Greetings from the dark side! đč đ±
Kidding, sort of. But weâve reached the point in the summer where most of the things we looked forward to have come and goneâand itâs 1 billion degrees with a month until school.
Sarah Miller from Can We Read? mentioned that a lot of her readers are feeling a bit lowâshe suggests both a trampoline and audiobooksâand in her wonderful way, reminds us to cut ourselves some slackâthat being âgood enoughâ is definitely good enough! (Sheâs talking about this in the context of raising readers, but I decided to apply it to ALL areas of my life right nowđ)
Today I have a short recommendation for our early chapter book readersâa cute series about another time traveling dogâbut the real meat of this issue is in the middle grade section, with a book series we all loved so much that I just had to run another giveaway!
Also, Iâd be honored if youâd share The Magic Book House with a friend.
Magic Bone (series), by Nancy Krulik, illustrated by Sebastien Braun (2013-2016)
Sniff, sniff, sniff. Just then, I smell something amazing. Like chicken, beef, and sausage all rolled into one. The smell is coming from the big hole Iâve been digging. I look down, and thatâs when I see it. My bone. Buried next to the flower bed. Right where I left it! My bone isnât just any bone. It has magic powers. It can throw me right out of my yard! No, really. The first time I took a big bite of my magic bone, it took me all the way to London!
Magic Bone is an early chapter book series narrated by a naughty and adorable sheepdog puppy named Sparky. One day, Sparky is âdiggety-dig-diggingâ in his backyard when he uncovers a magical bone. With one chomp of the bone, Sparky goes on exciting adventures all over the world, meeting new friends and causing plenty of mischief.
The books have short, easy-to-read chapters and super cute illustrations. Sparky has just the right amount of âpuppy potty humorâ to produce giggles. The end of each provides young readers with interesting facts about the places Sparky explores.
Reminiscent of Ranger in Time for the younger set, The Magic Bone series was a huge hit with both of my children.
Recommended for ages 6-8
The Penderwicks (series), by Jeanne Birdsall (2005-2018)
Meet the Penderwicks, four different sisters with one special bond. Thereâs responsible, practical Rosalind; stubborn, feisty Skye; dreamy, artistic Jane; and shy little sister Batty, who wonât go anywhere without her butterfly wings.
When the series begins, the four sisters and their lovingly absentminded father take a three-week vacation to a rented cottage behind a massive estate. The girls make a fast friend in Jeffery, a lonely boyâand the son of the estateâs snooty owner.
Although the Penderwick sisters quickly learn to avoid Jefferyâs mother (mostly), they still manage to have plenty of summer adventures, filled with ups and downs that strengthen their sisterhood and cement their bond with Jeffery.
As the series progresses, Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty navigate the challenges that come with growing upâmisunderstandings, rivalries, school problems, and moreâbut always come back to that first summer and one another.
If I had to choose one realistic fiction series to literally push into the hands of almost everyone I know, The Penderwicks would be it. I read the first book years ago and promptly bought the rest of the series, hoping that my own small children would eventually read these stories and cherish them as much as I do.
This series has a nostalgic feel that makes me wish my kids could have the kind of free-range childhood the Penderwick sisters have. Even though their father is supportive and caring (their mother died when Batty was an infant), the girls have so much independence and are free to solve their own problems.
When the first Penderwicks book was published, it won the National Book Award and became an instant best seller. Critics referred to it as a âmodern classic.â Now that almost 20 years have gone by, Iâm not sure Iâd call this series modernâbut thatâs a good thing! Iâd rather think of the Penderwick books as timeless, the kind of books that will resonate with generations to come.
While I love that childrenâs literature today doesnât shy away from the edgier topics and tough experiences that at one time would never have been mentioned, let alone written aboutâthereâs also a place for books like The Penderwicks. And Iâd argue that cozy, nostalgic books, ones that emphasize the importance of courage, loyalty, and family, are just the balm many of us need right now.
Birdsallâs characters are so well drawn, each with their own complexities and quirks, with depth and authenticity that make them feel like real friendsâthe kind that remain in your heart long after the last page is turned.
The Penderwicks Series Books*
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street
The Penderwicks at Point Mouette
Recommended for ages 7-12
đđThe Second Giveaway!đđ
I had a big birthday last week (4-0), and while I donât love celebrating myselfâI DO love celebrating childrenâs booksâŠ.so, Iâm going to use this milestone as an opportunity for another giveaway.
In honor of the olâ birthday, Iâm giving away a copy of The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy.
No need to fill out a survey this timeâsimply subscribe to this newsletter (if you arenât already), then âlikeâ this post or leave a comment below.
Since new readers find me all the time, Iâll run this contest until Friday, August 11th, 2023.
PSAđš: Please please donât pass up the Penderwicksâeven if you have boys. I donât love when people talk about âboys for boysâ and âbooks for girlsâ (more on that another time) but I appreciate that some boys might not want to give this book a shot.
I get itâmy 11-year-old son usually gravitates toward sports novels, dystopian fiction, and fantasy. When he pulled the first Penderwicks off our shelf last year, I thought
"HmmâŠwonder if heâll like a âleisurely-pacedâ story about four sisters.
Especially since he doesnât really seem to like his own sister.
And then he devoured the entire series. Twice.
(Yes, this is similar to what I thought about my daughter and The Family Fletcher seriesâso the point is, I try to keep my mouth shut and let my kids choose what they want to read.)
âšWishing you hours and hours of reading magicâš,
Katie
*As a reminder, I recently created a storefront through Bookshop.org. This awesome organization donates all profits to local bookstores (more on that here).
If you make a purchase through one of my links or by visiting my storefront, I earn a teeny tiny commission, which supports my work on this newsletter.
Yes! Actually, the author said that many of Little Womenâs plot points are woven into the books...some without her even noticing. The characters remind me so much of the March sisters.
I guess she was also inspired by Edward Eager and E.Nesbit :)
I can't sing the praises of The Penderwicks series enough! They are such enjoyable books, especially the the first three. I own all of them in paperback.