It's summer, and your kids need something good to read! Fortunately, Bethel has no shortage of bookstores to pick up some enlightening material for those long, lazy summer days. We asked some local booksellers what they'd recommend. Here's the first entry, from Rainy Day Paperback Exchange's Nora O'Neill, detailing kids' books for every age. What would you add to the list?
More reading lists from local experts on the way!
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Where the Wild Things Are- Maurice Sendak
"Sometimes kids get angry and act out. This reminds kids that even if they've been beastly, parents still love them."
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Auntie Tigress and Other Favorite Chinese Folktales- Gin-Zhen Wang
"Some stories repeat across many cultures. The three stories here will be familiar to kids while also showing them how another cultures would tell the tale of Little Red Riding Hood."
Thomas the Tank Engine series- Rev. W. Awdry
"These are short stories featuring hard working trains. Aside from the trains, these focus on the importance of manners, cooperation, and working hard. Perfect for little train fans, especially if you're planning a visit to the Danbury Railway Museum over the summer."
CHAPTER BOOKS (easy)
Catwings- Ursuala K. Le Guin
"The U.S. Library of Congress made Le Guin a Living Legend in the 'Writers and Artists' category for her significant contributions to America's cultural heritage. Catwings is about four feral kittens born with wings, which their mother hopes will let them fly away and fulfill their dreams."
The Adventures of Peter Cottontail- Thornton Burgess
"Burgess wrote 170 different children's books featuring the animals of Green Meadows, including Peter Cottontail. These incorporate American folktales with characters including beavers, raccoons, skunks and other animals native to the US along with characters present in both European and American tales, like foxes and deer."
CHAPTER BOOKS (intermediate)
Goosebumps- R.L. Stine
"Scary stories to read while away at camp or while hiding under the sheets with a flashlight."
The Black Stallion (Walter Farley) and Phanton Stallion (Terri Farley)
The authors are unrelated but write series about the same basic subject: the bond between a teenager and a special horse. The Black Stallion features a male lead, Phantom Stallion features a female lead.
Freddy the Detective- Walter Brooks
"A pig in upstate NY models his life on that of Sherlock Holmes so as to solve mysteries."
The Chronicles of Prydain series (5 books)- Lloyd Alexander
"Loosely based on the Welsh epic the Mabinogion, this follows a lowly farmboy as he grows up to be a hero. A perfect pick for a kid that loved the Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings movies, but isn't quite to the reading level to tackle those yet."
Big Red- Jim Kjelgaard
"The wilderness adventures of a boy and his Irish Setter. Big Red is the most famous of Kjelgaard's books, but he wrote 40 books with similar themes of adventure and survival with a dog as companion."
The Trumpet of the Swan- E.B. White
"Louis is a trumpeter swan... but he's born mute. But with his parents help, he eventually learns to play the trumpet and seeks out his fortune in the world. He has a life different than that of other swans, but still ultimately finds success in life."
TEEN
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark- Alvin Schwartz
"All the classic creepy crawlies for teens, perfect for sleepovers and camp."
Battle Royale series- Koushun Takami & Masayuki Tagchi
"A comic adaptation of Koshun Takami's novel spanning 15 volumes. A group of Japanese high school students are forced to fight to the death by an authoritarian Japanese government. If they liked The Hunger Games, this darker, bloodier earlier series may be to your liking. (Caution: violent content may not be suitable for all teens.)"
Animal Stories- James Herriot
"James Herriot's stories have been collected and recollected in various forms either as the original All Creatures Great and Small or recollected around specific animals or themes. These true adventures of a country vet are warm and joyful with occasional sadness. Not every animal can be saved, but that doesn't mean it’s not worth trying. The stories also deal with the owners and their reactions to problems with their pets and sometimes with having to let a dear friend go."
Hatchet- Gary Paulson
"Brian is stranded in the Canadian wilderness and must use his wits and the few supplies on the plane to get home. But with his parents divorced, where is home now?"
The Incredible Journey- Sheila Burnford
"A family leaves their pets in the care of a family friend, John, but when he heads out of town for a week, they slip off, headed for home. The housekeeper doesn’t realize they aren’t traveling with John until he returns and by then the two dogs and a cat are well on their way into a 300 mile journey… This follows the animal’s journey in a realistic manner as they struggle to go home. No talking animals here. This shows both the bond between animals and humans and between animals of different species as the cat and the two dogs interact."Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
