Thursday, July 14, 2011

summer postcards #8

Summer Postcards: a July series capturing snapshots of my favorite month
Special guests: my nieces who traveled six thousands miles to be here this month
Location: in and around HOME and BARN
Format: Instagram (follow username mayamade for sneak peeks)
Stack at the barn
stacked on the coffee table at the barn... not every moment is high adventure around here..
A perfect moment
down time and quiet mornings keeps the balance








In fact, Grandma's doing a library run with the girls today! I'm sure she'd welcome any summer reading suggestions for the beginning chapter book reader and up. Thanks! Pin It

18 comments:

  1. Oooh - love making book suggestions! (I sold children's books for 20+ years).
    For beginning chapter book readers:
    Clementine books
    Spiderwick Chronicles
    Babymouse
    Blue Ghost, Red Ghost, and Green Ghost by Marion Dane Bauer (some of my daughter's faves)
    Catwings books by Ursula K. LeGuin

    For slightly older (8-12ish)
    The Penderwicks
    The Westing Game
    A Wrinkle in Time
    Catherine, Called Birdy
    The London Eye Mystery
    Holes
    Lizzie bright and the Buckminster Boy
    True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
    The View from Saturday
    Esperanza Rising
    Leviathan and Behemoth

    For teens:
    The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks
    A Northern Light
    Abhorsen series by Garth Nix
    Fire by Kristin Cashore
    Incarceron
    Feed
    Ender's Game

    I could go on and on. These are just some of my personal favorites - what I thought of off the top of my head and trying to shoot for a range of styles and genres. If the girls want specific recommendations send me a note telling me what they like and I'll be happy to tailor some suggestions to their interests. :-)

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  2. Wendi,
    I already loved you and was a huge fan (your sewing videos are insanely amazing!), but now I'm over the moon. Thanks for this wonderful list. I'm printing it out and giving it to my mom when we head over. xo
    Maya

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  3. I agree completely with Wendi's list, however to the beginning reader's list I would add The Cobble Street Cousins books by Cynthia Rylant. My daughter and I love those!

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  4. I have always loved and reflected on the book, The Island of the Blue Dolphins... Affected me a lot as a child... :)

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  5. Ooooh!!! Books!!! I just recently did a series on books and reading and here is one of the posts packed with se7en bazillion books that my kids recommend... classics/adventures/mysteries/families/animals... you really should find something you like!!!

    http://www.se7en.org.za/2011/04/15/se7en-of-the-best-bazillion-chapter-books-a-book-bonanza

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  6. We've been reading chapter books to our little guy, and it is pretty much the summer of "A to Z Mysteries" around here.

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  7. Wendi, your list was incredible! I have a couple to throw in there...

    A Cricket in Times Square
    The Moorchild
    The Fledgling
    A Series of Unfortunate Events
    The Hobbit
    Ginger Pie
    Detectives in Togas
    The Magic Treehouse Series (beginning readers)
    The Wheel on the School
    Bridge to Terabithia
    Shiloh
    Misty of Chincoteague (and other books by Marguerite Henry)
    Because of Winn Dixie

    I love kids books... we read a lot as a family. =)

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  8. Love these book lists! My daughter loves the Geronimo Stilton and Thea Stilton series of books. Also, we are getting into Judy Blume's classics Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing/Superfudge.

    thanks

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  9. Absolutely loving all of your wonderful recommendations. We are HUGE readers and devour books in the blink of an eye. As a result, I'm often forgetting some of my son's favorites for my daughter... these lists totally jarred some happy memories. I've also added lots of new ones to the list. Thank you!

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  10. I'm not 100% sure of how old your littles are, but I've been reading a lot of young adult fiction lately. If your girls like skating, there's a cute new book (that I think is already out) called Sugar and Ice and it is about a young girl who gets discovered by a major skating crew and gets to train with them. It deals with growing up, dealing with stress, making hard choices, and keeping yourself happy with your choices.

    I read another one that I want the whole world to read because it is so dang funny. A whole nother story and Another whole nother story (I've only read the second one). These are by Dr. Cuthbert Soup who is the president of unsolicited advice. I giggled like a little girl the WHOLE time I read that second book.

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  11. I've saved all of these fantastic selections for our kidlets!
    Here are our contributions:
    ~ EB White ~
    Charlotte's Web
    Stuart Little
    The trumpet of the swan
    ~ Beverly Cleary ~
    Ralph and the Motorcycle
    Runaway Ralph
    Ralph S Mouse
    ~ Lois Duncan ~
    Hotel for Dogs
    News for Dogs
    ~ John Peterson ~
    The Littles (series)

    Thanks to you all for your suggestions!
    ~ joey ~

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  12. Tell you mum to see if she can come up with a copy of "What Katy Did". My Mum was given it as a child, and I loved it when I was growing up (still do)... I was caught more than once reading it by torchlight after bed time because I couldn't wait to find out what happened next!

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  13. It's so nostalgic to look back on the favorite books of my childhood!

    Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, Mildred D. Taylor

    My Antonia, Willa Cather

    The Little House books, L I Wilder

    The Witches, Roald Dahl

    Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson

    Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls

    The Education of Little Tree, Forrest Carter

    Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell

    Watership Down, Richard Adams

    Are Mad Libs still around? Those would keep us busy (and laughing) for hours when I was younger!

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  14. Hi Maya!

    I would recommend anything by Joan Aiken - the Wolves of Willoughby Chase series - I still love them and I am alot older than 10!

    Also, 'The Little White Horse' by Elizabeth Goudge - really magical, and I still love reading it!

    For a change of pace, I suggest 'A Bella Street Mystery: The Secret Formula', a fun tween noir romp through Manhattan with plenty of suspense for toe curling chills! I would be happy to send you a copy and maybe an extra to give away? Check it out at www.BellaStreetMysteries.com and let me know!

    I love your site and it always makes me extra happy because my daughter is also named Maya and she LOVES making things!!

    Thank you for creating such a lovely site for us all to escape to!

    Have a wonderful day!

    Clare

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  15. A Whole Nother Story (and Another Whole Nother Story) by Dr. Cuthbert Soup - excellent chapter books - fun humor and adventure, sort of like the upbeat version of Lemony Snicket.. highly recommended by my 8yo.

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  16. I see the story cubes you have there! On my last trip to one of my favorite local toy and collectables shop I picked up a small travel set of the story cubes. I thought they were great. I plan to save them until Christmas and use it with the kids when we travel.

    Recently I started story telling at night and they love it! Now they even help me out with the stories.

    And isn't it nice when mamas are around to help out? Glad to know you are getting some "you time."

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  17. ah, story cubes!

    we have 'em. we love 'em.

    happy summer, maya.

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