Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

I read this book to my 7yo son and he was very intrigued by it. "A spring of water that can make you live forever", this was the experience of one family who accidentally drank from a magical spring. It was a short read but filled with  "what will happen next"!

A young girl happen to meet this odd & and enchanting family only to find herself left with choices. It is a love story but not your typical boy/girl love story. A love story about life.

We both give this story two thumbs up and recommend this read for kids 7years and older.

A Book of Coupons by Susie Morgenstern

This short lovely chapter book delighted my oldest son years ago. Recently he took it off of his book shelf and gave it to his younger brother telling him what a great book it was and he should 'read it with Mom'. That night my six year old son & I curled up and read the whole thing.
The story takes place on the first day of school finding the kids in the class with a new teacher. Not your average every day teacher but a truly special human being. The coupons he shares are not what you think and each child leaves school that year with something special in their hearts.

A wonderful read I highly recommend for all ages.

My son give this book two thumbs up.

The Book of Big Brothers by Cary Fagan

This was a wonderful read-aloud picture book that my young son loved. Having a big brother, he could identify with many of the 'scenerios' in the book. My husband and I also have older brothers, so reading this story as a family revealed much laughter and reflection.

We all give this story 2 thumbs up.

A great read for anyone with an older brother!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This novel was typically written for teens but my 12yo son loved the more mature content in it. His thirst for reading has lead him to more intense and complicated story lines.
The story is set in the future with the main character being a 16yo girl. One hundred years from now the tyrannical government holds a tournament for all kids to fight to the death to keep the people from rising up and overthrowing the government. The story takes many twists and turns with a teenage girl as a reluctant heroine. Even with the violent descriptive images and teenage romance my son enjoyed the author's writing experiencing a more mature book.

I do not recommend this book for anyone under 12

My son gives this book & the series two thumbs up.

The 39 Clues series (various authors)

My son currently discovered this series and digested all ten of them this summer. As soon as one was done off he would go to the library to get the next book. Every book was a cliff changer in which he was unable to wait, he had to get the next book! Each book was written by a different author although a couple of them were written by two authors. (eg. Rick Riordon, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, Jude Watson.....)
The premise of the story is about two teenage siblings who's parents died when they small. They were raised by their mean aunt and it turns out their family are all related to past and present famous people, such as Thomas Edison, Rihanna, Houdini, Howard Carter and Abraham Lincoln. The adventure takes the kids on a scavenger hunt to find 39 clues hidden by their ancestors which could reveal an amazing discovery.

My son gives this 10 thumbs out of ten thumbs!
A great read for 12 years +

A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson

My youngest son has a fascination with poems. He has always loved them and recently I have noticed that he loves them most when his is very tired. He asks for them. He will lie on the bed with his eyes closed and listen. I think the sing-song verses lull and nourish his soul.

For me, Stevenson's writing is a beautiful dichotomy between the harsh, adventurous 'Treasure Island' and then his beautiful, enchanting, simple poems.

I highly recommend these poems for all ages.

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

My son tried to read this book a few years ago and found it too dark. Just recently he picked the book up again and digested it in about two days. He loved the story and intrigue. The basic outline of the story is about two orphan brothers who end up living with their cruel Aunt & Uncle and then running away. On their journey they meet a 13 year old boy who calls himself 'The Thief Lord' who leads a ring of street kids in petty crime. The brothers end up in interesting circumstances which puts into question the authenticity of the Thief Lord!

A terrific read for kids 11+

My son gives this story two thumbs up.