred books that will be on my “best of 2020” with a purple star.) Impressive New Graphic Novels When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed, illustrated by Victoria Jamieson and Iman Geddy ages 8 – 12 REFUGEE […]
Continue Reading