Chapter Books

     Chapter books are ideal for children in their in between year. The years between being a kid and a teen. These books sometimes have a few pictures in them here and there, but are predominately text. The vocabulary begins to become more advanced and themes can become more mature in some of the books.
     When I think of chapter books I think of Beverly Cleary. She has written numerous books and won many awards for her work, including 35 statewide awards based on the votes of her young readers. Ramona is a major character that Cleary works with. She is a spunky child who has a penchant for trouble. She sometimes just can't help herself. In Ramona the Pest she has just begun kindergarten and is getting to know how school works. She absolutely loves her teacher Miss Binney and seeks her approval with everything. Many times Ramona felt that Miss Binney was the only one who understood her. No matter how hard Ramona tries, she can't help but get into trouble. Ramona doesn't mean to get into sticky situations, but sometimes she just looks at the world in a different way than others and it causes minor conflicts. Checkout the book to see if she becomes a kindergarten dropout or survive her first year in school.
     Everybody knows Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach and The BFG. These aren't the only books that Roald Dahl has written, but they are household names that have earned a spot on many bookcases. The Witches is another popular chapter book by Dahl and starts with a tragic beginning. The book is about a young boy whose parents die and he is to live with his grandmother. The boy loves his grandmother dearly and she tells him stories about how to recognize a witch and exactly what they are capable of. You can tell that the boy is skeptical, until the one day he is hiding in a room that fills with witches. Though he tries to stay hidden, he is sniffed out and the cruel witches turn him into a mouse, but as a mouse he manages to slip away. As a mouse he decides to try and eradicate witches from the world so that what has happened to him, will never happen to anyone else. Does he succeed? You'll have to read to see.
     Rick Riordan is a best selling author who has a variety of series. One of his best known works are the Percy Jackson novels the first two of which have become big screen movies. Riordan is collaborating with many other authors on The 39 Clues series. The first in the series, The Maze of Bones is written by Riordan and is a fast paced exciting adventure. This chapter book follows Amy and Dan Cahill as they attend the reading of their grandmothers will and are assigned the task to find 39 clues and forever change civilization. Several family members are tasked with the same challenge and compete against each other for the clues that could make the winner a very powerful person. The clues are not easy to find and the danger mounts with each piece of the puzzle. The book leaves wondering what will happen next and anxious to read the next in the series.
     Megan McDonald is the award winning author of the popular Judy Moody series amongst many other books as well. McDonald has written and published more than 60 books geared toward children. It's no wonder that McDonald is a well known name in the world of books. Judy Moody Saves the World is just one of many in the series and follows Judy as she learns about being green. Judy does her best to do her part in saving the environment, but once in a while her good intentions go horribly wrong and she becomes frustrated until one of her ideas inspires her whole class. You'll have to pick up this installment to see if she can inspire you or your children to go green too.
     Greg Kinney's number one bestselling book Diary of a Wimpy Kid has been wildly popular with children in later elementary and middle school years. There are currently 8 books in the series with the newest 9th installment Hard Luck coming soon. In Diary of a Wimpy Kid Greg Heffley writes a diary explaining the trials of his life at home, with friends and at school. The reader will quickly discover that middle school isn't as easy as it sounds. It's filled with unwritten rules and unspoken popularity contest. The diary follows Greg as he navigates all of these challenges. This is a cute book written in diary format with a few graphics thrown in to emphasize the things that Greg discusses.