Monday, June 30, 2014

Rare Sighting- Summer Reading!

We just got back from a 3 week road-trip. (From Utah, through  Canada- down through New York to Maryland (where I grew up) and then back to Utah!!)

The first day we were home- the kids rushed outside. Connected with friends, had a huge squirt gun fight with the neighbors and then slept soundly in their own comfortable beds.




This is what they looked like day two! I was shocked. They were reading without my nagging  motivational speeches. lol

AMAZING.

The son laying down is reading Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets.
The other picked up a book he read before Summer of the Woods by Steven Smith.

While visiting cousins- my boys were introduced to an avid 11 year old coin collector! We didn't know this cousin was so interested, knowledgeable about coins. We came back to grandmas house after a day of touring Washington DC, and my sons took the coins out of their pockets to show him. (From the Metro we had gotten $1 coins as change- and this third son of mine had an old Susan B Anthony.) My nephew (their cousin) grabbed his coin collecting book and they learned it was valued at $60!

Well- needless -to -say that really sparked the interest of my sons. We've been checking our pocket change the rest of the trip. Coin collecting is so cool- it's like a treasure hunt with our own American money!! Summer of the Woods is about two brothers who find a rare Indian Head penny, that leads their summer vacation into a 60 year old mystery of a stolen coin collection in their town.

(You can click here to read our book club about it.) Even though he has read it before- he admitted he didn't remember much, and wasn't that interested. NOW that he is hooked on collecting coins... he wants to read it again! lol


Other Summer Reading ideas:
Calendar Mysteries Series- I am currently hosting a summer book club for my 8 year old with this series. Click HERE to see our book club activities.

Million Dollar Series by Dan Gutman is a really fun series for kids who love sports. Each book is centered around one sport; Million Dollar Shot (Basketball), Million Dollar Goal (hockey), Million Dollar Putt (golf). My second son did this entire series with his book club when he was in grade school. Book Club activities are pretty easy- simple play that sport!


If you have any family vacations planned- try finding a book that relates!
With our recent trip, I brought along a fun series called Capital Mysteries.


If you are having a Stay-cation this summer, Weird School is a funny series we did last year.

Books for Older boys that my sons have loved include:

Hatchet and Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen

If your kids have fallen in-love with the HOW To Train Your Dragon Movies- we did a few of these books as a book club, before the movies were made. (The movies don't follow the books faithfully- so it might be a fun book club to compare and contrast!)

Hope this list helps you find some great books your child will enjoy reading~!

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