Another Column at MyShelf.Com

Babe To Teens, Past
A Youth Column
By Beverly Rowe


SUMMER READING ROUND-UP
WEB SITES FOR KIDS
TIPS FOR CHILDREN'S WRITERS



NEW BOOKS GALORE FOR YOUR SUMMER READING PLEASURE....

And why not download and print this cool reading log. You will be amazed at how many books you can read this summer. www.abcteach.com/summer/readlog.htm

Do check out the summer activities at your local library and school, or start your own book club with your friends. It's especially fun if you and your friends can get together and discuss a book you have all read. You might even want to check out the summer reading lists from your school to include a few titles in your bookclub discussions. Here are links to some summer reading lists of great books that you will enjoy:

  1. Favorite Books for Reluctant Boy Readers
  2. Good Books for Kindergarenters and First Graders
  3. Aunt Polly's Summer Reading for Kids
  4. Children's Books, Music and DVDs for Young Children to Adults

Here are a few of the newest books:

The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book (revised and expanded edition)
by Jeff Kinney

Now you can write your own bestseller!

With The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book, you're the author, illustrator, and main character. Loads of interactive pages and space to write your own life's story, this book is all you need to create your masterpiece. Includes more than 60 new pages! 32 pages of full-color comics (16 brand-new)! Ages 9-12.

We're with the Band (Archie Comics)
by Adrianne Ambrose

Who doesn't love Archie Comics? Here is a brand new one to read on a hot summer day.

It's summer in Riverdale and best friends Betty and Veronica decide that it would be fun to start up their own all-girl pop band, The Candy Hearts. What starts off as an excuse to hang out with their friends quickly becomes an overwhelming phenomenon. The two girls learn that success is not as important as friendship in this middle-grade novel featuring classic Archie Comics characters. Ages 9-12.

The Midnight Gate
By Helen Stringer

This charming ghost story has a fast-paced plot and intricate world that pull the reader along, but it’s Bella’s love for her parents and her need to keep them with her that linger in this book that blends classic British fantasy with figures usually reserved for horror stories to create a compelling fantasy adventure which will appeal to middle grades readers. …this book is sure to hook readers and leave them waiting for what must certainly be a sequel, if not a whole series. Ages 9-12

Sugar Plum Ballerinas: Sugar Plums to the Rescue!
By Whoopie Goldberg

Jessica is worried when she learns that the Nutcracker School of Ballet might lose its lease! Life just wouldn’t be the same without the ballet classes she shares with her Sugar Plum sisters. Then she rescues an adorable stray kitty on her way home from class. The animal shelters can't take the cat for weeks, so Jessica hopes the cat can live at the Nutcracker School in the meantime. But the school is already in trouble, and a cat could be just what the landlord needs to bring down the curtain on the ballerinas – permanently. Ages 9-12

What Happened to Goodbye
by Sarah Dessen

Since her parents' bitter divorce, McLean and her dad, have been on the move-four towns in two years. Estranged from her mother and her mother's new family, McLean has followed her dad in leaving the unhappy past behind. Each new place gives her a chance to try out a new persona: from cheerleader to drama diva. But now, for the first time, McLean discovers a desire to stay in one place and just be herself, whoever that is. Perhaps Dave, the guy next door, can help her find out.
Young Adult.


TIPS FOR WRITERS:

Writing for children is not as easy as it seems....what could be so hard about writing a simple, limited vocabulary story for children? When you set out to do that, you realize quickly that it takes a lot more work than you thought it would. So now you have the plot polished, and every word sparkles. The characters are wonderfully compelling, and your grammar is perfect. So now what? Submitting it to an agent or publisher is the next step, and John Bard has some advice on how to do that....


Submitting to Children's Book Publishers:

3 Steps to Avoiding Rejection Letters


EXCITING WEB SITES FOR CHILDREN

Children's Storybooks Online - Stories for Kids of All Ages Feb 2, 2011 ... Awards For This Site. SPONSORS: More free children's books online at A Story Before Bed. You can even record yourself reading to your kids. www.magickeys.com/books

On this site, you can find and enormous number of children's books to read online, and they are all available in multiple languages... some are modern, and some are classics. www.childrensbooksonline.org/library.htm

This site has online games galore that are great fun www.pbskids.org/
 August Reading
Here is a site that has all the latest news about upcoming children's books, some cool contests, and much more. Sign up to receive the newsletter. www.kidsreads.com/index.asp


2011 Past Columns