Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

These are the latest family-centred books curated by the Readgrad team.

The Mighty Miss Malone

by Christopher Paul Curtis

Chances are good that your kids will read one of Christopher Paul Curtis’s books in school. Still, his moving, history-rooted, character-driven stories are perfect for reading aloud and discussing at home. In The Mighty Miss Malone, Deza Malone and her family are forced to take to the road as many families were during the Great Depression. While any story about hard times and poverty will have its darker pages, Curtis gives us powerful and hopeful lead characters to light the way. When you read Deza’s reflective and heartfelt words aloud, her resilience and strength come through loud and clear.

The Westing Game

by Ellen Raskin

Beloved for over thirty-five years, The Westing Game spins a web of illusions and intrigue. When the odd, game-loving millionaire Samuel Westing passes away, he leaves his fortunes to a total stranger — who might also be a murderer. Sixteen people attended the unpredictable reading of Westing’s will, and things, let’s just say, unravel from there. Author Ellen Raskin was also an incredible designer. Her original design work and bonus content are on full display in this special anniversary edition, adding a crucial layer to the mystery and taking your read-aloud to the next level.

Two Roads

by Joseph Bruchac

Things have been unstable for twelve-year-old Cal Black and his Pop after losing their farm during the Great Depression. Still, Cal loves living on the road with his dad. But one day, Pop tells Cal that he’s going alone to Washington D.C. to march with fellow veterans for their missing checks. As for Cal, he’s going to Oklahoma to live at a government boarding school for Native Americans because — and this is news, too — he and Pop are part of the Creek Indian tribe. It’s there that Cal learns about his people’s history, customs, and language, and also that friendship can be another sort of family.

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How to Wake Up The Kids

We get it, nobody likes early mornings, especially not the kids, and especially not when they have to wake up early to go to school. While many schools are still teaching remotely, that’s not the case for everywhere, and everyone will eventually have to get ready to go back. With that in mind, the team at Readgrad thought we’d offer these suggestions for getting the kids to get up.

Bribe them. It may not be the strategy you’d like to start with, but trust us, it’s effective. Do your kids have a favorite breakfast? Have it ready for them if they’ll get up. Maybe a chocolate or some candy later? Why not! Food can be a great motivator but your imagination is the limit.

Wake them up earlier than needed. After all, even we hit snooze on the alarm once or twice, or seven times… Kids are no different, and when they ask for five more minutes in bed they have every right to it. So if you’re up already, wake the kids up earlier than they need to and let them go back to bed for a few more minutes, it’ll seem like an indulgence!

Make sure they’re getting enough sleep. Perhaps most importantly, if the day ahead calls for an early start time, make sure the kids get to bed early the night before. They may not like it, well rested kids will make your life so much easier in the morning!

Looking for some fun for the whole family? Visit our online library at Readgrad for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more. Accessible anytime, anywhere, from your favorite devices.

The Best Books For Your Slightly Older Young Readers

Kids grow up fast, and as parents sometimes we can struggle with the reality of all the things they outgrow. When your young one has made it to grade school and has outgrown their classic children’s books, here are a few more classics that will be a bit more age appropriate.

Matilda by Roald Dahl. While Dahl has a number of timeless classics in his catalogue, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach, Matilda is perhaps the best starting point for young readers. The only one of Dahl’s books to make it to the New York Public Library‘s list of the best children’s books, Matilda tells the tale of a smart and precocious young girl who uses her wits to outsmart the often cruel grown-ups around her.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. Now enjoying a whole new level of success thanks to Disney’s recent adaptation, A Wrinkle in Time has long been a classic, and serves as a fantastic introduction to science fiction and fantasy for younger readers. The winner of the 1963 Newbery Medal, A Wrinkle in Time tells the story of a girl tasked with traveling through space and time to save her scientist father—and the world.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling. What list of classic books for young readers would be complete without Harry Potter? Nothing short of a cultural phenomenon, J. K. Rowling’s story of a young Wizard discovering who he truly is continues to be enjoyed by readers of all ages, and likely will be for many decades to come.

Looking for some family fun? Visit our online library at Readgrad for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more. Accessible anytime, anywhere, from your favorite devices.

Why You Should Let Your Kids Fail

It may be tempting to do everything within your power to help your kids succeed, but sometimes it’s important to let them fail too. Here are three reasons why.

