Beverly Rowe is ready to share and recommend reading ideas for the youth in the family.

Book & internet recommendations
Tips for Children's Writers

A new year, new resolutions, new books...how exciting. Visiting other worlds, and other times through books is such a joy. Our local library got a facelift and remodeling job this year, and they are offering so much more now, including lots of electronic media items, from audio books to ebooks to movies and TV items...and it's all free. I'm still a little bit partial to hardcover and paperback books, but the electronic items are a wonderful way to encourage children to explore the written word. It is definitely worth a trip to your library to see what is new and let the kids pick out interesting books.

Here are a few recommendations for you to consider:

No Two Alike
by Keith Baker

The poetry and pictures here express the idea of individuality with an irrepressible, childlike sense of joy. Accessible to very young children, the verse reads aloud beautifully, with just a phrase or two on each spread. Created with subdued colors and strong composition, the double-page digital illustrations create a powerful sense of place and season while offering details for young children to notice and talk about. Baker’s seamless combination of well-worded rhymes, evocative landscapes, and playful protagonists make this a standout title for reading aloud, especially in winter."

LITTLE OWL'S NIGHT
by Divya Srinivasan

In an introduction to the wonders of the dark nighttime, Srinivasan shows us what really goes on in the forest at night through the eyes of Little Owl. It's evening in the forest and Little Owl wakes up from his day-long sleep to watch his friends enjoying the night. Hedgehog sniffs for mushrooms, Skunk nibbles at berries, Frog croaks, and Cricket sings. A full moon rises and Little Owl can't understand why anyone would want to miss it. Could the daytime be nearly as wonderful? Mama Owl begins to describe it to him, but as the sun comes up, Little Owl falls fast asleep.

THE DEAD GENTLEMAN
by Matthew Cody

Eleven-year-old Tommy Learner is an orphan and a protege to the Explorers, a secret group dedicated to exploring portals --- those hidden doorways to other worlds. But while investigating an attercop (man-eating spider) in the basement of an old hotel, Tommy is betrayed --- and trapped. And it's then that his world collides with that of modern-day Jezebel Lemon, who --- until the day she decides to explore her building's basement --- had no bigger worries than homework and boys. Now, Jezebel and Tommy must thwart the Dead Gentleman --- a legendary villain whose last unconquered world is our own planet Earth, a realm where the dead stay dead. Until now. Can two kids put an end to this ancient evil and his legions of Gravewalkers?

WOLVERS OF THE BEYOND: Watch Wolf
by Kathryn Lasky

A wolf's eye view of the legends of Ga'Hoole in this stirring third installment of the Wolves of Beyond series by bestselling author Kathryn Lasky.

Born with a twisted paw, Faolan was abandoned as a wolf pup and left to die. But not only did he survive and make it back to the wolf clan, he proved himself to be one of the most worthy wolves of all.

But just as Faolan is about to take his place as one of the revered Wolves of the Watch, a fellow watch wolf goes missing. Faolan is sent to track her down and makes a horrifying discovery - she has been kidnapped by bears. A war is coming between the wolves and the bears, and only Faolan can stop it.

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: Cabin Fever
by Jeff Kinney

Wimpy Kid fans will be delighted with this new story, and of course, Greg Heffley is in big trouble. School property has been damaged, and Greg is the prime suspect. But the crazy thing is, he’s innocent. Or at least sort of.

The authorities are closing in, but when a surprise blizzard hits, the Heffley family is trapped indoors. Greg knows that when the snow melts he’s going to have to face the music, but could any punishment be worse than being stuck inside with your family for the holidays?

WAR HORSE
by Michael Morpurgo

A new paperback with a gorgeous cover from the upcoming movie!

In 1914, Joey, a beautiful bay-red foal with a distinctive cross on his nose, is sold to the army and thrust into the midst of the war on the Western Front. With his officer, he charges toward the enemy, witnessing the horror of the battles in France. But even in the desolation of the trenches, Joey's courage touches the soldiers around him and he is able to find warmth and hope. But his heart aches for Albert, the farmer's son he left behind. Will he ever see his true master again?

You will love this story of a powerful bond between a young man named Albert and his horse, Joey, during World War I. Albert trains and cares for Joey until the two are forced apart. But the separation is the beginning of a remarkable journey for Joey, who touches the lives of everyone he meets as he moves through the war.

CLOCKWORK PRINCE: The Infernal Devices
by Cassandra Clare

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street—and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. A brilliant, impossible to put down story.

Another great fantasy from one of our most prolific modern writers....Whit and Wisty Allgood have sacrificed everything to lead the resistance against the merciless totalitarian regime that governs their world. Its supreme leader, The One Who Is The One, has banned everything they hold dear: books, music, art, and imagination. But the growing strength of the siblings' magic hasn't been enough to stop the One's evil rampage, and now he's executed the only family they had left.

Wisty knows that the time has finally come for her to face The One. But her fight and her fire only channel more power to this already invincible being. How can she and Whit possibly prepare for their imminent showdown with the ruthless villain that devastated their world-before he can truly become all-powerful?

In this stunning third installment of the epic Witch & Wizard series, the stakes have never been higher--and the consequences will change everything.

DEAR BULLY: Seventy Authors Tell Their Stories
Edited by Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones - Social Issues

Today’s top authors for teens come together to share their stories about bullying --- as silent observers on the sidelines of high school, as victims, and as perpetrators --- in a collection at turns moving and self-effacing, but always deeply personal.

Recommended Web Sites:

Share the joy of reading with the children in your family. Children's Storybooks Online is a great resource for free online books for kids of all ages and much more. The sister site, ABC Fast Phonics offers an easy and fun way for new readers of all ages to get up to speed on phonics. Parents and teachers alike will find this a great supplement to the school curriculum. These sites are easy to navigate and will provide hours of entertainment and learning.

Tips for children's writers:

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