Comments: I never read this book as a child, but I LOVED it as an adult. We read it when the 2018 movie came out when my kids were 4, 6, and 8 years. I did not particularly care for either version of the movies, but the book was outstanding, in my opinion. I’m not sure my 4 year old got much out of the story, but I think my 6 and 8 year olds really enjoyed it as well. However, I had to stop and explain to them what was going on, so it might be better to wait until kids are a little older.

It is a science fiction story about 13 year old Meg Murray whose father disappeared years before. Meg and her younger brother, Charles Wallace, along with a fellow classmate named Calvin travel through the space-time continuum to rescue the father and save the world. There are several fantastical elements to the story.

Personally, what I really loved about the story were the emotional elements and the growth of the characters. Even though I read it as an adult, I still appreciated the coming of age aspects of the story and can really understand how this book could help form young women encouraging self acceptance and the courage to do what is right. I’ll definitely be encouraging my daughter to read it again when she is in middle school.

Recommended By:

1. 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up
2. 100 Best Books for Children
3. Valerie and Walter’s Best Books for Children

Included on Lists:

1. Best Books for Late Elementary
2. Best Books for Middle School

The post A Wrinkle in Time appeared first on ResearchParent.com.

Recommended By:

1. 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up
2. 100 Best Books for Children
3. The Read-Aloud Handbook
4. Valerie and Walter’s Best Books for Children

Included on Lists:

1. Best Books for Late Elementary
2. Best Books for Middle School

The post Hatchet appeared first on ResearchParent.com.

Recommended By:

1. 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up
2. 100 Best Books for Children
3. The Read-Aloud Handbook
4. Valerie and Walter’s Best Books for Children

Included on Lists:

1. Best Books for Late Elementary
2. Best Books for Middle School

The post Tuck Everlasting appeared first on ResearchParent.com.

Comments: Our family chose From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler for our party school book club. The ages of kids reading or listening to this book ranged from about 6 to 10 years. I do think the older kids liked it more than the younger kids. I think the adults all enjoyed it. However, there were definitely parts of the book that seemed confusing to the younger kids.

One aspect of this book is the point of view. It is written as a letter from Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, who doesn’t enter the plot until the last few chapters, to her lawyer, Saxonburg, who never enters the story. When I read it to my children (ages 4, 6, and 8 years), I would stop to explain to them what was going on. I think my kids really liked the book. However, kids that just listened to the audiobook were left a little confused.

The story is about 2 kids, Claudia (age 11) and Jamie (age 9), who run away from home to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While there, they try to solve a mystery regarding a recent museum acquisition. People suspect, but do not know for sure, whether the statue of an angel was sculpted by Michelangelo. 

Personally, I loved the story. I thought it was charming. I loved the relationship between the two siblings, the way they worked together and complimented each other so well. I know my 8 year old also really enjoyed the book. After we finished reading the book, we watched the movie, The Hideaways. Although there are some differences, overall the movie is pretty faithful to the book. Even though it was fairly dated, my 6 and 8 year olds really liked the movie as well.

Recommended By:

1. 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up
2. 100 Best Books for Children
3. The Read-Aloud Handbook
4. Valerie and Walter’s Best Books for Children
5. What to Read When
6. The New York Times Parent’s Guide to the Best Books for Children

Included on Lists:

1. Best Books for Mid Elementary
2. Best Books for Late Elementary

The post From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler appeared first on ResearchParent.com.

 
Recommended By:

1. 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up
2. 100 Best Books for Children
3. The Read-Aloud Handbook
4. Valerie and Walter’s Best Books for Children
5. What to Read When
6. The New York Times Parent’s Guide to the Best Books for Children

Comments: I tried reading this to my first child right around his third birthday, but despite the occasional picture, he was clearly not ready for it yet. I tried again a year later on his fourth birthday and it was perfect. The only small issue was that the story features a number of “scary” and “mean” animals that want to eat the main character, Elmer, such as a lion and rhinoceros, which are really not at all threatening, but had my preschooler a little concerned. The story is extremely formulaic, and therefore predictable in a way that is awesome for young kids. After the first few chapters which are a little different, each chapter consists of Elmer meeting a mean animal and tricking him in a silly way into not eating him. I also love that each chapter is only a few pages long, the perfect length for a first chapter book read-aloud. I should note that there are two sequels in this trilogy. The first book, My Father’s Dragon, was my favorite, though the second, Elmer and the Dragon, was my 4 year old’s favorite, I think because there really weren’t any “bad guys” at all, just a little unfortunate weather.

Included on Lists:

1. Best Books for Kindergarteners
2. Best Books for Early Elementary
3. Best Books for Mid Elementary

The post My Father’s Dragon appeared first on ResearchParent.com.

Recommended By:

1. 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up
2. 100 Best Books for Children
3. The Read-Aloud Handbook
4. Valerie and Walter’s Best Books for Children
5. What to Read When
6. The New York Times Parent’s Guide to the Best Books for Children

Included on Lists:

1. Best Books for Kindergarteners
2. Best Books for Early Elementary
3. Best Books for Mid Elementary

The post Charlotte’s Web appeared first on ResearchParent.com.

Recommended By:

1. 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up
2. 100 Best Books for Children
3. The Read-Aloud Handbook
4. Valerie and Walter’s Best Books for Children
5. What to Read When
6. The New York Times Parent’s Guide to the Best Books for Children

Comments: My 2 and a half year old is a little young to understand all the details of Alexander’s bad day, but he definitely gets the idea and something must resonate with him, because he likes to have this story read to him over and over. I think he’ll enjoy it even more when he’s older.

Included on Lists:

1. Best Books for Kindergarteners
2. Best Books for Early Elementary
3. Personal Family Favorites: Preschoolers

The post Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day appeared first on ResearchParent.com.

Recommended By:

1. 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up
2. 100 Best Books for Children
3. The Read-Aloud Handbook
4. Valerie and Walter’s Best Books for Children
5. What to Read When
6. The New York Times Parent’s Guide to the Best Books for Children

Included on Lists:

1. Best Books for Kindergarteners
2. Best Books for Early Elementary

The post Sylvester and the Magic Pebble appeared first on ResearchParent.com.

Recommended By:

1. 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up
2. 100 Best Books for Children
3. Babies Need Books
4. Valerie and Walter’s Best Books for Children
5. What to Read When
6. The New York Times Parent’s Guide to the Best Books for Children

Comments: My almost 4 year old son’s preschool teacher told us we should practice having our son predict what’s going to happen in books. This is a good book for that, with predictable responses from the monkeys. Our son actually guessed totally wrong each time (he didn’t find it so predictable), but after that first night he’s wanted it read almost every night for over a week.

Included on Lists:

1. Best Books for Preschoolers
2. Best Books for Kindergarteners
3. Personal Family Favorites: Preschoolers

The post Caps for Sale appeared first on ResearchParent.com.

Recommended By:

1. 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up
2. 100 Best Books for Children
3. The Read-Aloud Handbook
4. Valerie and Walter’s Best Books for Children
5. What to Read When
6. The New York Times Parent’s Guide to the Best Books for Children

Included on Lists:

1. Best Books for Kindergarteners
2. Best Books for Early Elementary

The post Where the Sidewalk Ends appeared first on ResearchParent.com.