Children's Book Week Kid Lit Giveaway Hop

I'm so excited to be part of the Children's Book Week Kid Lit Giveaway Hop. Reading books with my kids has always been a special part of our time spent together. I hope WISH YOU WEREN'T will become one of those books that parents and kids enjoy reading together, that kids enjoy reading under the covers and that people enjoy enough to share with each other. Want to check it out for yourself? You can enter to win a copy below!

Marten doesn't believe in the power of wishes. None of his have ever come true. His parents ignore him, his little brother is a pain and his family is talking about moving to Texas. Not cool. So when he makes an impulsive wish during a meteor shower, he doesn't expect it to make any difference.

Until his annoying brother disappears.

With the present uncertain and his brother’s future in limbo, Marten finds himself stuck in his past. And if he runs out of time, even wishes might not be enough to save the ones he loves.



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KID LIT GIVEAWAY HOP EVENT DETAILS
More than 100 bloggers, authors, publishers, and publicists are sharing copies of fabulous books through this blog hop put together by Mother Daughter Book Reviews and Youth Literature Reviews. The Children's Book Week Giveaway Hop 2014 features links to giveaways for fabulous children/teen's books, gift cards, cash, or other prizes.  What better way to celebrate Children's Book Week?

Enter to win more great stuff from the people below!

World Read Aloud Day

My daughter has spent the last couple evenings snuggled up under her blanket reading a book. Correction: reading the iPad. Last night at 10 p.m. I finally said sorry, but you need to go to sleep. I promised to wake her up early so she could finish reading before school. Here's hoping she finishes before it's time to leave or we're going to have a real struggle! The book that has captured her attention? Boys are Dogs by Leslie Margolis. I don't know the author, but with such a ringing endorsement from my reluctant reader, I'm going to have to read this one myself!

But not today. Today is World Read Aloud Day, a celebration of shared words, encouraged by LitWorld.

 
I read aloud a lot with my entire family. (Yes, my hubby likes to listen in, too!) Right now we're in the middle of Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire. My son and husband have heard this entire series before, but it's the first time through with my daughter. It's been hard to keep some of the secrets of the stories from her (darn those evil children who like to spoil endings!) but the books are so wonderful that we've all enjoyed discovering them again. And of course, each time we finish a book, the dvd comes out so we can compare the book with the movie. You can guess which version wins every time :-)

What will you be reading out loud today with a child?

Reading Out Loud

Today is World Read Aloud Day, part of LitWorld's global literacy movement. If you're in New York City, you can check out the 24-hour Read Aloud Marathon in Times Square, where they'll be having some famous names read to the crowds. But if you're like me, living in a different part of the country, you can find another way to mark the day.

My daughter and I decided to celebrate by reading one of our favorite picture books together, Bark, George by Jules Feiffer. Believe it or not, this hilarious PB has less than 230 words. Talk about making every word count!




Happy reading!

Reader Recommendations

Every Monday I help in the classrooms at Ballard School where my children are in 1st and 4th grade. Cute school, huh?

I love when I get to read with the 4th graders. They bring out a book and read aloud to me, filling me in with what's going on and sometimes asking what a word means. It's always fun to see what interests them, especially when I know some of the authors. Last week I probably scared Sadie with my enthusiasm when I saw she was reading Sheep by Val Hobbs.

Me: Omigosh, Sadie, I'll be at Val's house tomorrow night! I'm taking a writing class from her!

Sadie, backing up a little: Wow, you know her? That's cool...

Sadie's sister gave her Sheep, which brings me to my point. Kids don't look at best seller lists or choose a book because it won an award. Some will pick up books with interesting covers and good blurbs on the back. But mostly they choose books that they see their friends (or sisters) reading or hear about from the school librarian. And once they like an author, they'll read anything by that person. (I found out that Sadie's sisters and Mom own at least six of Val's books!)

So when I saw Jen Robinson's post about selecting reading material, I thought I'd go to some kids for recommendations. I've got two voracious readers living with me and here are their impromptu book lists:

Drew's 4th Grade Recommendations
Harry Potter
My mom and I have read all these books together and I reread them by myself too.

The Dark Lord
I'll read any Star Wars book, but this is my favorite.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid
I have all four books. They make me laugh out loud (and my mom, too).

Blood on the River
I just finished this for book club at school. It's a historical novel about John Smith and the James Town settlers.

Drew is just starting the Percy Jackson series (one of MY personal favorites). I'm guessing it will become a favorite for him, too.


Jasmine's 1st Grade Recommendations
The Wednesday Surprise
She loves this one because the kids surprise their daddy.

Nate the Great
She's reading this book for Accelerated Reader.

The Magic Treehouse Series
I used to read these to her but now she reads them on her own.

Bark, George
This picture book still makes her laugh out loud every time she reads it.