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.

Quirky Kids Books the Whole Family Will Love

There’s certainly no shortage of great books for kids and their big kid parents, but if you’re looking for something new to read that everyone will love, consider these two quirky books, they may just become the new family favorites.

Spencer’s New Pet by Jessie Sima. You may know Jessie Sima for her fantastic book Not Quite Narwhal, and we’re sure you’ll be every bit as delighted with Spencer’s New Pet. It’s an adorable story accompanied by some adorable mostly black-and-white illustrations that give this modern tale an old-fashioned feel. The story centers around a boy who must avoid sharp objects in order to protect his balloon-animal pet dog, and we have a feeling it may just become one of your favorites after reading it to your kids.

It’s Only Stanley by Jon Agee. Award winning children’s author Jon Agee offers up another great tale with It’s Only Stanley, the story of Stanley, a family dog who does fantastic things. The Wimbeldons, Stanley’s family, suspect the noises he’s making are the result of him cleaning or fixing something, but little do they suspect that Stanley is actually transforming their house into a rocket ship that will carry them to an alien-inhabited planet. It’s a rhyming read-aloud book that’s good fun for the whole family.

Looking for some great 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.

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.

Fascinating Facts for the Whole Family

The world is a fascinating place, and the wonders of nature can mesmerize us all! Here are three interesting facts that are sure to fascinate the whole family.

Defend the fort! Bees aren’t usually known to go on the offensive, and generally speaking they will only sting if they’re feeling threatened, honey bees in particular. Not so when it comes to protecting the hive, however! Bees will not only swarm any perceived threat to their hive, regardless of size or species of the intruder, they’ll even sting other bees if they’re perceived to be a threat.

It’s raining fish! Tornadoes can form over water just as they do over land, and when they do, they can suck up large amounts of lake and sea water including whatever may be swimming in that water at the time. The law of gravity dictates that what goes up must come down, and so when the wind decreases and the tornado subsides a downpour of fish is entirely possible.

Dinosaurs roamed the earth. Despite the fact that bones and fossils have only been found in certain areas of the globe, scientific evidence suggests that dinosaurs may have lived on every continent, including Antarctica. The lack of fossilized remains is likely due to soil and weather conditions that were unfavorable to the survival of remains, or bones just being too small to fossilize.

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