Buzzfeed has produced a terrific list of books to read this year before their corresponding movies come out. I’m a huge proponent of movies based on books because I think it helps to get kids reading. I call them “book extensions.” There are many other “book extensions,” including video games, websites […]
Tag: YA readers
World Read-Aloud Day is Wed., March 7
It’s very important to read to your child. In fact, we consider it one of the top three most important things you can do to help your kid develop a love of reading. Every day – but especially on Wed., March 7 – take the time to read to your child. […]
Get your kid excited about the news
Every week, I do a half-hour presentation at my son’s school on “the news.” It’s often the best half-hour of my week. And a lot of the kids – and the parents – tell me they look forward to the class. What I do is pretty simple; you can do […]
Why your kid needs a bookshelf
My bookshelf and my books have been held captive in my attic for eight years. Last week I hired a professional organizer. Long-story short, my bookshelf is now where it belongs – in my home-office, with all of my favourite books on it. There’s the Pelican Shakespeare, with the tissue paper leaves; The […]
The School for the Insanely Gifted, by Dan Elish
I heard about this book and thought it sounded interesting. Long-story (oh-so-long!) short, I ended up having to get a review copy sent to my vacation-hotel in California because the publisher wouldn’t ship to Canada. Was it worth it? Yes. Memorable characters and interesting premise. Things get a little wild and crazy […]
Advice from a young author: Dare to suck
Do you have a kid you’re trying to encourage to write more? Is your kid discouraged because she’s worried that her writing isn’t good enough? Here’s some great advice from a young author, Maureen Johnson, who is currently working on her 10th novel for teens. She will tell your kid (in her […]
Test your Potter fan with these clues
We’ve all been missing Harry and the Gang, of course, which is why we were so excited to see the new website, Pottermore. Getting Kids Reading has qualified to be an early, beta-tester of the new Harry Potter site. That means we’ll be able to bring you an insider’s view […]
The news, in kid-friendly language
Kids love reading about what’s happening in their world. But so often, the newspaper is full of inappropriate and difficult articles. Teaching Kids News (TKN) is a sister website to Getting Kids Reading. We offer kid-friendly news articles, taken from the headlines of real newspapers. One of the great things […]
L. M. Montgomery’s newest book is dark and lovely
Here’s a mother-daughter book you may want to check out. Wait, I’m assuming you’ve both read (and loved) the Anne of Green Gables series. You have? Good. Let’s continue. So, I’m browsing the shelves of Chapters in a small town in Ontario recently, and my fingers are drawn to a […]
Five minutes to bridge the racial achievement gap
I’ve been reading this book – Choke. (Because I tend to choke at tennis, that’s why.) But it’s got some really interesting things to say that will help your kid with test anxiety. Researchers were studying what happens to African-Americans, for instance, who experience racism throughout their life. These students can have something […]