If you’re looking for a great book to read this summer, our neighbors at Watermark Books have some ideas for you. Check out what they have to say, then visit their website at www.watermarkbooks.com, or stop by their store at 4701 East Douglas in Wichita to pick up a copy for yourself. And if you’re really good, you might talk mom into buying you a cookie or a Jones Soda while you’re there!
Young Readers (Ages 4-8)
Hippo, No Rhino! by Jeff Newman - With few words and wonderfully crunchy painted illustrations, this picture book tells how the hippo sign at the zoo gets switched, confusing visitors and pushing the usually patient Rhino into comical distraction! It's a simple story and the perfect thing to read to very young kids.
Monsters are Afraid of the Moon by Marjane Satrapi - This charming bedtime tale by a star cartoonist tells how young Marie is plagued by spooky night-time monsters until she cuts the moon from the sky and hangs it in her bedroom. Silliness ensues, and Marie ends up trading the moon for a loyal cat, who sleeps at her feet and keeps her free of monsters.
Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems - Edwina the dinosaur is a champion cookie baker and everyone’s best friend until little meanie Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie decides to convince her that she should be extinct like all other dinosaurs. Edwina is having none of that!
The results are hilarious and fun. Mo Willems is great, as always.
John, Paul, George & Ben by Lane Smith - The Caldecott Medal-winning author of “The Stinky Cheese Man” gives a humorous history lesson about the boyhoods of America’s Founding Fathers: see the giant letters John Hancock uses to write his name on the chalkboard; hear Paul Revere shout his way through his first after-school job; and learn how George Washington, rewarded for not telling a lie, went on to say he chopped down an orchard, a barn, and more!
The Racketty-Packetty House by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illus. Wendy Anderson Halperin - From the author of “The Secret Garden,” this young-readers' book tells the utterly charming story of a family of raggedy dolls who live in a run-down dollhouse. It's timeless, poignant, and quite funny. A younger child will enjoy the story and pictures; an older one will be able to read alone.
Akimbo and the Elephants and Akimbo and the Lions by Alexander McCall Smith - These beginning chapter books are set in Africa and are filled with animals and youthful adventure. They follow a Kenyan boy growing up on the edge of an immense wild-animal reserve, and they carry strong messages of environmental conservation and conscience--perfect for boys and girls who love the zoo!
Intermediate Readers (Ages 8 - 12)
Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean - This is a classic, timeless story written as a new sequel to J. M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan.” It returns Wendy and the Lost Boys to childhood and takes them back into the pirate-and-alligator filled haunts of Never Land. They find new friends and old enemies there as they set out to solve the mystery of Captain Hook’s missing treasure.
Airball: My Life in Briefs by L. D. Harkrader - This 2006 Kansas Notable Book and William Allen White nominee is a school and basketball story by a Lawrence-area author: Seventh-grader Kirby Nickel is dead-set on whipping his team into shape in order to win the championship and win meet his hero, a legendary Jayhawk baller. It’s a funny, touching, and suspenseful book that’s perfect for sports fans.
Baby Sitters Club: Kristy’s Great Idea and The Truth about Stacey by Anne M. Martin and Raina Telgemeier - These new youth graphic novels update the original Baby Sitters Club books as comics drawn by a rising-star cartoonist. They have great visuals, strong stories, and good lessons about family, friendship, and being middle-school entrepreneurs. Perfect for girls who’ve never read comics.
Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar - This novel straddles the divide between middle school and high school. It begins as a standard story of comic bullying and freshmen confusion but soon becomes totally awesome as the main character Scott gradually discovers his love of reading and his talent for creative writing. This is a great pick for bookworm kids who need a dose of encouragement and support: it will introduce them to even more sure-to-be-favorite books!
Advanced Readers (Ages 13 and up)
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang - This excellent graphic novel by a Bay Area teacher tells three interwoven stories about a school kid, a mythical Monkey King, and a sitcom character who all try to change who they are in order to fit in. The artwork is inspired by video games and animation, and the very funny stories speak right to teens' desires to be individuals and also to be one of the gang. It’s a perfect choice for teen guys and reluctant readers.
Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares - This book completes the much-loved “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” series with one final, unforgettable look into the lives of its maturing quartet of young friends. The girls are off to college, and they find some trouble, some romance, and some great lessons about the power of enduring friendships.
Come Back to Afghanistan: A California Teenager's Story by Said Hyder Akbar & Susan Burton - After U.S. forces ousted the Taliban from Afghanistan in 2001, 18-year-old Said had the rare opportunity to watch firsthand as the country rebuilt itself. Over three summers, he went there to visit his father, an Afghan-born businessman serving as a spokesman for the country’s new president, and hiked around with his backpack and camcorder. This is his fascinating memoir.
Selected by Mark David Bradshaw, Watermark Books 2007