It’ll teach them about the consequences of their actions. Were your kids too busy playing video games to study for their math test? It may be tempting to shut off the screen and sit down with them until they’re ready to ace the test, but letting them struggle as a result of their own actions will teach them that those actions have consequences, and they’ll definitely think twice about skipping out on studying the next time a test rolls ‘round.

It’ll show them that a single failure is not the be all end all. When you were learning how to ride a bike odds are you fell a couple of times. But did you quit? Of course not! You got right back on that bike until you could ride it like a pro. Your kids are deserving of the same kind of learning opportunity in all aspects of life, and it’s worth knowing that a single failure is nothing more than a stumbling block, and not an impassable barricade.

It’ll make success that much sweeter. Ask anyone who’s ever failed a driving test once or twice, when you do finally pass it’s almost like the best feeling in the world! Failure is sometimes inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing, it can serve as a sweetener for when hard work finally leads to success.

Looking for some reads for the whole family? Visit our online library at www.readgrad.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more. Accessible anytime, anywhere, from your favorite devices.

What Dr Seuss Taught Us About Life

It’s easy to lose track of the many life lessons we’ve all learned from Dr. Seuss. Just in case you needed a reminder, here are three of the many lessons we’ve learned about life thanks to Dr Seuss.

“Sometimes the questions are complicated, and the answers are simple.”

It’s easy to get lost in the details of life, but sometimes things can be so simple, and answers can be right in front of your nose. Take a step back, sometimes all you need to do is take a look at the bigger picture.

“Step with great care and great tact, and remember that life’s a great balancing act.”

Life truly is about balance, and balance is necessary in so many aspects of life that this lesson could apply to just about anything! But no matter what you embark on, always embark with care, be respectful, and you’ll find you’ll be treated with the same care and respect.

“I’m sorry to say, but sadly it’s true – bang-ups and hang-ups can happen to you.

The world isn’t a perfect place, and just because life is good, it doesn’t mean life will be good all the time. Sometimes bad things happen, and that’s just part of life, but it doesn’t mean they’ll happen all the time or that they’ll last forever. Sometimes you have to take the bad in with the good, it’ll just make you appreciate the good that much more!

Looking for some family fun? Visit our online library at www.readgrad.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more. Accessible anytime, anywhere, from your favorite devices.

How to Create Meaningful Family Moments

Bonding is an important element to creating a happy family, and while those bonding moments can’t always be forced, here are four ways to help create meaningful family moments and strengthen bonds.

Get the kids involved. Creating activities for the kids is all well and good, but getting them involved in every step of the process, including the planning, is a great way to cement family ties and develop strong bonds. The kids may even surprise you and come up with better ideas than your own!

Family interviews. Odds are our parents have lived interesting lives and have many interesting stories to tell. Have the kids conduct “family interviews” and ask questions, not only will they love the stories and get to know their grandparents, but you may even learn a few things you never knew.

Plant a family garden. It takes a lot of love and nurturing to make a garden grow, much like it does to make a family strong. Gardening with the kids is a great way to share that labour of love, and growing food in that garden will go a long way to helping kids understand the value of that work.

Cook together as a family. Feeding a family is a lot of work, but cooking can be a lot of fun when the whole family is involved, and the kids can even get pretty creative when it comes to culinary concoctions.

Looking for more family fun? Visit our online library at www.readgrad.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more. Accessible anytime, anywhere, from your favorite devices, and perfect for the whole family.

Getting Competitive With the Kids!

Quiet nights at home are a staple of quality family time. It could be an evening curled up together on the couch watching a movie, or maybe some family reading time. But sometimes it can be a whole lot of fun to get a little competitive too, and quick little contests with the kids are a surefire way to get everyone smiling and giggling. Here are three fun competitions you can have with the kids.

Scavenger hunts. No matter what the occasion, a scavenger hunt is sure to be fun for everyone! Clues can be placed throughout the house, or even throughout the neighborhood if you’re willing to venture outside, and a fun prize is just the icing on the cake!

Paper airplane contests. We all played with paper airplanes in school at one point or another, so why not bring that same level of fun into the home! Everyone can build their own paper airplane and compete for speed, distance, accuracy, or even artistic style!

Cleanup contests. The kids won’t mind cleaning up if it can get a little competitive. Set goals for getting a part of the house the cleanest, or cleaning it up the fastest, and be sure to have some prizes handy. Not only will it be fun for the kids, but it’ll take a load off the chores for the grown ups!

Looking for more family fun? Visit our online library at www.readgrad.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more. Accessible anytime, anywhere, from your favorite devices, and sure to please the whole family.